Cometchat IOS Components

Ground truth: CometChatUIKitSwift ~> 5 component catalog (Pods/SPM .swiftinterface) + docs/ui-kit/ios. Official docs: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/ui-kit/ios/components-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.

Purpose

This is the single source of truth for CometChat iOS UI Kit v5 component names, properties, and usage patterns. All examples are based on official CometChat documentation.

All components are imported from CometChatUIKitSwift. All SDK types are imported from CometChatSDK.

1. CometChatConversations

A UIViewController that displays a scrollable list of the logged-in user's conversations.

Usage:

import CometChatUIKitSwift
import CometChatSDK

let conversationsVC = CometChatConversations()
let navController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: conversationsVC)

conversationsVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak navController] conversation, indexPath in
    let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
    if let group = conversation.conversationWith as? Group {
        messagesVC.group = group
    } else if let user = conversation.conversationWith as? User {
        messagesVC.user = user
    }
    navController?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
})

Key Properties:

Callbacks:

2. CometChatUsers

A UIViewController that displays a list of users.

Usage:

let usersVC = CometChatUsers()
let usersNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: usersVC)

usersVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak usersNav] user, indexPath in
    let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
    messagesVC.user = user
    usersNav?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
})

Key Properties:

Callbacks:

Custom Subtitle View:

import CometChatSDK

let usersVC = CometChatUsers()

// Custom subtitle with explicit type annotation
usersVC.set(subtitle: { (user: User?) -> UIView in
    let label = UILabel()
    label.font = .systemFont(ofSize: 13)
    if user?.status == .online {
        label.text = "Online"
        label.textColor = .systemGreen
    } else {
        label.text = "Offline"
        label.textColor = .secondaryLabel
    }
    return label
})

Custom Request Builder:

let usersVC = CometChatUsers()
usersVC.set(userRequestBuilder: UsersRequest.UsersRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30)
    .set(searchKeyword: "john")
)

3. CometChatGroups

A UIViewController that displays a list of groups.

Usage:

let groupsVC = CometChatGroups()
let groupsNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: groupsVC)

groupsVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak groupsNav] group, indexPath in
    let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
    messagesVC.group = group
    groupsNav?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
})

Key Properties:

Callbacks:

4. CometChatMessageHeader

A UIView that displays user/group info and back button at the top of a message view.

Usage:

private lazy var headerView: CometChatMessageHeader = {
    let view = CometChatMessageHeader()
    view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    if let user = user {
        view.set(user: user)
    } else if let group = group {
        view.set(group: group)
    }
    view.set(controller: self)
    return view
}()

Key Properties:

Important: Always call view.set(controller: self) to enable navigation.

5. CometChatMessageList

A UIView that displays messages with real-time updates.

Usage:

private lazy var messageListView: CometChatMessageList = {
    let listView = CometChatMessageList()
    listView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    if let user = user {
        listView.set(user: user)
    } else if let group = group {
        listView.set(group: group)
    }
    listView.set(controller: self)
    return listView
}()

Key Properties:

Important: Always call listView.set(controller: self) for proper functionality.

6. CometChatMessageComposer

A UIView for composing and sending messages.

Usage:

private lazy var composerView: CometChatMessageComposer = {
    let composer = CometChatMessageComposer()
    composer.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    if let user = user {
        composer.set(user: user)
    } else if let group = group {
        composer.set(group: group)
    }
    composer.set(controller: self)
    return composer
}()

Key Properties:

Important: Always call composer.set(controller: self) for proper functionality.

7. CometChatCallLogs

A UIViewController that displays call history.

Requires: CometChatCallsSDK

Usage:

#if canImport(CometChatCallsSDK)
let callLogsVC = CometChatCallLogs()
let callLogsNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: callLogsVC)
#endif

8. CometChatGroupMembers

A UIViewController that displays members of a specific group.

Usage:

// CometChatGroupMembers has a zero-arg initializer; pass the group via
// `set(group:)`. There is no `CometChatGroupMembers(group:)` initializer.
let groupMembers = CometChatGroupMembers()
groupMembers.set(group: group)
navigationController?.pushViewController(groupMembers, animated: true)

9. User / Group details — build your own VC

There is no CometChatDetails view controller exported by the kit. The sample app builds a details screen by composing avatar, list rows, and action sheets directly. Follow the same pattern in your app — SampleApp/View Controllers/DetailsPage/UserDetailsViewController.swift is a reasonable starting point to copy.

