Cometchat Android V6 Kotlin Customization

Ground truth: com.cometchat:chatuikit-{compose,kotlin}-android:6.x (+ calls-sdk-android:5.x) — resolved AAR (javap) + ui-kit/android/v6. Official docs: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/ui-kit/android/v6/overview · Docs MCP: claude mcp add --transport http cometchat-docs https://www.cometchat.com/docs/mcp (or fetch the URL directly without MCP). Verify symbols against the installed package/source before relying on them.

Companion skills: cometchat-android-v6-compose-customization (Compose equivalent), cometchat-android-v6-kotlin-components, cometchat-android-v6-kotlin-theming, cometchat-android-v6-extensions (DataSource layer), cometchat-android-v6-events

Purpose

Customize CometChat Kotlin Views components — override message bubble rendering with BubbleFactory, use BubbleViewProvider for per-slot overrides, and apply style classes. This is the v6 replacement for v5's DataSource/ChatConfigurator pattern.

Use this skill when

• Creating custom message bubble rendering for specific message types
• Overriding individual bubble slots (avatar, header, footer, content, etc.)
• Applying custom styles to components
• Replacing the entire bubble layout for a message type

Do not use this skill when

• Working with Compose customization (use cometchat-android-v6-compose-customization)
• Changing theme colors globally (use cometchat-android-v6-kotlin-theming)
• Extending the data layer (use cometchat-android-v6-extensions)

1. BubbleFactory (Message Bubble Customization)

BubbleFactory is an abstract class in com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin.presentation.shared.messagebubble. Each subclass handles a specific message type.

1.1 Creating a Custom BubbleFactory

import com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin.presentation.shared.messagebubble.BubbleFactory
import com.cometchat.chat.constants.CometChatConstants
import com.cometchat.chat.models.BaseMessage
import com.cometchat.uikit.core.constants.UIKitConstants.MessageBubbleAlignment

class LocationBubbleFactory : BubbleFactory() {

    override fun getCategory(): String = CometChatConstants.CATEGORY_CUSTOM
    override fun getType(): String = "location"

    override fun createContentView(context: Context): View {
        // Called ONCE when ViewHolder is created — message NOT available here
        return LocationMapView(context)
    }

    override fun bindContentView(
        view: View,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder?,
        position: Int
    ) {
        // Called EVERY TIME a message is displayed
        val mapView = view as LocationMapView
        val metadata = message.metadata
        mapView.setLocation(
            metadata?.optDouble("latitude") ?: 0.0,
            metadata?.optDouble("longitude") ?: 0.0
        )
    }
}

1.2 Registering BubbleFactories

val messageList = findViewById<CometChatMessageList>(R.id.messageList)
messageList.setBubbleFactories(listOf(
    LocationBubbleFactory(),
    PaymentBubbleFactory()
))

The list is converted to a map keyed by "category_type" internally.

1.3 Complete Bubble Replacement

Override createBubbleView() / bindBubbleView() to replace the ENTIRE bubble:

class CustomBubbleFactory : BubbleFactory() {
    override fun getCategory(): String = "custom"
    override fun getType(): String = "payment"

    override fun createBubbleView(context: Context): View? {
        // Return non-null to replace the entire CometChatMessageBubble
        return PaymentCardView(context)
    }

    override fun bindBubbleView(
        view: View,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder?,
        position: Int
    ) {
        (view as PaymentCardView).bind(message)
    }
}

When createBubbleView() returns non-null, createContentView() and all other slot methods are ignored.

1.4 Slot Methods

All follow the create/bind pattern for RecyclerView efficiency:

Critical: create*() methods are called when the ViewHolder is created — the message is NOT available. All message-specific logic goes in bind*().

