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Overview

MessageList is a Composite Component that displays a list of messages and effectively manages real-time operations. It includes various types of messages such as Text Messages, Media Messages, Stickers, and more. MessageList is primarily a list of the base component MessageBubble. The MessageBubble Component is utilized to create different types of chat bubbles depending on the message type.

Usage

Integration

The following code snippet illustrates how you can directly incorporate the CometChatMessageList component into your app.
Simply adding the CometChatMessageList component to the layout will result in an error. To fetch messages, you need to supplement it with user or group prop.

Actions

Actions dictate how a component functions. They are divided into two types: Predefined and User-defined. You can override either type, allowing you to tailor the behavior of the component to fit your specific needs.
1. onThreadRepliesPress
onThreadRepliesPress is triggered when you press on the threaded message bubble. The onThreadRepliesPress action doesn’t have a predefined behavior. You can override this action using the following code snippet.
2. onError
This action doesn’t change the behavior of the component but rather listens for any errors that occur in the MessageList component.

onReactionLongPress
Function triggered when a user long presses on a reaction pill, allowing developers to override the default behavior.
onAddReactionPress
Function triggered when a user clicks on the ‘Add More Reactions’ button, allowing developers to handle this action.
onReactionPress
Function triggered when a reaction is clicked, enabling developers to customize reaction interactions.
onReactionListItemPress
Function triggered when a reaction list item is clicked, allowing developers to override its behavior in CometChatReactionsList.

Filters

You can adjust the MessagesRequestBuilder in the MessageList Component to customize your message list. Numerous options are available to alter the builder to meet your specific needs. For additional details on MessagesRequestBuilder, please visit MessagesRequestBuilder. In the example below, we are applying a filter to the messages based on a search substring and for a specific user. This means that only messages that contain the search term and are associated with the specified user will be displayed
The following parameters in messageRequestBuilder will always be altered inside the message list
  1. UID
  2. GUID
  3. types
  4. categories

Events

Events are emitted by a Component. By using event you can extend existing functionality. Being global events, they can be applied in Multiple Locations and are capable of being Added or Removed. The list of events emitted by the Message List component is as follows. Adding CometChatMessageEvents Listener’s

Removing Listeners

Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the conversation component. We provide exposed methods that allow you to modify the experience and behavior according to your specific needs.

Style

Using Style you can customize the look and feel of the component in your app, These parameters typically control elements such as the color, size, shape, and fonts used within the component.

Functionality

These are a set of small functional customizations that allow you to fine-tune the overall experience of the component. With these, you can change text, set custom icons, and toggle the visibility of UI elements. Below is a list of customizations along with corresponding code snippets

Advance

For advanced-level customization, you can set custom views to the component. This lets you tailor each aspect of the component to fit your exact needs and application aesthetics. You can create and define your views, layouts, and UI elements and then incorporate those into the component.

Templates

CometChatMessageTemplate is a pre-defined structure for creating message views that can be used as a starting point or blueprint for creating message views often known as message bubbles. For more information, you can refer to CometChatMessageTemplate. You can set message Templates to MessageList by using the following code snippet

DateSeperatorPattern

Specifies a custom format for displaying sticky date separators in the chat. Use Cases:
  • Customize date formats to match regional preferences.
  • Use relative formats like “Yesterday” instead of full dates.
  • Highlight weekend conversations with different styles.

DatePattern

Defines the format in which time appears for each message bubble. Use Cases:
  • Use 12-hour or 24-hour formats based on user preference.
  • Display relative time (“Just now”, “5 min ago”).
  • Add AM/PM indicators for clarity.

LoadingView

Customizes the loading indicator when messages are being fetched. Use Cases:
  • Show a spinner or skeleton loader for smooth UX.
  • Display a “Fetching messages…” text.

EmptyView

Defines a custom view to be displayed when no messages are available. Use Cases:
  • Show a friendly message like “No messages yet. Start the conversation!”.

ErrorView

Custom error state view displayed when fetching messages fails. Use Cases:
  • Show a retry button when an error occurs.
  • Display a friendly message like “Couldn’t load messages. Check your connection.

emptyChatGreetingView

Custom empty state view displayed in case of chats with AI Assistants. Use Cases:
  • Show an empty state view for chats with AI Assistants.
  • Display a friendly message like “Hey, I am your AI Assistant”.

suggestedMessages

Sets the list of suggested messages for AI Assistant chats, allowing you to define which predefined queries or prompts are displayed to users. Use Cases:
  • Display a list of suggested messages for users to interact with the AI Assistant.
  • Provide quick prompts or queries to help users start a conversation with the AI.

aiAssistantTools

Sets the available tools for the AI assistant by accepting a CometChatAIAssistantTools object that contains tool actions. This allows you to define and manage the tools that the AI assistant can utilize during interactions. Use Cases:
  • Dynamically update UI elements based on tool actions.
  • Enable contextual actions based on user interactions with AI tools.

streamingSpeed

Sets the streaming speed for AI Assistant responses in milliseconds, allowing you to control how quickly the AI’s replies are displayed to the user. Use Cases:
  • Manipulate the speed of AI responses to enhance user experience.

hideSuggestedMessages

Flag to hide suggested messages in AI agent empty view (only applies to @agentic users). Use Cases:
  • Hide suggested messages when you want to show a clean empty state.

emptyChatIntroMessageView

Custom AI agent intro message view (only applies to @agentic users). Use Cases:
  • Display a custom introduction message for AI assistants.

emptyChatImageView

Custom AI agent image/avatar view (only applies to @agentic users). Use Cases:
  • Display a custom avatar or image for AI assistants.

TextFormatters

Assigns the list of text formatters. If the provided list is not null, it sets the list. Otherwise, it assigns the default text formatters retrieved from the data source. To configure the existing Mentions look and feel check out MentionsFormatter Guide
Example

HeaderView

This method allows you to set a custom header view for the message list. By providing a View object, you can customize the appearance and content of the header displayed at the top of the message list. Use Cases:
  • Add a custom branding/logo to the chat.
  • Display chat status (“John is typing…”).
  • Show last seen status.
Example

FooterView

This method allows you to set a custom footer view for the message list. By providing a View object, you can customize the appearance and content of the footer displayed at the bottom of the message list. Use Cases:
  • Add quick reply buttons.
  • Display typing indicators (“John is typing…”).
  • Show a disclaimer or privacy notice.
Example