10. CometChatUIKit

Static class for initialization and authentication.

Initialization:

let uikitSettings = UIKitSettings()
    .set(appID: "APP_ID")
    .set(region: "REGION")
    .set(authKey: "AUTH_KEY")
    .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
    .build()

// Init takes a `UIKitSettings` and a `Result<Bool, Error>` completion.
// Both `CometChatUIKit(uiKitSettings: ...) { ... }` (constructor form)
// and `CometChatUIKit.init(uiKitSettings: ...) { ... }` (explicit `.init`
// call) compile to the same thing in Swift; the kit's sample apps use
// the `.init` form, so don't be alarmed if you see both. See
// cometchat-ios-core § 2 for the recommended singleton pattern.
CometChatUIKit(uiKitSettings: uikitSettings) { result in
    switch result {
    case .success:
        debugPrint("CometChat initialized")
    case .failure(let error):
        debugPrint("Init failed: \(error.localizedDescription)")
    }
}

Login:

CometChatUIKit.login(uid: "cometchat-uid-1") { result in
    switch result {
    case .success(let user):
        print("Login successful: \(user.name ?? "")")
    case .onError(let error):
        print("Login failed: \(error.errorDescription)")
    @unknown default:
        break
    }
}

Logout:

if let currentUser = CometChat.getLoggedInUser() {
    CometChatUIKit.logout(user: currentUser) { result in
        switch result {
        case .success:
            print("Logged out successfully")
        case .onError(let error):
            print("Logout failed: \(error.errorDescription)")
        @unknown default:
            break
        }
    }
}

11. Composing a chat screen — MessagesVC

The kit does not ship a CometChatMessages or CometChatConversationsWithMessages view controller. The standard pattern (and what the sample app uses) is to compose CometChatMessageHeader + CometChatMessageList + CometChatMessageComposer inside your own UIViewController. See § 12 below for the full implementation — it's ~50 lines and gives you full control over navigation and lifecycle.

If you previously read about a "pre-built CometChatMessages UIViewController" in older docs or AI-generated guides, that was incorrect. Always build your own MessagesVC as shown in § 12 (or copy SampleApp/View Controllers/CometChat Components/MessagesVC.swift from the kit's sample app).

12. Custom MessagesVC Implementation

If you need more control over the messaging UI, create a custom view controller that combines header, list, and composer:

import UIKit
import CometChatSDK
import CometChatUIKitSwift

class MessagesVC: UIViewController {
    
    // MARK: - Properties
    var user: User?
    var group: Group?
    
    // MARK: - UI Components
    private lazy var headerView: CometChatMessageHeader = {
        let view = CometChatMessageHeader()
        view.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        if let user = user {
            view.set(user: user)
        } else if let group = group {
            view.set(group: group)
        }
        view.set(controller: self)
        return view
    }()
    
    private lazy var messageListView: CometChatMessageList = {
        let listView = CometChatMessageList()
        listView.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        if let user = user {
            listView.set(user: user)
        } else if let group = group {
            listView.set(group: group)
        }
        listView.set(controller: self)
        return listView
    }()
    
    private lazy var composerView: CometChatCompactMessageComposer = {
        let composer = CometChatCompactMessageComposer()
        composer.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
        if let user = user {
            composer.set(user: user)
        } else if let group = group {
            composer.set(group: group)
        }
        composer.set(controller: self)
        return composer
    }()
    
    // MARK: - Lifecycle
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()
        configureView()
        setupLayout()
    }
    
    override func viewWillDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewWillDisappear(animated)
        navigationController?.setNavigationBarHidden(false, animated: true)
    }
    
    // MARK: - Setup
    private func configureView() {
        view.backgroundColor = .systemBackground
        navigationController?.setNavigationBarHidden(true, animated: false)
    }
    
    private func setupLayout() {
        [headerView, messageListView, composerView].forEach { view.addSubview($0) }
        