1.5 Style Override

override fun getBubbleStyle(
    message: BaseMessage,
    alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment
): CometChatMessageBubbleStyle? {
    // Highest priority in the 3-tier style chain
    return CometChatMessageBubbleStyle(/* custom style */)
}

1.6 Lifecycle

override fun onViewRecycled(contentView: View) {
    // Clean up resources (image loads, animations, media playback)
}

1.7 Factory Key

// Get the factory key for a message
val key = BubbleFactory.getFactoryKey(message) // "category_type" or "deleted"

// Create a key manually
val key = BubbleFactory.getKey("custom", "location") // "custom_location"

1.8 Registering a factory is already additive — built-ins are NOT in the map

CometChatMessageList exposes exactly two factory APIs (CometChatMessageList.kt:3376 / :3395):

• setBubbleFactories(factories: List<BubbleFactory>) — sets the custom factory map
• getBubbleFactories(): Map<String, BubbleFactory> — returns an immutable copy

There is NO settable bubbleFactories property and NO removeBubbleFactory(...) on CometChatMessageList (removeBubbleFactory exists only on the internal MessageAdapter, MessageAdapter.kt:1534 — not public API).

setBubbleFactories does NOT wipe built-in bubbles, because built-in types are never stored as factory entries. The adapter starts with an empty factory map (MessageAdapter.kt:153 "The adapter starts with an empty bubbleFactories map"); when a message's "category_type" key has no factory, the bubble falls back to InternalContentRenderer. So passing only your custom factories is correct and safe:

messageList.setBubbleFactories(listOf(
    LocationBubbleFactory(),     // custom_location
    PaymentBubbleFactory()       // custom_payment
))
// text/image/video/etc. still render via InternalContentRenderer — untouched

setBubbleFactories replaces the custom factory set, so include every custom factory you want active in the single list. BubbleFactory.getKey(category, type) and BubbleFactory.getFactoryKey(message) (companion, BubbleFactory.kt:441 / :425) are still available if you need the key string.

1.9 Custom attachment options (Scenario 3)

CometChatMessageComposer exposes addAttachmentOption(action) (append one) and setAttachmentOptions(list) (set the custom list) — CometChatMessageComposer.kt:4951 / :4930, both delegate to the shared CometChatMessageComposerViewModel.

Neither call drops the built-in options. Both touch only the custom options list (_customAttachmentOptions); the defaults (camera/image/video/audio/document/poll/collab-doc/collab-whiteboard) are rebuilt every time by getDefaultAttachmentOptions(...) and the custom ones are appended at the end (CometChatMessageComposerViewModel.kt:646-649). So setAttachmentOptions(listOf(location)) keeps the defaults too — it just replaces any previously-set custom options. Use addAttachmentOption to add one without disturbing other custom options:

val location = CometChatMessageComposerAction(
    id = "location",
    title = "Send Location",
    icon = R.drawable.ic_location,
    { /* pick + send (see 1.10) */ }
)
messageComposer.addAttachmentOption(location)        // appends one custom option
// setAttachmentOptions(listOf(location)) also keeps camera/image/etc. — it only resets the custom list

To hide a built-in option, use the composer visibility setters (e.g. setPollOptionVisibility(View.GONE)), which flip the _show*Option flags getDefaultAttachmentOptions checks. The built-in IDs are constants on CometChatMessageComposerAction (ID_CAMERA…ID_COLLABORATIVE_WHITEBOARD, CometChatMessageComposerAction.kt:42-49).

1.10 Sending a custom message — use the UIKit path, not the raw SDK

val message = CustomMessage(
    receiverId,
    CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER,   // or RECEIVER_TYPE_GROUP
    "location",                              // matches the BubbleFactory type
    customData                               // org.json.JSONObject
)
// ✅ kit path — sets muid + sender, fires ccMessageSent → list APPENDS
CometChatUIKit.sendCustomMessage(message, object : CometChat.CallbackListener<CustomMessage>() {
    override fun onSuccess(p0: CustomMessage) {}
    override fun onError(p0: CometChatException) {}
})
// ❌ CometChat.sendCustomMessage(...) — no muid/sender/event → recipient error + realtime replace

Verified (v6 Kotlin Views): CometChatMessageList.setBubbleFactories(List) / getBubbleFactories(): Map (CometChatMessageList.kt:3376 / :3395), CometChatMessageComposer.addAttachmentOption / setAttachmentOptions (:4951 / :4930), CometChatUIKit.sendCustomMessage(CustomMessage, CallbackListener) (CometChatUIKit.kt:472). Note: messageList.bubbleFactories = … (property) and CometChatMessageList.removeBubbleFactory(...) are NOT public — do not use.

