Channel

The Channel component is the main entry point for many Stream Chat customizations and contains the majority of the content providers and a significant amount of the logic utilized by Stream Chat for React Native. Components, custom and out of the box, channel information, and UI integrated chat functions are disseminated by the contexts contained in Channel. MessageList, MessageInput, and Thread all rely on Channel to function correctly.

Basic Usage

Channel takes an instance of a StreamChat channel as a prop. You can create a channel, or if you are navigating from the ChannelList, access the selected channel via the parameter passed to the onSelect function.

import { StreamChat } from 'stream-chat';
import { Channel, Chat, MessageInput, MessageList, OverlayProvider } from 'stream-chat-react-native';

const client = StreamChat.getInstance('api_key');

export const App = () => {
  const [channel, setChannel] = useState();

  useEffect(() => {
    const createAndWatchChannel = async () => {
      const newChannel = client.channel('messaging', 'channel_id');
      await newChannel.watch();
      setChannel(newChannel);
    };

    createAndWatchChannel();
  }, []);

  return (
    <OverlayProvider>
      <Chat client={client}>
        <Channel channel={channel}>
          <MessageList />
          <MessageInput />
        </Channel>
      </Chat>
    </OverlayProvider>
  );
};

Context Providers

Channel contains providers for the ChannelContext, KeyboardContext, MessageInputContext, MessagesContext, PaginatedMessageListContext, SuggestionsContext, ThreadContext, and TypingContext. These can be accessed using the corresponding hooks.

Context	Hook
ChannelContext	useChannelContext
KeyboardContext	useKeyboardContext
MessageInputContext	useMessageInputContext
MessagesContext	useMessagesContext
PaginatedMessageListContext	usePaginatedMessageListContext
SuggestionsContext	useSuggestionsContext
ThreadContext	useThreadContext
TypingContext	useTypingContext

UI Customizations

Channel is the entry point for customizing the majority of the Stream Chat for React Native SDK. The UI can be tailored to your design by replacing any number of components with custom components. Custom components provided as props to Channel will be utilized throughout the SDK where appropriate.

Customizing the message avatar can be done easily by providing a custom component to the appropriate prop.

import { Image } from 'react-native';
import { Channel, useMessageContext } from 'stream-chat-react-native';

const CustomAvatar = () => {
  const { message } = useMessageContext();

  return <Image source={{ uri: message.user?.image }} />;
};

<Channel MessageAvatar={CustomAvatar} />;

Messages

Attachments

Indicators

Input

Props

channel

Channel instance from the StreamChat client.

Type
Channel

keyboardVerticalOffset

Distance between top of the screen and top of Channel component. This is often the header height.

Type
number

additionalKeyboardAvoidingViewProps

Additional props provided to the underlying KeyboardAvoidingView.

Type
object

additionalTextInputProps

Additional props provided to the underlying TextInput within MessageInput.

Type
object

additionalTouchableProps

Additional props provided to the underlying TouchableOpacity used by components within a message such as MessageContent.

Type
object

allowThreadMessagesInChannel

Display the Show thread message in channel button inside the thread MessageInput.

Type	Default
boolean	true

autoCompleteSuggestionsLimit

Maximum number of suggestions to display as part of autocomplete feature within input box.

Type	Default
number	10

AutoCompleteSuggestionHeader

Component to render the autocomplete suggestion header.

Type	Default
Component	AutoCompleteSuggestionHeader

AutoCompleteSuggestionItem

Component to render the autocomplete suggestion item.

Type	Default
Component	AutoCompleteSuggestionItem

AutoCompleteSuggestionList

Component to render the autocomplete suggestion list.

Type	Default
Component	AutoCompleteSuggestionItem

autoCompleteTriggerSettings

Function that returns the trigger settings for the auto complete input.

Type	Default
function	ACITriggerSettings

compressImageQuality

Image compression quality prior to uploading.

note

On iOS values of 0.8 and above don't reduce the quality noticeably in most images. A value of 0.8 will reduce the file size in iOS by approximately half compared to a value of 1.

