Users

Users — CometChat documentation.

Overview

The Users is a Component, showcasing an accessible list of all available users. It provides an integral search functionality, allowing you to locate any specific user swiftly and easily. For each user listed, the widget displays the user’s name by default, in conjunction with their avatar when available. Furthermore, it includes a status indicator, visually informing you whether a user is currently online or offline.

The Users component is composed of the following BaseComponents:

Components	Description
ListBase	a reusable container component having title, search box, customisable background and a List View
ListItem	a component that renders data obtained from a User object on a Tile having a title, subtitle, leading and trailing view

---

Usage

Integration

As CometChatUsers is a custom view controller, it can be launched directly by user actions such as button clicks or other interactions. It’s also possible to integrate it into a tab view controller. CometChatUsers offers several parameters and methods for UI customization.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUsers)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

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. OnSelection

When the onSelection event is triggered, it furnishes the list of selected users. This event can be invoked by any button or action within the interface. You have the flexibility to implement custom actions or behaviors based on the selected users.

This action does not come with any predefined behavior. However, you have the flexibility to override this event and tailor it to suit your needs using the following code snippet.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
    .onSelection { [User] in
    //Perform Your Action

}

2. SetOnItemClick

The setOnItemClick method is used to override the onClick behavior in CometChatUsers. This action does not come with any predefined behavior. However, you have the flexibility to override this event and tailor it to suit your needs using the following code snippet.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
    .setOnItemClick (onItemClick:{ user, indexPath in
    //Perform Your Action

})

3. SetOnBack

This method allows users to override the onBack Pressed behavior in CometChatUsers by utilizing the setOnBack , providing customization options for handling the back action.

By default, this action has a predefined behavior: it simply dismisses the current view controller. However, the flexibility of CometChat UI Kit allows you to override this standard behavior according to your application’s specific requirements. You can define a custom action that will be performed instead when the back button is pressed.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
    .setOnBack (onBack:{
    //Perform Your Action
       
})

4. onError

This method setOnError, allows users to override error handling within CometChatUsers, providing greater control over error responses and actions.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
    .setOnError (onError: { error in
    //Perform Your Action
         
})

5. SetOnItemLongClick

This method setOnItemLongClick, empowers users to customize long-click actions within CometChatUsers, offering enhanced functionality and interaction possibilities.

Swift

let cometChatUsers = CometChatUsers()
    .setOnItemLongClick { user, indexPath in
    //Perform Your Action
          
}

Filters

Filters allow you to customize the data displayed in a list within a Component. You can filter the list based on your specific criteria, allowing for a more customized. Filters can be applied using RequestBuilders of Chat SDK.

1. UserRequestBuilder

The UserRequestBuilder enables you to filter and customize the user list based on available parameters in UserRequestBuilder. This feature allows you to create more specific and targeted queries when fetching users. The following are the parameters available in UserRequestBuilder

Methods	Type	Description
setLimit	int	sets the number users that can be fetched in a single request, suitable for pagination
setSearchKeyword	String	used for fetching users matching the passed string
hideBlockedUsers	bool	used for fetching all those users who are not blocked by the logged in user
friendsOnly	bool	used for fetching only those users in which logged in user is a member
setRoles	[String]	used for fetching users containing the passed tags
setTags	[String]	used for fetching users containing the passed tags
withTags	bool	used to fetch tags data along with the list of users.
setStatus	CometChat.UserStatus	used for fetching users by their status online or offline
setUIDs	[String]	used for fetching users containing the passed users

Example

In the example below, we are applying a filter to the UserList based on Friends.

Swift

let usersRequestBuilder = UsersRequest.UsersRequestBuilder(limit: 20).friendsOnly(true)

let usersWithMessages = CometChatUsersWithMessages(usersRequestBuilder: usersRequestBuilder)
let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: usersWithMessages)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

2. SearchRequestBuilder

The SearchRequestBuilder uses UserRequestBuilder enables you to filter and customize the search list based on available parameters in UserRequestBuilder. This feature allows you to keep uniformity between the displayed UserList and searched UserList.

Example In the example below, we are applying a filter to the UserList based on Search.

Swift

let usersRequestBuilder = UsersRequest.UsersRequestBuilder(limit: 20)
.set(searchKeyword: "**")

let usersWithMessages = CometChatUsersWithMessages(usersRequestBuilder: usersRequestBuilder)
let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: usersWithMessages)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

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.