1.11 Override an EXISTING type's bubble (Scenario 2)

To replace a built-in type's rendering, subclass BubbleFactory with getCategory()/getType() set to the built-in identifiers, then register it. As in §1.8, built-ins are not factory entries — a matching factory simply takes priority over InternalContentRenderer.

import com.cometchat.chat.constants.CometChatConstants

class MyTextBubbleFactory : BubbleFactory() {
    override fun getCategory(): String = CometChatConstants.CATEGORY_MESSAGE   // "message"
    override fun getType(): String = CometChatConstants.MESSAGE_TYPE_TEXT      // "text"

    override fun createContentView(context: Context): View = MyTextContentView(context)

    override fun bindContentView(
        view: View,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: UIKitConstants.MessageBubbleAlignment,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder?,
        position: Int
    ) {
        (view as MyTextContentView).bind(message as TextMessage)
    }
    // …or override createBubbleView()/bindBubbleView() (see 1.3) to replace the whole bubble
}

messageList.setBubbleFactories(listOf(MyTextBubbleFactory()))

Only message_text is overridden; other types keep their internal rendering.

1.12 Add a long-press message option (Scenario 4 — Forward-style)

CometChatMessageList resolves the long-press option sheet through the shared view model. Two public setters control it (CometChatMessageList.kt:3697 / :3709):

• setOptions(callback: (BaseMessage) -> List<CometChatMessageOption>?) — replaces defaults when the callback returns non-null (return null to keep them); takes precedence over addOptions.
• addOptions(callback: (BaseMessage) -> List<CometChatMessageOption>) — appends after the defaults; invoked only when setOptions is unset or returns null.

Use addOptions so the built-in Reply/Copy/Edit/Delete survive:

import com.cometchat.uikit.core.domain.model.CometChatMessageOption

messageList.addOptions { message ->          // ✅ appended to defaults
    listOf(
        CometChatMessageOption(
            id = "forward",
            title = "Forward",
            icon = R.drawable.ic_forward,
            /* open forward picker for `message` */ }
        )
    )
}
// ❌ messageList.setOptions { listOf(forward) }   // would DROP reply/copy/edit/delete

For the click handler use setMessageOptionClickListener(MessageOptionClickListener) (CometChatMessageList.kt:3671). Resolution order verified in CometChatMessageListViewModel.resolveMessageOptions (:817-827): setOptions non-null wins, else defaultOptions + addOptions. CometChatMessageOption(id, title, …, onClick) is a data class at CometChatMessageOption.kt:21.

1.13 MessageTemplate via the DataSource (docs-taught alternative to BubbleFactory)

⚠️ Verify before using — symbols not found in the GA v6 Kotlin-Views source. CometChatUIKit.getDataSource(), getMessageTemplates(), CometChatMessageTemplate, setTemplates(...), and MessagesViewHolderListener appear in the Android docs but are absent from the verified com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin / chatuikit-core GA source (they're the legacy com.cometchat.chatuikit v5-shaped API). Treat this section as a docs reference that may not compile against your installed v6 kit — prefer BubbleFactory / BubbleViewProvider (the confirmed v6-native path) for all new code.

The BubbleFactory / BubbleViewProvider surface above is the primary v6 customization path. The Android docs also teach a MessageTemplate path through the data source (message-template) — fetch the existing templates, mutate the one you want via the MessagesViewHolderListener create/bind pair, then re-apply with setTemplates(...) (append, never replace with a single-item list):

// 1. fetch existing templates from the data source
val templates = CometChatUIKit.getDataSource()
    .getMessageTemplates(messageList.additionParameter)
    .toMutableList()

// 2. mutate the matched template (or build a new one for a custom type)
templates.find { it.type == UIKitConstants.MessageType.TEXT }
    ?.setContentView(object : MessagesViewHolderListener() {
        override fun createView(context: Context, bubble: CometChatMessageBubble,
            alignment: UIKitConstants.MessageBubbleAlignment): View =
            LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.your_custom_layout, null)
        override fun bindView(context: Context, view: View, message: BaseMessage,
            alignment: UIKitConstants.MessageBubbleAlignment,
            viewHolder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder, list: List<BaseMessage>, i: Int) { /* bind */ }
    })
// new custom type:
val contact = CometChatMessageTemplate().apply {
    setType("contact"); setCategory(UIKitConstants.MessageCategory.CUSTOM)
    setContentView(/* MessagesViewHolderListener */)
}
templates.add(contact)

