Threaded Messages - CometChat Docs

Enhance your iOS chat app with threaded messaging by integrating CometChat’s UIKit for iOS, allowing users to reply to specific messages within a focused thread view.

Overview

Threaded messages allow users to reply to specific messages within a conversation, creating a sub-conversation for improved clarity and context. With CometChat’s UIKit for iOS, you can:

Display a dedicated thread view.
View and send replies to a selected message.
Maintain context between the main conversation and the thread.

Prerequisites

A working UIKit-based iOS project.
CometChat UIKit for iOS v4+ installed via Swift Package Manager or CocoaPods.
Valid CometChat App ID, Region, and Auth Key.
A navigation controller configured in your project.

Components

Component	Role
`CometChatMessageList`	Displays messages and provides `onThreadRepliesClick` handler.
`CometChatThreadedMessageHeader`	Shows the parent message context at the top of the thread.
`CometChatMessageComposer`	Composes messages with an optional `parentMessageId`.
`ThreadedMessagesVC`	View controller that hosts the threaded conversation.

Integration Steps

Show the “Reply in Thread” Option

Navigate to the thread when a message’s thread icon is tapped.

messageListView.set(onThreadRepliesClick: { [weak self] message, _ in
    guard let self = self else { return }
    let threadVC = ThreadedMessagesVC()
    threadVC.parentMessage = message
    self.navigationController?.pushViewController(threadVC, animated: true)
})

File reference:
ThreadedMessagesVC.swift Captures user intent and opens a focused thread screen.

Navigate to the Thread Screen

Show a dedicated UI for thread replies. In ThreadedMessagesVC.swift:

view.addSubview(parentMessageView)
view.addSubview(messageListView)
view.addSubview(composerView)

Header:

let parentMessageContainerView = CometChatThreadedMessageHeader()

Message List:

messageListView.set(user: user, parentMessage: parentMessage)

Provides a focused UI for thread interactions.

Send a Threaded Message

Ensure new replies are attached to the correct parent message.

composerView.set(parentMessageId: parentMessage?.id ?? 0)

Set the conversation context:

composerView.set(user: user)
composerView.set(group: group)

Fetch & Display Thread Replies

Only messages that are part of the thread are displayed. Handled internally by:

messageListView.set(user: user, parentMessage: parentMessage)

Ensures CometChatMessageList fetches replies using the parentMessageId.

Customization Options

Header Styling: Customize CometChatThreadedMessageHeader (fonts, colors, etc.).
Composer: Modify placeholder text, input styles, and icons.
Navigation: Add a custom navigationItem.leftBarButtonItem for back navigation.

Filtering / Edge Cases

Parent Message Deleted: Display a fallback UI or disable the composer.
No Replies: Show an empty state (e.g., “No replies yet”).
Offline Mode: Disable the composer and queue thread operations.

Error Handling & Edge Cases

Fetch Failures: Show an error UI or retry mechanism when loading thread messages.
Send Failures: Handle send errors via delegate callbacks or show an alert with retry.
Loading States: Display a UIActivityIndicatorView during fetch/send operations.
Blocked Users: Remove the composer and display a blocked status label.

Summary / Feature Matrix

Feature	Implementation
Show thread option	`CometChatMessageList.onThreadRepliesClick`
Thread view screen	`ThreadedMessagesVC.swift`
Display threaded messages	`CometChatMessageList.set(parentMessage:)`
Send threaded message	`CometChatMessageComposer.set(parentMessageId:)`
Thread header	`CometChatThreadedMessageHeader`
Handle blocked user	Remove composer & show a blocked user label

Full Sample App

Explore a complete sample application demonstrating threaded messaging.View on GitHub

UIKit Source Code

Browse the CometChat UIKit for iOS source code.View on GitHub

​Overview

​Prerequisites

​Components

​Integration Steps

​Show the “Reply in Thread” Option

​Navigate to the Thread Screen

​Send a Threaded Message

​Fetch & Display Thread Replies

​Customization Options

​Filtering / Edge Cases

​Error Handling & Edge Cases

​Summary / Feature Matrix