Cometchat Flutter V6 Migration

Ground truth: cometchat_chat_uikit: ^6.0 — pub-cache source + ui-kit/flutter. Official docs: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/ui-kit/flutter/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.

CometChat Flutter — v5 to v6 Migration

Complete guide for migrating a consumer app from UIKit v5 to v6.

What Changed

Step 1: pubspec.yaml

# ❌ v5
dependencies:
  cometchat_chat_uikit:
    path: ../chat_uikit
  cometchat_calls_uikit:
    path: ../calls_uikit
  get: ^4.6.5
  google_sign_in: ^6.2.2
  firebase_auth: ^5.3.4
  bugsee_flutter: ^8.0.0
  permission_handler: ^11.3.1
  shared_preferences: ^2.2.1
  toast: ^0.3.0
  mobile_scanner: ^7.1.2
  app_badge_plus: ^1.2.6

# ✅ v6 — GA is on pub.dev; use a plain dependency (NOT a Cloudsmith `hosted:` stanza,
#         which only carries the pre-GA 6.0.0-beta* builds and fails version solving for ^6.0.x).
dependencies:
  cometchat_chat_uikit: ^6.0.1   # resolves 6.0.1/6.0.2/6.0.3 from pub.dev
  firebase_core: ^3.9.0
  firebase_crashlytics: ^4.1.3
  firebase_messaging: ^15.1.6
  flutter_local_notifications: ^18.0.0
  flutter_callkit_incoming: ^2.5.0
  http: ^1.2.0
  intl: ^0.20.2

Step 2: Fix All Imports

Step 3: Rewrite Init

// ❌ v5 — helper class with CometChatCallingExtension + extensions + aiFeature
class InitializeCometChat {
  static Future<bool> init() async {
    final builder = UIKitSettingsBuilder()
      ..callingExtension = CometChatCallingExtension()  // REMOVED in v6
      ..extensions = CometChatUIKitChatExtensions.getDefaultExtensions()  // REMOVED
      ..aiFeature = CometChatUIKitChatAIFeatures.getDefaultAiFeatures();  // REMOVED
    // ...
  }
}

// ✅ v6 — inline, enableCalls + CallingConfiguration replace all three
final settings = (UIKitSettingsBuilder()
      ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.allUsers
      ..region = AppCredentials.region
      ..appId = AppCredentials.appId
      ..authKey = AppCredentials.authKey
      ..enableCalls = true
      ..callingConfiguration = CallingConfiguration())
    .build();

CometChatUIKit.init(uiKitSettings: settings, onSuccess: (_) { ... });

Removed v5 UIKitSettingsBuilder properties

• callingExtension → replaced by enableCalls: true
• extensions → removed (extensions auto-registered in v6)
• aiFeature → removed (AI features auto-registered in v6)

Calls SDK Init for Cached Sessions

With ..enableCalls = true on UIKitSettingsBuilder, the kit invokes CallEventService.instance.init(...) automatically for BOTH fresh logins AND cached-session restores (verified in cometchat_chat_uikit-6.0.1/lib/shared_ui/src/cometchat_ui_kit/cometchat_ui_kit.dart lines 170–179 — _initiateAfterLogin() is called from both CometChatUIKit.init cached-user branch and CometChatUIKit.login). No manual CallEventService.instance.init() call is required or recommended.

Step 4: Remove GetX

PageManager → Navigator.push

// ❌ v5
Get.put(PageManager());
Get.find<PageManager>().navigateToMessages(context: context, user: user);

// ✅ v6
Navigator.push(context, MaterialPageRoute(
  builder: (_) => MessagesScreen(user: user),
));

GetBuilder → StatefulWidget with listener mixins

// ❌ v5
GetBuilder<CometChatMessagesController>(
  init: messagesController,
  tag: messagesController.tag,
  builder: (controller) => Scaffold(/* ... */),
)

// ✅ v6
class _MessagesScreenState extends State<MessagesScreen>
    with UserListener, CometChatUserEventListener,
         GroupListener, CometChatGroupEventListener {
  late User? _user;
  late Group? _group;
  // setState() instead of controller.update()
}

Rx variables → plain state

// ❌ v5
var isBlockLoading = false.obs;
// Usage: isBlockLoading.value = true;

// ✅ v6
bool _isUserBlocked = false;
// Usage: setState(() => _isUserBlocked = true);

Obx dialogs → StatefulBuilder

// ❌ v5 — Obx in dialog for loading indicator
Obx(() => isLoading.value ? CircularProgressIndicator() : Icon(Icons.check))

// ✅ v6 — StatefulBuilder in dialog
StatefulBuilder(builder: (context, setDialogState) {
  return isLoading ? CircularProgressIndicator() : Icon(Icons.check);
})

Step 5: Removed v5 APIs

These v5 widget parameters/classes don't exist in v6:

CallSettingsBuilder → SessionSettingsBuilder

// ❌ v5
CallSettingsBuilder()
  ..enableDefaultLayout = true

// ✅ v6
SessionSettingsBuilder()
  ..setLayout(LayoutType.tile)
  ..startVideoPaused(true)  // for audio calls
  ..hideSwitchCameraButton(true)
  ..hideToggleVideoButton(true)

Step 6: Flatten Screen Structure

# ❌ v5 — controller + widget per screen
messages/
├── messages.dart                    # MessagesSample widget
└── messages_controller.dart         # GetxController
group_info/
├── cometchat_group_info.dart
└── cometchat_group_info_controller.dart

# ✅ v6 — single file per screen
screens/
├── messages_screen.dart             # Widget + state + listeners
├── group_info_screen.dart
├── home_screen.dart
└── ...

