Threaded Messages

Implement threaded message replies with parent context, reply list, and focused thread composer in CometChat React Native UI Kit.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Package	@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native
Key components	CometChatThreadHeader, CometChatMessageList, CometChatMessageComposer
Init	CometChatUIKit.init(UIKitSettings) then CometChatUIKit.login("UID")
Entry point	Pass parentMessageId prop to CometChatMessageList and CometChatMessageComposer
Sample app	GitHub
Related	Message List · Thread Header · All Guides

Threaded messages let users create sub-conversations by replying to specific messages in group chats. This reduces clutter and keeps discussions focused.

Before starting, complete the Getting Started guide.

---

Components

Component / Class	Role
CometChatThreadHeader	Displays parent message context
CometChatMessageList	Shows messages filtered by parentMessageId
CometChatMessageComposer	Input for composing threaded replies

---

Integration Steps

1. Thread View Screen

Create a dedicated screen for threaded messages that receives the parent message via navigation params.

import React, { useCallback } from 'react';
import { View, Text, TouchableOpacity, StyleSheet } from 'react-native';
import { useRoute, useNavigation } from '@react-navigation/native';
import {
  CometChatThreadHeader,
  CometChatMessageList,
  CometChatMessageComposer,
  useTheme,
  useCometChatTranslation,
  Icon,
} from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';

const ThreadView = () => {
  const route = useRoute();
  const navigation = useNavigation();
  const theme = useTheme();
  const { t } = useCometChatTranslation();
  
  const { message, user, group } = route.params || {};

  const handleBack = useCallback(() => {
    navigation.goBack();
  }, [navigation]);

  return (
    <View style={{ backgroundColor: theme.color.background1, flex: 1 }}>
      {/* Custom Header */}
      <View style={styles.headerStyle}>
        <TouchableOpacity onPress={handleBack}>
          {/* Back icon */}
        </TouchableOpacity>
        <View style={styles.textStyle}>
          <Text style={[theme.typography.heading1.bold, { color: theme.color.textPrimary }]}>
            {t('THREAD')}
          </Text>
          <Text
            style={[theme.typography.caption1.regular, { color: theme.color.textSecondary }]}
            numberOfLines={1}
          >
            {user ? user.getName() : group?.getName()}
          </Text>
        </View>
      </View>

      {/* Thread Header - shows parent message */}
      <CometChatThreadHeader parentMessage={message} />

      {/* Threaded Message List */}
      <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
        <CometChatMessageList
          user={user}
          group={group}
          parentMessageId={message.getId().toString()}
        />
      </View>

      {/* Message Composer for Thread */}
      <CometChatMessageComposer
        user={user}
        group={group}
        parentMessageId={message.getId()}
      />
    </View>
  );
};

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  headerStyle: {
    paddingVertical: 10,
    paddingLeft: 10,
    flexDirection: 'row',
  },
  textStyle: {
    paddingLeft: 10,
    alignItems: 'flex-start',
  },
});

export default ThreadView;

---

2. Trigger Thread View from Messages

In your main messages screen, handle the onThreadRepliesClick callback to navigate to the thread view.

import React from 'react';
import { View } from 'react-native';
import { useNavigation } from '@react-navigation/native';
import {
  CometChatMessageHeader,
  CometChatMessageList,
  CometChatMessageComposer,
} from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';
import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';

interface MessagesScreenProps {
  user?: CometChat.User;
  group?: CometChat.Group;
}

const MessagesScreen: React.FC<MessagesScreenProps> = ({ user, group }) => {
  const navigation = useNavigation();

  const handleThreadRepliesClick = (message: CometChat.BaseMessage) => {
    navigation.navigate('ThreadView', {
      message,
      user,
      group,
    });
  };

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
      <CometChatMessageHeader user={user} group={group} />
      
      <CometChatMessageList
        user={user}
        group={group}
        onThreadRepliesClick={handleThreadRepliesClick}
      />
      
      <CometChatMessageComposer user={user} group={group} />
    </View>
  );
};

---

3. Navigation Setup

Configure React Navigation to include the ThreadView screen.

import { createNativeStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/native-stack';
import MessagesScreen from './screens/MessagesScreen';
import ThreadView from './screens/ThreadView';

const Stack = createNativeStackNavigator();

const AppNavigator = () => {
  return (
    <Stack.Navigator screenOptions={{ headerShown: false }}>
      <Stack.Screen name="Messages" component={MessagesScreen} />
      <Stack.Screen name="ThreadView" component={ThreadView} />
    </Stack.Navigator>
  );
};

---

4. Navigate to Specific Message in Thread

Support navigating to a specific message within a thread using goToMessageId prop.

<CometChatMessageList
  user={user}
  group={group}
  parentMessageId={message.getId().toString()}
  goToMessageId={highlightMessageId} // Optional: scroll to specific message
/>

---

5. Handle Blocked Users in Threads

Show an unblock prompt when the user is blocked instead of the composer.

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { View, Text, TouchableOpacity } from 'react-native';
import { CometChat } from '@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native';
import {
  CometChatMessageComposer,
  CometChatUIEventHandler,
  CometChatUIEvents,
  useTheme,
  useCometChatTranslation,
} from '@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native';

interface ThreadComposerProps {
  user?: CometChat.User;
  group?: CometChat.Group;
  parentMessageId: number;
}

const ThreadComposer: React.FC<ThreadComposerProps> = ({ user, group, parentMessageId }) => {
  const theme = useTheme();
  const { t } = useCometChatTranslation();
  const [localUser, setLocalUser] = useState(user);

  const unblock = async () => {
    if (!localUser) return;
    
    try {
      await CometChat.unblockUsers([localUser.getUid()]);
      const freshUser = await CometChat.getUser(localUser.getUid());
      setLocalUser(freshUser);
      
      CometChatUIEventHandler.emitUserEvent(
        CometChatUIEvents.ccUserUnBlocked,
        { user: freshUser }
      );
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error unblocking user:', error);
    }
  };

  if (localUser?.getBlockedByMe()) {
    return (
      <View style={{ alignItems: 'center', padding: 20, backgroundColor: theme.color.background3 }}>
        <Text style={{ color: theme.color.textSecondary, textAlign: 'center' }}>
          {t('BLOCKED_USER_DESC')}
        </Text>
        <TouchableOpacity onPress={unblock} style={{ marginTop: 10 }}>
          <Text style={{ color: theme.color.textPrimary }}>{t('UNBLOCK')}</Text>
        </TouchableOpacity>
      </View>
    );
  }

  return (
    <CometChatMessageComposer
      user={localUser}
      group={group}
      parentMessageId={parentMessageId}
    />
  );
};

---

Feature Matrix

Feature	Component / Prop
Display parent message	CometChatThreadHeader with parentMessage prop
Show thread replies	CometChatMessageList with parentMessageId prop
Compose thread reply	CometChatMessageComposer with parentMessageId prop
Navigate to message	goToMessageId prop on CometChatMessageList
Thread trigger	onThreadRepliesClick callback on CometChatMessageList

---

Next Steps

Message List

Render real-time message threads.

Thread Header

Customize the thread header component.

All Guides

Browse all feature and formatter guides.

Sample App

Full working sample application on GitHub.