Type	Default
number 0 to 1 (1 is best quality)	iOS: 0.8 Android: 1

deletedMessagesVisibiltyType

Controls the visibility of the deleted messages within the channel.

• always: The deleted messages in the channel will be visible to both the sender and receiver.
• never: The deleted messages will not be visible to anyone.
• sender: The deleted messages in the channel will only be visible to sender.
• receiver: The deleted messages in the channel will only be visible to receiver.

Type	Default
enum('always', 'never', 'receiver', 'sender')	'both'

disableIfFrozenChannel

Disable all interaction with the Channel component if the channel is frozen.

Type	Default
boolean	true

disableKeyboardCompatibleView

Enable or disable the underlying KeyboardAvoidingView.

Type	Default
boolean	false

disableTypingIndicator

Disable typing indicator in MessageList.

Type	Default
boolean	false

dismissKeyboardOnMessageTouch

Dismiss the keyboard when a user touches any of the messages in the list.

Type	Default
boolean	false

doDocUploadRequest

Override of the file upload request when a user selects a file from the file picker. The function must return a Promise that is resolved to an object with the key file that is the URL of the uploaded file.

note

This can be used to store file attachments in your own custom CDN.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
file	{ name, size, type, uri }
channel	current channel instance

doImageUploadRequest

Override of the image upload request when a user selects an image from the image picker. The function must return a Promise that is resolved to an object with the key file that is the URL of the uploaded image.

note

This can be used to store image attachments in your own custom CDN.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
image	{ name, uri }
channel	current channel instance

doMarkReadRequest

Override the mark read request.

note

This prop should only be used for advanced functionality in which you want to conditionally allow mark-read requests.

Don not use this function to disable the read-receipts feature. If you would like to disable read-receipts, this can be done via Read Events on the dashboard.

Example

const doMarkReadRequest = (channel) => {
  if (/** Some custom logic here */) {
    channel.markRead();
  }
};

Type
function

Parameter	Description
channel	channel instance

doSendMessageRequest

Override the send message request. This function must return a Promise equivalent to client.sendMessage.

note

This prop should only be used for advanced functionality in which you want to alter the message object before sending.

Example

const doSendMessageRequest = (channelId, messageObject) => {
  if (/** Some custom logic here */) {
    messageObject.isSpecial = true;
  }
  return channel.sendMessage(messageObject);
}

Type
function

Parameter	Description
channelId	string
messageObject	object

doUpdateMessageRequest

Override the update message request. This function must return a Promise equivalent to client.updateMessage.

note

This prop should only be used for advanced functionality in which you want to alter the message object before updating it.

const doUpdateMessageRequest = (channelId, messageObject) => {
  const numberOfUpdates = (messageObject.numberOfUpdates ?? 0) + 1;
  const messageToSend = { ...messageObject, numberOfUpdates };
  return client.updateMessage(messageToSend);
};

Type
function

Parameter	Description
channelId	string
messageObject	object

enableMessageGroupingByUser

Note: This prop is available only in SDK version >= v3.9.0

If false, consecutive messages from same user won't be grouped together.

Type	Default
boolean	true

enforceUniqueReaction

Limits reactions to one per user. If a user selects another reaction, their previous reaction will be replaced. This is similar to reaction UX of iMessage.

Type	Default
boolean	false

forceAlignMessages

Forces alignment of messages in the list to either the left or right side of the screen. By default, received messages are aligned on the left side of the screen, and sent messages are aligned on the right.

Type	Default
'left' | 'right' | false	false

formatDate

Format function that returns a string to be used for the date in the message status and delete message component.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
date	date to format provided as a string, Date, or number (Unix Timestamp)

giphyEnabled

Enable Giphy commands feature on the MessageInput component.

Type	Default
boolean	true

globalUnreadCountLimit

Maximum number of unread messages to show as a count on a channel before adding a +. The max allowable is 255, which when reached displays as 255+.