To handle events supported by Users you have to add corresponding listeners by using CometChatUserEvents

Events	Description
emitOnUserBlock	This will get triggered when the logged in user blocks another user
emitOnUserUnblock	This will get triggered when the logged in user unblocks another user

Swift

///pass the [User] object of the user which has been blocked by the logged in user
 CometChatUserEvents.emitOnUserBlock(user: User)

///pass the [User] object of the user which has been unblocked by the logged in user
 CometChatUserEvents.emitOnUserUnblock(user: User)

Usage

Swift

// View controller from your project where you want to listen events.
public class ViewController: UIViewController {

   public override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

       // Subscribing for the listener to listen events from user module
         CometChatUserEvents.addListener("UNIQUE_ID", self as CometChatUserEventListener)
    }

    public override func viewWillDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {
       // Uncubscribing for the listener to listen events from user module
        CometChatUserEvents.removeListener("LISTENER_ID_USED_FOR_ADDING_THIS_LISTENER")
    }
}

 // Listener events from user module
extension  ViewController: CometChatUserEventListener {

    func onUserBlock(user: User) {
        // Do Stuff
    }

    func onUserUnblock(user: User) {
        // Do Stuff
    }
}

Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the users 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.

1. Users Style

You can set the UsersStyle to the Users Component to customize the styling.

Swift

        // Creating UsersStyle object
let usersStyle = UsersStyle()

        // Modifying the properties of users
usersStyle.set(background: .black)
.set(cornerRadius: CometChatCornerStyle(cornerRadius: 0.0))
.set(borderColor: .cyan)
.set(borderWidth: 10)

        // Setting the users style
let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
        // Set the usersStyle directly on CometChatUsers instance
cometChatUser.set(usersStyle: usersStyle)

let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUser)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

List of properties exposed by MessageListStyle

Property	Description	Code
Background	Used to set the background color	.set(background: UIColor)
BorderWidth	Used to set border width	.set(borderWidth: CGFloat)
BorderColor	Used to set border color	.set(borderColor: UIColor)
CornerRadius	Used to set border radius	.set(cornerRadius: CometChatCornerStyle)
BackIconTint	Used to set the color of the back icon in the app bar	.set(backIconTint: UIColor)
SearchBackground	Used to set the background color of the search box	.set(searchBackgroundColor: UIColor)
SearchBorderRadius	Used to set the border radius of the search box	.set(searchBorderRadius: CometChatCornerStyle)
SearchIconTint	Used to set the color of the search icon in the search box	.set(searchIconTint: UIColor)
SearchBorderWidth	Used to set the border width of the search box	.set(searchBorderWidth: CGFloat)
OnlineStatusColor	Used to set the color of the status indicator shown if a group member is online	.set(onlineStatusColor: UIColor)
BackIconTint	Used to set the back icon tint color for Users	.set(backIconTint: UIColor)
SearchCancelButtonTint	Used to set the search cancel icon tint for Users	.set(searchCancelButtonTint: UIColor)
SearchPlaceholderFont	Used to set the search placeholder font for Users	.set(searchPlaceholderFont: UIFont)
SearchPlaceholderColor	Used to set the search placeholder color for Users	.set(searchPlaceholderColor: UIColor)
LargeTitleColor	Used to set the large title color for Users	.set(largeTitleColor: UIColor)
LargeTitleFont	Used to set the large title font for Users	.set(largeTitleFont: UIFont)
SearchTextColor	Used to set the search text color for Users	.set(searchTextColor: UIColor)
TitleColor	Used to set the title color for Users	.set(titleColor: UIColor)
TitleFont	Used to set the title font for Users	.set(titleFont: UIFont)

2. Avatar Style

To apply customized styles to the Avatar component in the Users Component, you can use the following code snippet. For further insights on Avatar Styles refer

Swift

// Creating  AvatarStyle object
let avatarStyle = AvatarStyle()

// Creating Modifying the propeties of avatar
avatarStyle.set(background: .black)
.set(textFont: .systemFont(ofSize: 18))
.set(textColor: .green)
.set(cornerRadius: CometChatCornerStyle(cornerRadius: 8.0))
.set(borderColor: .systemOrange)
.set(borderWidth: 5)
.set(outerViewWidth: 3)
.set(outerViewSpacing: 3)

// Setting the avatar style

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
cometChatUser.set(avatarStyle: avatarStyle)

3. StatusIndicator Style

To apply customized styles to the Status Indicator component in the Users Component, You can use the following code snippet. For further insights on Status Indicator Styles refer

Swift

 // Creating  StatusIndicatorStyle object
let statusIndicatorStyle = StatusIndicatorStyle()

// Creating  Modifying the propeties of avatar
statusIndicatorStyle.set(background: .red)
    .set(cornerRadius: CometChatCornerStyle(cornerRadius: 8.0))
    .set(borderColor: .red)
    .set(borderWidth: 5)
    .set(background: .green)