Class Rename Map

Step 7: Update MaterialApp

// ❌ v5 — localization delegates, BuilderTypography, callMain entry point
MaterialApp(
  supportedLocales: const [Locale('en'), Locale('ar'), ...],
  localizationsDelegates: const [
    cc.Translations.delegate,
    GlobalMaterialLocalizations.delegate,
    GlobalWidgetsLocalizations.delegate,
    GlobalCupertinoLocalizations.delegate,
  ],
  theme: ThemeData(
    fontFamily: BuilderTypography.font,
    extensions: [CometChatColorPalette(primary: BuilderColor.brandColor)],
  ),
  navigatorKey: CallNavigationContext.navigatorKey,
)

// ✅ v6 — Material 3, no builder system, no localization delegates
MaterialApp(
  debugShowCheckedModeBanner: false,
  navigatorKey: LocalNotificationService.navigatorKey,
  theme: ThemeData(
    colorScheme: ColorScheme.fromSeed(seedColor: Colors.deepPurple),
    useMaterial3: true,
  ),
  darkTheme: ThemeData(
    colorScheme: ColorScheme.fromSeed(seedColor: Colors.deepPurple, brightness: Brightness.dark),
    useMaterial3: true,
    brightness: Brightness.dark,
  ),
  themeMode: ThemeMode.system,
)

Remove the callMain() entry point and CallApp/CallScreen widget entirely. V6 renders the in-call UI via the CometChatOngoingCall widget (placed in your widget tree once the call is active) and presents incoming calls via the IncomingCallOverlay widget. (The kit DOES expose CallScreenOverlay.show(...) — call_ui/src/ongoing_call/call_screen_overlay.dart — which it uses internally for the outgoing→in-call transition.)

Step 8: Update Notification Services

VoIP Cold Start

// ❌ v5 — handled in dashboard initState
VoipNotificationHandler.handleNativeCallIntent(context);

// ✅ v6 — init early in main(), markSdkReady after login
VoipCallHandler.instance.init();  // in main()
await VoipCallHandler.instance.markSdkReady();  // after login

Step 9: resizeToAvoidBottomInset

// ❌ v5 — SafeArea wrapping around the composer
Scaffold(body: SafeArea(child: Column(children: [messageList, composer])))

// ✅ v6 on ^6.0.1 — true (or omit; true is the default). The composer clamps
//   the keyboard height to viewInsets (kit fix ENG-34434), so true does NOT
//   double-compensate. (false was only the pre-6.0.1 workaround — if you still
//   see a double keyboard gap, upgrade the kit.)
Scaffold(
  resizeToAvoidBottomInset: true,
  body: Column(children: [Expanded(child: messageList), composer]),
)

Step 10: Android Build

In android/app/build.gradle(.kts):

defaultConfig {
    minSdk = 26  // Was 24 in v5, required by cometchat_calls_sdk in v6
}

In android/gradle.properties:

android.enableJetifier=true  // Required for support library conflicts

Step 11: Delete v5 Files

• builder/ folder entirely
• utils/page_manager.dart, initialize_cometchat.dart, bool_singleton.dart, text_constants.dart
• prefs/shared_preferences.dart
• services/bugsee_services.dart
• qr_scanner/ folder
• ai_agents/ folder
• call_screen.dart
• demo_meta_info_constants.dart (recreate minimal if needed)
• All *_controller.dart files
• auth/login_screen.dart (if it depended on google_sign_in/firebase_auth)

Gotchas

• CometChatCallingExtension(), extensions, and aiFeature on UIKitSettingsBuilder don't exist in v6. Extensions and AI features are auto-registered. Only enableCalls: true + CallingConfiguration() is needed.
• CallSettingsBuilder is renamed to SessionSettingsBuilder with different API: .setLayout(LayoutType.tile) instead of ..enableDefaultLayout = true.
• v6 CometChatMessageList doesn't have messageId param — use goToMessageId instead.
• CometChatBannedMembers, CometChatCallLogParticipants, CometChatCallLogRecordings, CometChatCallLogHistory are not exported as standalone widgets in v6.
• The callMain() entry point pattern (separate Dart entry point for Android CallActivity) is gone. V6 renders the in-call UI via the CometChatOngoingCall widget within your existing app navigator + the IncomingCallOverlay widget for incoming-call UI.
• FormatPatterns.stripFormatting() doesn't exist in v6. Use MarkdownTextFormatter instead.

Checklist

• pubspec.yaml — remove cometchat_calls_uikit, get, and all unused deps
• All imports — cometchat_calls_uikit → cometchat_chat_uikit/cometchat_calls_uikit.dart
• All imports — remove get/get.dart
• Init — remove CometChatCallingExtension, extensions, aiFeature; add enableCalls + CallingConfiguration
• Add CallEventService.instance.init() for cached sessions
• Remove PageManager — replace with Navigator.push
• Remove all GetBuilder/Obx/Get.put/Get.find
• Remove all *_controller.dart files
• Flatten screens into screens/ folder
• Remove BuilderSettings — toggle features per-widget (e.g. disableReactions, hideReplyInThreadOption) on the relevant CometChat widget instead
• Update MaterialApp — remove localization delegates, remove BuilderTypography
• Remove callMain() entry point and CallScreen widget
• CallSettingsBuilder → SessionSettingsBuilder
• resizeToAvoidBottomInset: true (or omitted) on Scaffolds with composer on ^6.0.1 — composer clamps to viewInsets (ENG-34434); false is only the pre-6.0.1 stopgap
• Android minSdk = 26
• Android enableJetifier = true
• Delete all unused v5 files
• Test: init → login → conversations → messages → calls → logout → re-login