// 3. re-apply — Views uses setTemplates(...)
messageList.setTemplates(templates)

Views templates expose listener-based slot setters (setContentView, setHeaderView, setFooterView, setBottomView, setStatusInfoView, setBubbleView, setOptions) mirroring §1.4's slots. Prefer BubbleFactory for new code; use getMessageTemplates(...) + setTemplates(...) when you want to start from the kit's defaults and tweak one type. (This overlaps the custom-message topic.)

2. BubbleViewProvider (Per-Slot Overrides)

BubbleViewProvider is a simpler interface for overriding individual slots across ALL message types.

2.1 Interface

interface BubbleViewProvider {
    fun createView(
        context: Context,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment
    ): View?

    fun bindView(
        view: View,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment
    )
}

2.2 Usage

val messageList = findViewById<CometChatMessageList>(R.id.messageList)

// Custom avatar for all messages
messageList.setLeadingViewProvider(object : BubbleViewProvider {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment
    ): View? {
        return if (alignment == MessageBubbleAlignment.LEFT) {
            ImageView(context).apply {
                layoutParams = ViewGroup.LayoutParams(32.dp, 32.dp)
            }
        } else null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        view: View,
        message: BaseMessage,
        alignment: MessageBubbleAlignment
    ) {
        (view as ImageView).load(message.sender?.avatar)
    }
})

2.3 All Provider Setters

2.4 Priority Order

For each slot:

1. Explicit BubbleViewProvider (highest priority)
2. BubbleFactory slot method
3. Internal default rendering

3. Component-Level Customization

3.1 Header/Footer Views on MessageList

// Custom header above the message list
messageList.setHeaderView(myCustomHeaderView)

// Custom footer below the message list
messageList.setFooterView(myCustomFooterView)

3.2 Style Classes

// Style classes resolve from XML attrs and CometChatTheme singleton
val style = CometChatMessageListStyle(/* properties */)
messageList.setStyle(style)

4. v5 → v6 Migration

Text formatters (inline mentions / URLs / custom tokens)

Style/transform message text inline via setTextFormatters(...) on the composer and message list. The kit ships CometChatMentionsFormatter + CometChatRichTextFormatter (subclasses of the abstract CometChatTextFormatter) in com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin.shared.formatters. To ADD a custom one, include the defaults too (a bare list replaces them).

import com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin.shared.formatters.CometChatMentionsFormatter
import com.cometchat.uikit.kotlin.shared.formatters.CometChatTextFormatter

val formatters = listOf<CometChatTextFormatter>(CometChatMentionsFormatter(context) /* , YourFormatter(context) */)
composer.setTextFormatters(formatters)      // fun setTextFormatters(List<CometChatTextFormatter>?)
messageList.setTextFormatters(formatters)

For a custom @/#/! token: subclass CometChatTextFormatter(trackingCharacter) and implement its search() + view hooks (the kit's shared/formatters/README.md shows the mentions example: setMentionLimit / setMentionsType / setOnMentionClick / setMentionStyle).

Hard rules

• BubbleFactory is an abstract class — extend it with BubbleFactory()
• create*() methods are called WITHOUT a message — do NOT access message data in create methods
• bind*() methods receive the message — all message-specific logic goes here
• BubbleViewProvider overrides take precedence over BubbleFactory slot methods
• For per-type content customization, use BubbleFactory. For cross-type slot overrides, use BubbleViewProvider
• onViewRecycled() is critical for cleaning up image loads, animations, or media playback
• Do NOT confuse BubbleFactory (UI rendering) with DataSource (data fetching) — they are separate layers

Sound (in-app message + call sounds)

Sound is a customization sub-dimension. The UI Kit plays incoming/outgoing message + call sounds via CometChatSoundManager — mute it, swap custom audio, or play a specific sound. The full API + recipe lives in cometchat-android-v6-kotlin-theming (Sound section). Verify the access path against the installed kit before relying on it.