// Setting the statusIndicatorStyle
let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
cometChatUser.set(statusIndicatorStyle: statusIndicatorStyle)

---

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.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
    .set(title: "Hello", mode: .automatic)
    .show(backButton: false)
    .set(backButtonTint: .purple)

Below is a list of customizations along with corresponding code snippets

Property	Description	Code
Set Title	Used to set title in the app	.set(title: String, mode: UINavigationItem.LargeTitleDisplayMode)
Set SearchPlaceholderText	Used to set search placeholder text	.set(searchPlaceholder: String)
Show BackButton	Used to toggle visibility for back button	.show(backButton: Bool)
Set SearchIcon	Used to set search Icon in the search field	.set(searchIcon: UIImage?)
Hide Search	Used to toggle visibility for search box	.hide(search: Bool)
Hide Error Text	Used to hide error text on fetching users	.hide(errorText: Bool)
Hide Separator	Used to hide the divider separating the user items	.hide(separator: Bool)
Disable UsersPresence	Used to control visibility of user indicator shown if user is online	.disable(userPresence: Bool)
EmptyState Text	Used to set a custom text response when fetching the users has returned an empty list	.set(emptyStateText: String)
ErrorState Text	Used to set a custom text response when some error occurs on fetching the list of users	.set(errorStateText: String)
Loading StateView Style	Used to set size of loading view icon while fetching the list of users	.set(loadingStateView: UIActivityIndicatorView.Style)

---

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.

---

SetListItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom ListItem to the users Component.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
    .setListItemView { user in
    //Perform Your Actions
}

Example

You can indeed create a custom listitem UIView file named Custom_User_ListItem_View for more complex or unique list items.

Afterwards, seamlessly integrate this Custom_User_ListItem_View UIView file into the .setListItemView method within CometChatUsers().

import UIKit
import CometChatSDK

class CustomUserListItemView: UIView {

    private let avatarImageView: UIImageView = {
        let imageView = UIImageView()
        imageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        imageView.contentMode = .scaleAspectFill
        imageView.layer.cornerRadius = 25 // reducing the avatar size
        imageView.layer.masksToBounds = true
        return imageView
    }()

    private let nameLabel: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = UIFont.boldSystemFont(ofSize: 18)
        label.textColor = UIColor.darkGray
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    private let statusLabel: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 12)
        label.textColor = UIColor.lightGray
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    var user: User! {
        didSet {
            nameLabel.text = user.name
            statusLabel.text = statusString(from: user.status)

            if let avatarUrl = URL(string: user.avatar ?? "") {
                DispatchQueue.global().async {
                    if let data = try? Data(contentsOf: avatarUrl) {
                        DispatchQueue.main.async {
                            self.avatarImageView.image = UIImage(data: data)
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }

    func statusString(from status: CometChatSDK.CometChat.UserStatus) -> String {
        switch status {
        case .online:
            return "Online"
        case .offline:
            return "Offline"
        default:
            return "Unknown"
        }
    }

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)

        backgroundColor = UIColor.white
        layer.cornerRadius = 10
        layer.masksToBounds = true
        layer.borderWidth = 0.5
        layer.borderColor = UIColor.lightGray.cgColor

        addSubview(avatarImageView)
        addSubview(nameLabel)
        addSubview(statusLabel)

        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            avatarImageView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: leadingAnchor, constant: 20),
            avatarImageView.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor),
            avatarImageView.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 50),
            avatarImageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 50),

            nameLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: avatarImageView.trailingAnchor, constant: 20),
            nameLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: avatarImageView.topAnchor),

            statusLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.leadingAnchor),
            statusLabel.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: nameLabel.bottomAnchor, constant: 5)
        ])
    }

    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
        fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented")
    }
}

Swift

View controller

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()

    cometChatUser.setListItemView { user in

let customListItemView = CustomUserListItemView()
customListItemView.user = user
return customListItemView
}
let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUser)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

---

SetSubTitleView

You can customize the subtitle view for each users item to meet your requirements

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
    .setSubtitle { user in
    //Perform Your Actions
}

Example

You can indeed create a custom Subtitleview UIView file named custom_user_subtitleview for more complex or unique list items.