Type	Default
number	255

giphyVersion

The Giphy version to render - check the keys of the Image Object for possible values.

Type	Default
string	'fixed_height'

handleBlock

Function called when the Block User action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Block User action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleCopy

Function called when the Copy Message action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Copy Message action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleDelete

Function called when the Delete Message action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Delete Message action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleEdit

Function called when the Edit Message action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Edit Message action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleFlag

Function called when the Flag Message action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Flag Message action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleMute

Function called when the Mute User action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Mute User action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handlePinMessage

Function called when the Pin to Conversation or Unpin from Conversation action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Pin to Conversation or Unpin from Conversation action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleReaction

Function called when a reaction is selected in the message overlay, this is called on both the add and remove action. This function does not override the default behavior of the reaction being selected. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on
reactionType	string designating the type of reaction

handleQuotedReply

Function called when the Reply action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Reply action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleRetry

Function called when the Retry action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Retry action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

handleThreadReply

Function called when the Thread Reply action is invoked from message actions list. This function does not override the default behavior of the Thread Reply action. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

hasCommands

Enable commands on the MessageInput component.

Type	Default
boolean	true

hasFilePicker

Enable the file picker on the MessageInput component.

Type	Default
boolean	true

hasImagePicker

Enable the image picker on the MessageInput component.

Type	Default
boolean	true

hideDateSeparators

Hide inline date separators in MessageList component.

Type	Default
boolean	false

hideStickyDateHeader

Note: This prop is available only in SDK version >= v3.9.0

Hide sticky date header in MessageList component.

Type	Default
boolean	false

initialScrollToFirstUnreadMessage

Load messages in a channel at the first unread message.

Type	Default
boolean	false

initialValue

The initial value for the MessageInput component.

Type
string

isAttachmentEqual

Function which returns true if passing nextAttachment to render would return the same result as passing prevAttachment to render, otherwise return false.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
prevAttachment	previous message attachment to be compared
nextAttachment	next message attachment to be compared

keyboardBehavior

Behavior for the keyboard passed to the underlying KeyboardAvoidingView.

Type
'height' | 'position' | 'padding'

legacyImageViewerSwipeBehaviour

Note: This prop is available only in SDK version >= v3.9.0

Enables/disables the legacy image viewer behavior.

When true, within the image viewer you can keep swiping left to scroll through all the images that have been loaded within a channel so far. Be aware that this creates quite a lot of extra work for the JS thread to keep track of image attachments loaded in a channel and pre-populating them in the viewer for smooth transitions.

Type	Default
boolean	false

loadingMore

Override the loadingMore value supplied by the channel query logic.

Type
boolean

loadingMoreRecent

Override the loadingMoreRecent value supplied by the channel query logic.

Type
boolean

markdownRules

Object specifying rules defined within simple-markdown.

Type
object

maxMessageLength

Maximum length of the message text. The default value is supplied by the channel config.

Type
number

maxNumberOfFiles

Maximum number of files (documents & images), that can be attached per message.

Type	Default
number	10

maxTimeBetweenGroupedMessages

Maximum time in milliseconds between consecutive messages from the same user to still consider them grouped together.

Type	Default
number	infinite

mentionAllAppUsersEnabled

Allows any of the app users to be mentioned in a message, as part of autocomplete feature within input box. By default only members of channel can be mentioned while composing a message.

Type	Default
boolean	false

mentionAllAppUsersQuery

Query to be used for searching users as part of autocomplete mention feature within input box. Please check the Querying Users docs for more details on filters/sort/options.

mentionAllAppUsersQuery={{
  filters: {
    id: {
      $in: ['vishal', 'lucas']
    }
  },
  sort: {},
  options: {}
}}

Type
object

messageId

Load the channel at a specified message instead of the most recent message.

Type
string

messageActions

An array of, or function that returns and array of, actions that can be performed on a message shown in the message overlay. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type	Default
array | function	messageActions

Parameter	Description
actionInfo	an object containing the original actions and relevant message data

messageContentOrder

Order in which to render the content of a message.

