Messaging

Send, receive, and manage messages in your chat application

Quick Reference for AI Agents & Developers

// Send text message
const textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
  "receiver_uid",
  "Hello!",
  CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER  // or GROUP
);
await CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage);

// Send media message
const mediaMessage = new CometChat.MediaMessage(
  "receiver_uid",
  file,
  CometChat.MESSAGE_TYPE.IMAGE,  // IMAGE, VIDEO, AUDIO, FILE
  CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER
);
await CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage);

// Fetch message history
const messagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
  .setUID("user_uid")  // or .setGUID("group_guid")
  .setLimit(30)
  .build();
const messages = await messagesRequest.fetchPrevious();

// Listen for messages
CometChat.addMessageListener("LISTENER_ID", new CometChat.MessageListener({
  onTextMessageReceived: (msg) => console.log("Text:", msg.getText()),
  onMediaMessageReceived: (msg) => console.log("Media:", msg.getAttachment()),
  onTypingStarted: (indicator) => console.log("Typing..."),
  onMessagesRead: (receipt) => console.log("Read:", receipt.getMessageId())
}));

// Edit/Delete
await CometChat.editMessage(editedMessage);
await CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId);

Messaging is the core of CometChat. This section covers everything you need to build a complete messaging experience—from sending your first message to implementing advanced features like reactions and threaded conversations.

Available via: SDK | REST API | UI Kits

Getting Started

At minimum, implement these two features:

Send Messages

Send text, media, and custom messages to users and groups

Receive Messages

Handle real-time messages and fetch message history

Message Types

CometChat supports multiple message types:

Type	Description	Use Case
Text	Plain text messages	Standard chat messages
Media	Images, videos, audio, files	Sharing photos, documents, voice notes
Custom	Developer-defined JSON payload	Location sharing, polls, custom cards
Interactive	Forms, cards, buttons	Surveys, bookings, actionable messages

// Quick example: Send a text message
const textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(
  receiverID,
  "Hello!",
  CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER
);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message) => console.log("Sent:", message),
  (error) => console.log("Error:", error)
);

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Core Features

Conversations

Fetch recent chats and build your conversation list

Message History

Load previous messages with pagination

Edit Messages

Allow users to edit sent messages

Delete Messages

Remove messages from conversations

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Real-Time Features

Keep your chat experience live and engaging:

Typing Indicators

Show when users are typing

Read Receipts

Track message delivery and read status

Reactions

Add emoji reactions to messages

Transient Messages

Send temporary messages that aren’t stored

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Advanced Features

Threaded Messages

Create message threads for organized discussions

Mentions

@mention users in conversations

Interactive Messages

Send forms, cards, and actionable content

Message Filtering

Filter messages by type, category, or custom criteria

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Conversation Management

Delete Conversation

Clear conversation history

Flag Messages

Report inappropriate content

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Message Listener

To receive real-time messages, register a MessageListener:

const listenerID = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.addMessageListener(
  listenerID,
  new CometChat.MessageListener({
    onTextMessageReceived: (textMessage) => {
      console.log("Text message received:", textMessage);
    },
    onMediaMessageReceived: (mediaMessage) => {
      console.log("Media message received:", mediaMessage);
    },
    onCustomMessageReceived: (customMessage) => {
      console.log("Custom message received:", customMessage);
    },
    onTypingStarted: (typingIndicator) => {
      console.log("Typing started:", typingIndicator);
    },
    onTypingEnded: (typingIndicator) => {
      console.log("Typing ended:", typingIndicator);
    },
    onMessagesDelivered: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message delivered:", messageReceipt);
    },
    onMessagesRead: (messageReceipt) => {
      console.log("Message read:", messageReceipt);
    },
    onMessageEdited: (message) => {
      console.log("Message edited:", message);
    },
    onMessageDeleted: (message) => {
      console.log("Message deleted:", message);
    },
    onInteractiveMessageReceived: (message) => {
      console.log("Interactive message received:", message);
    },
  })
);

// Remove listener when done
CometChat.removeMessageListener(listenerID);

See All Real-Time Listeners for the complete reference.

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Quick Reference

Task	Method
Send text message	CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage)
Send media message	CometChat.sendMediaMessage(mediaMessage)
Send custom message	CometChat.sendCustomMessage(customMessage)
Fetch messages	messagesRequest.fetchPrevious()
Edit message	CometChat.editMessage(message)
Delete message	CometChat.deleteMessage(messageId)
Mark as read	CometChat.markAsRead(message)
Start typing	CometChat.startTyping(typingIndicator)
Get conversations	conversationsRequest.fetchNext()

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Next Steps

1. Send Your First Message

   Learn to send text, media, and custom messages

2. Receive Messages

   Set up real-time listeners and fetch history

3. Build Conversation List

   Retrieve conversations for your chat UI

4. Add Engagement Features

   Implement typing indicators and read receipts