Core Features

Overview

The UI Kit comprises a variety of widgets, each designed to work seamlessly with one another to deliver a comprehensive and intuitive chat experience. Here’s how different UI Kit widgets work together to achieve CometChat’s Core features:

Instant Messaging

At the heart of CometChat’s functionality is the ability to support real-time text messaging. Users can send and receive instant messages, fostering quick and efficient communication.

Widgets	Functionality
MessageComposer	Enables users to write and send a variety of messages. In V6, powered by MessageComposerBloc with rich text formatting support.
MessageList	Renders a list of messages sent and received using TextBubble. In V6, powered by MessageListBloc with diffutil_dart for efficient updates.

Media Sharing

Beyond text, CometChat allows users to share various media types within their conversations — images, videos, audio files, and documents.

Widgets	Functionality
MessageComposer	Has ActionSheet for sharing media files. V6 adds inline audio recorder and multi-attachment support (in progress).
MessageList	Renders different Media Message bubbles like Image Bubble, File Bubble, Audio Bubble, Video Bubble.

Read Receipts

CometChat’s Read Receipts feature provides visibility into the message status, letting users know when a message has been delivered and read.

Widgets	Functionality
Conversations	Displays the delivery status of the last message.
MessageList	Read receipt status is an integral part of all message bubbles.
MessageInformation	Provides transparency into the status of each sent message.

Mark As Unread

Mark as Unread feature allows users to manually mark messages as unread, helping them keep track of important conversations they want to revisit later.

Widgets	Functionality
Message List	Provides the “Mark as unread” option in message actions and supports starting from the first unread message.
Conversations	Reflects the updated unread count in real-time.

Typing Indicator

The Typing Indicator feature shows when a user is typing a response in real-time.

Widgets	Functionality
Conversations	Shows real-time typing status indicators in conversation items.
Message Header	Dynamically updates to display a ‘typing…’ status in real-time.

User Presence

CometChat’s User Presence feature allows users to see whether their contacts are online or offline.

Widgets	Functionality
Conversations	Shows user presence information in conversation items.
Message Header	Handles user Presence information in the toolbar.
Users	Renders users Presence information in the user list.
Group Members	Handles user Presence information in the member list.

Reactions

CometChat’s Reactions feature allows users to react to messages with emojis.

Widgets	Functionality
MessageList	Reactions are an integral part of all message bubbles. Width-aware display shows visible reactions + “+N” overflow indicator.

Mentions

Mentions enhances interactivity by allowing users to directly address specific individuals in a conversation. Supports @all for group mentions.

Widgets	Functionality
Conversations	Shows where users have been specifically mentioned.
MessageComposer	Allows users to use the Mentions feature for direct addressing.
MessageList	Supports the rendering of Mentions in messages.

Quoted Reply

Quoted Reply enables users to quickly reply to specific messages by selecting the “Reply” option from a message’s action menu.

Widgets	Functionality
MessageList	Supports replying to messages via the “Reply” option.
MessageComposer	Shows the quoted reply above the input field using CometChatMessagePreview (renamed from CometChatEditPreview in V5).

Threaded Conversations

The Threaded Conversations feature enables users to respond directly to a specific message in a chat.

Widgets	Functionality
Threaded Messages	Displays all replies made to a particular message. In V6, powered by ThreadedHeaderBloc.

Conversation and Advanced Search

Enables users to quickly find conversations, messages, and media across chats in real time.

Widgets	Functionality
Search	Allows users to search across conversations and messages. In V6, powered by a single consolidated SearchBloc.
Message Header	Shows the search button in the chat header.
MessageList	Shows the selected message when clicked from search results.

Moderation

CometChat’s Message Moderation feature helps maintain a safe and respectful chat environment by automatically filtering and managing inappropriate content.

Widgets	Functionality
Message List	Automatically handles moderated messages, displaying blocked content appropriately.

Report Message

The Report Message feature allows users to report inappropriate or harmful messages within the chat.

Widgets	Functionality
MessageList	Provides the “Report Message” option in the message actions menu.

Group Chat

CometChat facilitates Group Chats, allowing users to have conversations with multiple participants simultaneously.

For a comprehensive guide on implementing Groups, refer to our detailed Groups guide.