Type	Default
array	['quoted_reply', 'gallery', 'files', 'text', 'attachments']

myMessageTheme

Theme applied to messages of the current user.

Type
object

newMessageStateUpdateThrottleInterval

Note: This prop is available only in SDK version >= v3.9.0

Throttling interval (in milliseconds) for react state update for channel, when new messages arrive in chat. By default state updates are throttled at 500 ms, but for high concurrency application this prop should be adjusted to 1000 ms to avoid excessive overload on JS thread.

Type	Default
number	500

numberOfLines

Maximum number of lines that underlying TextInput component within MessageInput should expand to.

Type	Default
number	5

onChangeText

Callback that is called when the text input's text changes.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
text	changed text

onLongPressMessage

Function called when a user long presses a message. The default opens the message actions overlay.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
payload	{ actionHandlers, message }

onPressMessage

Function called when a user presses a message.

caution

The default handler for message press interactions acts differently when pressing on reactions and attachments. You will have to handle these cases when overriding this function.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
payload	{ additionalInfo, actionHandlers, message }

The additionalInfo prop is handy for getting information from certain click events. A good example of this is getting the user details when a textMention (for example @Enigma-I-am) is clicked.

For example:

    <Channel
      onPressMessage={({ additionalInfo, defaultHandler, emitter }) => {

          if (emitter === 'textMention') {
            console.log(additionalInfo?.user);
            return;
          }

          if (emitter === 'card' || emitter === 'textLink') {
            console.log(additionalInfo?.url);
            return;
          }

          defaultHandler?.();
      }}
    >

info

The additionalInfo prop will change over time as we explore more use-cases for different emitter's.

onPressInMessage

Function called immediately when a touch is engaged on a message, before onPressMessage.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
payload	{ actionHandlers, message }

overrideOwnCapabilities

Object to override the capabilities of current user, which are affected by number of factors such as user permissions, channel type configurations and channel settings. These capabilities are used to enable or disable certain UI features within the SDK. To know more about capabilities, please take a look at following documentation:

https://getstream.io/chat/docs/javascript/channel_capabilities/?language=javascript

For example:

<Channel
  overrideOwnCapabilities={{
    uploadFile: false,
    sendLinks: false
  }}

Available keys for the object:

• banChannelMembers When false, "Block User" message action won't be available within overlay.
• deleteAnyMessage When false, "Delete Message" action won't be available for received message within overlay.
• deleteOwnMessage When false, "Delete Message" action won't be available for own message within overlay.
• flagMessage When false, "Flag Message" message action won't be available within overlay.
• pinMessage When false, "Pin Message" action won't be available within overlay.
• quoteMessage When false, "Reply" message action won't be available within overlay.
• readEvents When false, read receipts for message won't be rendered.
• sendLinks When false, user will not be allowed to send URLs in message.
• sendMessage When false, message input component will render SendMessageDisallowedIndicator instead of input box.
• sendReaction When false, reaction selector (OverlayReactionList) component won't be available within overlay.
• sendReply When false, "Thread Reply" message action won't be available within overlay.
• sendTypingEvents When false, typing events won't be sent from current user.
• updateAnyMessage When false, "Edit Message" action won't be available for received messages within overlay.
• updateOwnMessage When false, "Edit Message" action won't be available for own messages within overlay.
• uploadFile When false, upload file button (AttachButton) won't be available within MessageInput component.

Type
object

selectReaction

Full override of the reaction function on a message. This function must return a function that takes as a parameter the reactionType as a string. Please refer to the guide on customizing message actions for details.

Type
function | null

Parameter	Description
message	message the action is called on

sendImageAsync

Sends a message with attachments in asynchronous way. By default, a message can't be sent until all the image/file attachments have been uploaded. If this prop is set to true, every attachment will be sent as a separate message, as soon as the upload is complete.

Type	Default
boolean	false

setInputRef

Callback function to set the ref on the underlying TextInput in MessageInput.