Afterwards, seamlessly integrate this custom_user_subtitleview UIView file into the .setSubtitle method within CometChatUsers().

custom_user_subtitleview

  import UIKit
import CometChatSDK

class CustomUserSubtitleView: UIView {

    private let subtitleLabel: UILabel = {
        let label = UILabel()
        label.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 14)
        label.textColor = UIColor.darkGray
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return label
    }()

    private let statusIndicator: UIView = {
        let view = UIView()
        view.layer.cornerRadius = 5
        view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        return view
    }()

    var user: User! {
        didSet {
            subtitleLabel.text = statusString(from: user.status)
            switch user.status {
            case .online:
                statusIndicator.backgroundColor = UIColor.green
            case .offline:
                statusIndicator.backgroundColor = UIColor.red
            default:
                statusIndicator.backgroundColor = UIColor.gray
            }
        }
    }

    func statusString(from status: CometChatSDK.CometChat.UserStatus) -> String {
        switch status {
        case .online:
            return "Online"
        case .offline:
            return "Offline"
        default:
            return "Unknown"
        }
    }

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        addSubview(statusIndicator)
        addSubview(subtitleLabel)

        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            statusIndicator.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor),
            statusIndicator.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerXAnchor, constant: -80),
            statusIndicator.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 10),
            statusIndicator.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 10),

            subtitleLabel.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: statusIndicator.trailingAnchor, constant: 10),
            subtitleLabel.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: trailingAnchor, constant: -10),
            subtitleLabel.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor)
        ])
    }

    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
        fatalError("init(coder:) has not been implemented")
    }
}

View Controller

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
    .setSubtitle { user in
let customUserSubtitleView = CustomUserSubtitleView()
    customUserSubtitleView.user = user
    return customUserSubtitleView
}

let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUser)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

---

SetMenu

You can set the Custom Menu view to add more options to the Users component.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
.set(menus: [UIBarButtonItem])

Example

You can create a new array of [UIBarButtonItem] objects. This array will be inflated and then passed to the .setMenu.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()

let menuButtonItem1 = UIBarButtonItem(image: UIImage(systemName: "goforward"), style: .plain, target: self, action: #selector(self.menuButtonAction))

let menus = [menuButtonItem1]
cometChatUser.set(menus: menus)

You can manage click actions accordingly.

Swift

@objc func menuButtonAction(sender: UIBarButtonItem) {
           // Add your action here
}

---

SetEmptyStateView

You can set a custom EmptyStateView using setEmptyStateView to match the empty view of your app.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
.set(emptyView: UIView)

Examples

You have to create a custom UIView file named Empty_View, you can set it as the empty state view by passing it as a parameter to the setEmptyView() method.

EmptyView

import UIKit

class EmptyView: UIView {

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        setupView()
    }

    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: coder)
        setupView()
    }

    private func setupView() {
        backgroundColor = .systemBackground // Or any color matching your application's styles

        let imageView = UIImageView()
        imageView.image = UIImage(systemName: "message") // Replace with your image
        imageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        addSubview(imageView)

        let label = UILabel()
        label.text = "No Messages"
        label.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 30)
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        addSubview(label)

        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            imageView.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerXAnchor),
            imageView.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor, constant: -50),
            imageView.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),
            imageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),

            label.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.bottomAnchor, constant: 50),
            label.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.centerXAnchor)
        ])
    }
}

Swift

View controller

let emptyView = EmptyView()
    
let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
.set(emptyView: emptyView)
    
let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUser)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

---

SetErrorStateView

You can set a custom ErrorStateView using setErrorStateView to match the error view of your app.

Swift

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
.set(errorView: UIView)

Example

We’ve implemented an error view within the error_view UIView file, designed to improve user interaction during error states. Simply select the view of your preference and pass it to the .set(errorView: errorView) method for seamless integration.

error_view

import UIKit
import CometChatSDK
import CometChatUIKitSwift

class ErrorView: UIView {

    override init(frame: CGRect) {
        super.init(frame: frame)
        setupView()
    }

    required init?(coder: NSCoder) {
        super.init(coder: coder)
        setupView()
    }

    private func setupView() {
        backgroundColor = .systemBackground // Or any color matching your application's styles

        let imageView = UIImageView()
        imageView.image = UIImage(systemName: "exclamationmark.circle") // Replace with your error image
        imageView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        addSubview(imageView)

        let label = UILabel()
        label.text = "Something Went Wrong"
        label.font = UIFont.systemFont(ofSize: 30)
        label.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        addSubview(label)

        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            imageView.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerXAnchor),
            imageView.centerYAnchor.constraint(equalTo: centerYAnchor, constant: -50), // Adjust as needed
            imageView.widthAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),
            imageView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 100),

            label.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.bottomAnchor, constant: 50), // Adjust as needed
            label.centerXAnchor.constraint(equalTo: imageView.centerXAnchor)
        ])
    }
}

Swift

View controller

let errorView = ErrorView()

let cometChatUser = CometChatUsers()
.set(errorView: errorView)

let naviVC = UINavigationController(rootViewController: cometChatUser)
self.present(naviVC, animated: true)

---