flutter_chatbook 0.0.2-alpha

A Flutter package that allows you to integrate Chat View with highly customization options.

ChatBook

A Flutter package that allows you to integrate Chat View with highly customization options such as one on one chat, group chat, message reactions, reply messages, link preview and configurations for overall view.

For web demo visit Chat View Example.

Preview

Installing

1. Add dependency to pubspec.yaml

dependencies:
  flutter_chatbook: <latest-version>

Get the latest version in the 'Installing' tab on pub.dev

2. Import the package

import 'package:flutter_chatbook/flutter_chatbook.dart';

3. Adding a chat controller.

final chatController = ChatController(
  initialMessageList: messageList,
  scrollController: ScrollController(),
  chatUsers: [ChatUser(id: '2', name: 'Simform')],
);

4. Adding a ChatBook widget.

ChatBook(
  currentUser: ChatUser(id: '1', name: 'Flutter'),
  chatController: chatController,
  onSendTap: onSendTap,
  chatBookState: ChatBookState.hasMessages, // Add this state once data is available.
)

5. Adding a messageList with Message class.

List<Message> messageList = [
  Message(
    id: '1',
    message: "Hi",
    createdAt: createdAt,
    sendBy: userId,
  ),
  Message(
    id: '2',
    message: "Hello",
    createdAt: createdAt,
    sendBy: userId,
  ),
];

6. Adding a onSendTap.

void onSendTap(String message, ReplyMessage replyMessage, Message messageType){
  final message = Message(
    id: '3',
    message: "How are you",
    createdAt: DateTime.now(),
    sendBy: currentUser.id,
    replyMessage: replyMessage,
    messageType: messageType,
  );
  chatController.addMessage(message);
}

Note: you can evaluate message type from messageType parameter, based on that you can perform operations.

Messages types compability

Message Types	Android	iOS	MacOS	Web	Linux	Windows
Text messages	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Image messages	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Voice messages	✔️	✔️	❌	❌	❌	❌
Custom messages	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️

Platform specific configuration

For image Picker

iOS

• Add the following keys to your Info.plist file, located in <project root>/ios/Runner/Info.plist:

    <key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
    <string>Used to demonstrate image picker plugin</string>
    <key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
    <string>Used to capture audio for image picker plugin</string>
    <key>NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription</key>
    <string>Used to demonstrate image picker plugin</string>

For voice messages

iOS

• Add this two rows in ios/Runner/Info.plist

    <key>NSMicrophoneUsageDescription</key>
    <string>This app requires Mic permission.</string>

• This plugin requires ios 10.0 or higher. So add this line in Podfile

    platform :ios, '10.0'

Android

• Change the minimum Android sdk version to 21 (or higher) in your android/app/build.gradle file.

    minSdkVersion 21

• Add RECORD_AUDIO permission in AndroidManifest.xml

    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO"/>

Some more optional parameters

1. Enable and disable specific features with FeatureActiveConfig.

ChatBook(
  ...
  featureActiveConfig: FeatureActiveConfig(
    enableSwipeToReply: true,
    enableSwipeToSeeTime: false,
  ),
  ...
)

2. Adding an appbar with ChatBookAppBar.

ChatBook(
  ...
  appBar: ChatBookAppBar(
    profilePicture: profileImage,
    chatTitle: "Simform",
    userStatus: "online",
    actions: [
      Icon(Icons.more_vert),
    ],
  ),
  ...
)

3. Adding a message list configuration with ChatBackgroundConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  chatBackgroundConfig: ChatBackgroundConfiguration(
    backgroundColor: Colors.white,
    backgroundImage: backgroundImage,
  ),
  ...
)

4. Adding a send message configuration with SendMessageConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  sendMessageConfig: SendMessageConfiguration(
    replyMessageColor: Colors.grey,
    replyDialogColor:Colors.blue,
    replyTitleColor: Colors.black,
    closeIconColor: Colors.black,
  ),
  ...
)

5. Adding a chat bubble configuration with ChatBubbleConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  chatBubbleConfig: ChatBubbleConfiguration(
    onDoubleTap: (){
       // Your code goes here
    },
    outgoingChatBubbleConfig: ChatBubble(      // Sender's message chat bubble 
      color: Colors.blue,
      borderRadius: const BorderRadius.only(  
        topRight: Radius.circular(12),
        topLeft: Radius.circular(12),
        bottomLeft: Radius.circular(12),
      ),
    ),
    inComingChatBubbleConfig: ChatBubble(      // Receiver's message chat bubble
      color: Colors.grey.shade200,
      borderRadius: const BorderRadius.only(
        topLeft: Radius.circular(12),
        topRight: Radius.circular(12),
        bottomRight: Radius.circular(12),
      ),
    ),
  )
  ...
)

6. Adding swipe to reply configuration with SwipeToReplyConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  swipeToReplyConfig: SwipeToReplyConfiguration(
    onLeftSwipe: (message, sendBy){
        // Your code goes here
    },
    onRightSwipe: (message, sendBy){
        // Your code goes here
    },              
  ),
  ...
)

7. Adding messages configuration with MessageConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  messageConfig: MessageConfiguration(
    messageReactionConfig: MessageReactionConfiguration(),      // Emoji reaction configuration for single message 
    imageMessageConfig: ImageMessageConfiguration(
      onTap: (){
          // Your code goes here
      },                          
      shareIconConfig: ShareIconConfiguration(
        onPressed: (){
           // Your code goes here
        },
      ),
    ),
  ),
  ...
)

8. Adding reaction pop-up configuration with ReactionPopupConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  reactionPopupConfig: ReactionPopupConfiguration(
    backgroundColor: Colors.white,
    userReactionCallback: (message, emoji){
      // Your code goes here
    }
    padding: EdgeInsets.all(12),
    shadow: BoxShadow(
      color: Colors.black54,
      blurRadius: 20,
    ),
  ),
  ...
)