Type
function

Parameter	Description
ref	ref of the TextInput

stateUpdateThrottleInterval

Note: This prop is available only in SDK version >= v3.9.0

Throttling interval (in milliseconds) for react state update for channel, (except new messages). By default state updates are throttled at 500 ms, but for high concurrency application this prop should be adjusted to 1000 ms to avoid excessive overload on JS thread.

Type	Default
number	500

supportedReactions

List of reactions which can be added on message. Please refer to the guide on customizing reactions for details.

Type	Default
array	reactionData

thread

A message object that when set indicates a thread is open. When used with the Thread component this will display the thread. When used with the standard MessageList component this will prevent any singleton components in the OverlayProvider form getting out of sync.

note

thread should be set on all Channel components when a thread is open.

Type
object

threadList

Tells the Channel component if it is rendering a thread. We use this flag to avoid concurrency problems between a regular channel and a channel containing a thread.

Type
boolean

AttachButton

Component to render the attach button next to input box.

Type	Default
component	AttachButton

Attachment

Component for rendering attachments in MessageList.

Available props:

• attachment {object}

Type	Default
component	Attachment

AttachmentActions

Component to render additional actions on attachment. for example send, shuffle, cancel in case of Giphy.

Type	Default
component	AttachmentActions

Card

Component to render any custom type of attachment. Please check the guides for Custom Attachment

Type	Default
component	Card

CardCover

Component to render main body for Card component which renders custom type of attachment. Please check the guides for Custom Attachment.

Type
component

CardFooter

Component to render footer for Card component which renders custom type of attachment. Please check the guides for Custom Attachment.

Type
component

CardHeader

Component to render header for Card component which renders custom type of attachment. Please check the guides for Custom Attachment.

Type
component

CommandsButton

Component to render button next to input box, which when pressed opens commands list.

Type	Default
component	CommandsButton

DateHeader

Component to render sticky date header within enclosed MessageList component.

Type	Default
component	DateHeader

EmptyStateIndicator

Component to render, when channel has no messages.

Type	Default
component	EmptyStateIndicator

FileAttachmentIcon

Component to render file icon for file type attachment.

Type	Default
component	FileIcon

FileAttachment

Component to render 'file' type attachment in MessageList.

Type	Default
component	FileAttachment

FileAttachmentGroup

Component to render group of file type attachments, when there are multiple file type attachments in message.

Type	Default
component	FileAttachmentGroup

FileUploadPreview

Component to render preview of attached file, within enclosed MessageInput component.

Type	Default
component	FileUploadPreview

FlatList

FlatList component for underlying MessageList component.

Type	Default
component	flat-list-mvcp

Gallery

Component to render 'image' type attachments in the MessageList.

Type	Default
component	Gallery

Giphy

Component to render Giphy type attachments in MessageList.

Type	Default
component	Giphy

ImageLoadingFailedIndicator

Component to render when image fails to load in Gallery.

Type	Default
component	ImageLoadingFailedIndicator

ImageLoadingIndicator

Component to render when image is loading in Gallery.

Type	Default
component	ImageLoadingIndicator

ImageUploadPreview

Component to render preview of attached images, within enclosed MessageInput component

Type	Default
component	ImageUploadPreview

InlineDateSeparator

Component to render inline date separators between messages which were created at a difference of more than a day.

Type	Default
component	InlineDateSeparator

InlineUnreadIndicator

Component to render inline separator in MessageList, to indicate the position of last read message in list.

Type	Default
component	InlineUnreadIndicator

Input

Component to render UI part of enclosed MessageInput component. Please read section in guides about Customizing Message Input.

Type
component

InputButtons

Component to render action buttons (CommandsButton and AttachButton) on left side of input box, within enclosed MessageInput component.

Type	Default
component	InputButtons

InputEditingStateHeader

Component to render the header when a message is been edited on the message input.

Type	Default
component	InputEditingStateHeader

InputGiphySearch

Component to render the message input when the Giphy command is triggered.

Type	Default
component	InputGiphySearch

InputReplyStateHeader

Component to render the header on the message input when a message is been replied to.

Type	Default
component	InputReplyStateHeader

KeyboardCompatibleView

Component to override underlying default KeyboardCompatibleView. Generally you won't need to use this prop at all, you can simply use following props instead:

• keyboardVerticalOffset
• disableKeyboardCompatibleView

Type	Default
component	KeyboardCompatibleView

LoadingErrorIndicator

Component to render full screen error indicator, when channel fails to load.

Type	Default
component	LoadingErrorIndicator

LoadingIndicator

Component to render full screen error indicator, when channel fails to load.

Type	Default
component	LoadingIndicator

Message

MessageAvatar

Component to render avatar of sender for message, within MessageList. This component is only rendered for messages from other users.

Type	Default
component	MessageAvatar

MessageContent

Component to render content of message including status, attachments, reactions etc., within MessageList.

Type	Default
component	MessageContent

MessageDeleted

Component to render deleted message.

Type	Default
component	MessageDeleted

MessageFooter

Component to render footer for message, within MessageList.

Type	Default
component	MessageFooter

MessageHeader

Component to render header for message, within MessageList.

Type
component

MessagePinnedHeader

Component to render pinned message label for message, within MessageList.

Type
component

MessageReplies

Component to show number of thread replies and avatars of members who replied on message

Type	Default
component	MessageReplies

MessageRepliesAvatars

Component to show avatars of members who thread replied on message.

Type	Default
component	MessageRepliesAvatars

MessageSimple

Component to render a message within MessageList.

Please check guides section for Customizing Message UI for details.

Type	Default
component	MessageSimple

MessageStatus

Component to render status of message, which includes time and read-receipts.

Type	Default
component	MessageStatus

MessageSystem

Component to render system type messages. Purpose of system messages is to inform user about changes to channel. System messages are part of message history, and have a property type set as system. You can add system messages within message history in following scenarios:

• A user gets added to or removed from channel
• A user accepts invite to join a channel
• Channel is updated

Type	Default
component	MessageSystem

MessageText

Component to render text of message. By default, we use Simple Markdown package to render the text content of message. If you decide to use this prop, please be aware that you will need to handle the markdown rendering yourself.

Type	Default
component	renderText

MoreOptionsButton

Component to render a button within enclosed MessageInput, which when pressed shows more options such as AttachButton, CommandsButton.

Type	Default
component	MoreOptionsButton

NetworkDownIndicator

Component to render an indicator at top of the channel, which shows up when there is some issue with network or connection.

Type	Default
component	NetworkDownIndicator

OverlayReactionList

Reaction selector component displayed within the message overlay when user long presses a message.

Type	Default
component	OverlayReactionList

ReactionList

Component to render list of reactions at top of message bubble.

Type	Default
component	ReactionList

Reply

Component to render preview of parent of message for quoted reply.

Type	Default
component	Reply

ScrollToBottomButton

Component to render a button which when pressed, scrolls the message list to bottom.

Type	Default
component	ScrollToBottomButton

SendButton

Component to render a send message button, within enclosed MessageInput component.

Type	Default
component	SendButton

SendMessageDisallowedIndicator

Component to render indicator stating send message feature is not allowed for current user.

Type	Default
component	SendMessageDisallowedIndicator

ShowThreadMessageInChannelButton

Component to render a checkbox within enclosed Thread component, which when checked sets a show_in_channel property to true on a message.

Type	Default
component	ShowThreadMessageInChannelButton

TypingIndicator

Component to render typing indicator within enclosed MessageList component.

Type	Default
component	TypingIndicator

TypingIndicatorContainer

Component to render container in which typing indicator gets rendered within enclosed MessageList component.

Type	Default
component	TypingIndicatorContainer

UploadProgressIndicator

Component to render upload progress indicator as an overlay above ImageUploadPreview and FileUploadPreview.

Type	Default
component	UploadProgressIndicator

UrlPreview

Component to render preview of URLs in MessageList.

Type	Default
component	Card