9. Adding reply pop-up configuration with ReplyPopupConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  replyPopupConfig: ReplyPopupConfiguration(
    backgroundColor: Colors.white,
    onUnsendTap:(message){                   // message is 'Message' class instance
       // Your code goes here
    },
    onReplyTap:(message){                    // message is 'Message' class instance
       // Your code goes here
    },
    onReportTap:(){
       // Your code goes here
    },
    onMoreTap:(){
       // Your code goes here
    },
  ),
  ...
)

10. Adding replied message configuration with RepliedMessageConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
   ...
   repliedMessageConfig: RepliedMessageConfiguration(
     backgroundColor: Colors.blue,
     verticalBarColor: Colors.black,
     repliedMsgAutoScrollConfig: RepliedMsgAutoScrollConfig(),
   ),
   ...
)

11. For customizing typing indicators use typeIndicatorConfig with TypeIndicatorConfig.

ChatBook(
  ...

  typeIndicatorConfig: TypeIndicatorConfiguration(
    flashingCircleBrightColor: Colors.grey,
    flashingCircleDarkColor: Colors.black,
  ),
  ...
)

12. For showing hiding typeIndicatorwidget use ChatController.setTypingIndicaor, for more info see ChatController.

/// use it with your [ChatController] instance.
_chatContoller.setTypingIndicator = true; // for showing indicator
_chatContoller.setTypingIndicator = false; // for hiding indicator

13. Adding linkpreview configuration with LinkPreviewConfiguration class.

ChatBook(
  ...
  chatBubbleConfig: ChatBubbleConfiguration(
    linkPreviewConfig: LinkPreviewConfiguration(
      linkStyle: const TextStyle(
        color: Colors.white,
        decoration: TextDecoration.underline,
      ),
      backgroundColor: Colors.grey,
      bodyStyle: const TextStyle(
        color: Colors.grey.shade200,
        fontSize:16,
      ),
      titleStyle: const TextStyle(
        color: Colors.black,
        fontSize:20,
      ),
    ),
  )
  ...
)

13. Adding pagination.

ChatBook(
  ...
  isLastPage: false,
  featureActiveConfig: FeatureActiveConfig(
    enablePagination: true,
  ),
  loadMoreData: chatController.loadMoreData,
  ...
)

14. Add image picker icon configuration.

ChatBook(
  ...
  sendMessageConfig: SendMessageConfiguration(
    imagePickerIconsConfig: ImagePickerIconsConfiguration(
      cameraIconColor: Colors.black,
      galleryIconColor: Colors.black,
    )
  )
  ...
)

15. Add ChatBookState customisations.

ChatBook(
  ...
  chatBookStateConfig: ChatBookStateConfiguration(
    loadingWidgetConfig: ChatBookStateWidgetConfiguration(
      loadingIndicatorColor: Colors.pink,
    ),
    onReloadButtonTap: () {},
  ),
  ...
)

16. Setting auto scroll and highlight config with RepliedMsgAutoScrollConfig class.

ChatBook(
    ...
    repliedMsgAutoScrollConfig: RepliedMsgAutoScrollConfig(
      enableHighlightRepliedMsg: true,
      highlightColor: Colors.grey,
      highlightScale: 1.1,
    )
    ...
)

17. Callback when a user starts/stops typing in TextFieldConfiguration

ChatBook(
    ...
      sendMessageConfig: SendMessageConfiguration(
       
          textFieldConfig: TextFieldConfiguration(
            onMessageTyping: (status) {
                // send composing/composed status to other client
                // your code goes here
            },   

            
        /// After typing stopped, the threshold time after which the composing
        /// status to be changed to [TypeWriterStatus.typed].
        /// Default is 1 second.
            compositionThresholdTime: const Duration(seconds: 1),

        ),
    ...
  )
)

18. Passing customReceipts builder or handling stuffs related receipts see ReceiptsWidgetConfig in outgoingChatBubbleConfig.

ChatBook(
   ...
      featureActiveConfig: const FeatureActiveConfig(
            /// Controls the visibility of message seen ago receipts default is true
            lastSeenAgoBuilderVisibility: false,
            /// Controls the visibility of the message [receiptsBuilder]
            receiptsBuilderVisibility: false),            
       ChatBubbleConfiguration(
          inComingChatBubbleConfig: ChatBubble(
            onMessageRead: (message) {
              /// send your message reciepts to the other client
              // debugPrint('Message Read');
            },

          ),
          outgoingChatBubbleConfig: ChatBubble(
              receiptsWidgetConfig: ReceiptsWidgetConfig(
                      /// custom receipts builder 
                      receiptsBuilder: _customReceiptsBuilder,
                      /// whether to display receipts in all 
                      /// message or just at the last one just like instagram
                      showReceiptsIn: ShowReceiptsIn.lastMessage
              ),
            ), 
        ), 
        
  ...
 
)

Here's a tabular comparison highlighting the key differences between ChatBookController and ChatController:

	ChatBookController	ChatController
Purpose	Application-specific chat controller	Room-specific chat controller
Initialization	Initialized once during the application lifecycle	Initialized for each chat room individually
Necessity of Initialization	Not necessary to be initialized	Necessary to be initialized
Functionality	Manages chat functionality of the entire application	Manages chat functionality of a specific chat room
Services	Adds custom databases, backend integration, and notification handling	Adds new messages to the UI, performs operations specific to the room
Flexibility	Allows adding new categories of messages and extending functionality	Focused on managing UI and performing room-specific operations
Scope	Global scope within the entire application	Limited to the specific chat room

This package has been inspired from chatview, Thanks to Simform Solutions for this.