        NSLayoutConstraint.activate([
            headerView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.safeAreaLayoutGuide.topAnchor),
            headerView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor),
            headerView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor),
            headerView.heightAnchor.constraint(equalToConstant: 50),
            
            messageListView.topAnchor.constraint(equalTo: headerView.bottomAnchor),
            messageListView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor),
            messageListView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor),
            messageListView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: composerView.topAnchor),
            
            composerView.leadingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.leadingAnchor),
            composerView.trailingAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.trailingAnchor),
            composerView.bottomAnchor.constraint(equalTo: view.bottomAnchor)
        ])
    }
}

14. Complete Tab-Based Chat App

Full implementation of a tabbed chat app with Chats, Calls, Users, and Groups:

import UIKit
import CometChatUIKitSwift
import CometChatSDK

class SceneDelegate: UIResponder, UIWindowSceneDelegate {

    var window: UIWindow?

    func scene(_ scene: UIScene, willConnectTo session: UISceneSession, options connectionOptions: UIScene.ConnectionOptions) {
        guard let windowScene = (scene as? UIWindowScene) else { return }

        let uikitSettings = UIKitSettings()
            .set(appID: "APP_ID")
            .set(region: "REGION")
            .set(authKey: "AUTH_KEY")
            .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
            .build()

        CometChatUIKit.init(uiKitSettings: uikitSettings) { result in
            switch result {
            case .success:
                CometChatUIKit.login(uid: "cometchat-uid-1") { loginResult in
                    switch loginResult {
                    case .success:
                        DispatchQueue.main.async {
                            self.setupTabbedView(windowScene: windowScene)
                        }
                    case .onError(let error):
                        print("Login failed: \(error.errorDescription)")
                    @unknown default:
                        break
                    }
                }
            case .failure(let error):
                print("Init failed: \(error)")
            }
        }
    }

    func setupTabbedView(windowScene: UIWindowScene) {
        let tabBarController = UITabBarController()
        tabBarController.tabBar.backgroundColor = .white
        
        // Conversations Tab
        let conversationsVC = CometChatConversations()
        let conversationsNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: conversationsVC)
        conversationsVC.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(
            title: "CHATS",
            image: UIImage(systemName: "message.fill"),
            tag: 0
        )
        
        conversationsVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak conversationsNav] conversation, indexPath in
            let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
            if let group = conversation.conversationWith as? Group {
                messagesVC.group = group
            } else if let user = conversation.conversationWith as? User {
                messagesVC.user = user
            }
            messagesVC.hidesBottomBarWhenPushed = true
            conversationsNav?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
        })
        
        // Call Logs Tab
        #if canImport(CometChatCallsSDK)
        let callLogsVC = CometChatCallLogs()
        let callLogsNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: callLogsVC)
        callLogsVC.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(
            title: "CALLS",
            image: UIImage(systemName: "phone.fill"),
            tag: 1
        )
        #endif
        
        // Users Tab
        let usersVC = CometChatUsers()
        let usersNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: usersVC)
        usersVC.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(
            title: "USERS",
            image: UIImage(systemName: "person.2.fill"),
            tag: 2
        )
        
        usersVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak usersNav] user, indexPath in
            let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
            messagesVC.user = user
            messagesVC.hidesBottomBarWhenPushed = true
            usersNav?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
        })
        
        // Groups Tab
        let groupsVC = CometChatGroups()
        let groupsNav = UINavigationController(rootViewController: groupsVC)
        groupsVC.tabBarItem = UITabBarItem(
            title: "GROUPS",
            image: UIImage(systemName: "person.3.fill"),
            tag: 3
        )
        
        groupsVC.set(onItemClick: { [weak groupsNav] group, indexPath in
            let messagesVC = MessagesVC()  // your own VC composing CometChatMessageHeader + List + Composer; see cometchat-ios-components § 12
            messagesVC.group = group
            messagesVC.hidesBottomBarWhenPushed = true
            groupsNav?.pushViewController(messagesVC, animated: true)
        })
        
        #if canImport(CometChatCallsSDK)
        tabBarController.viewControllers = [conversationsNav, callLogsNav, usersNav, groupsNav]
        #else
        tabBarController.viewControllers = [conversationsNav, usersNav, groupsNav]
        #endif
        
        window = UIWindow(windowScene: windowScene)
        window?.rootViewController = tabBarController
        window?.makeKeyAndVisible()
    }
}

15. Shared UI Components

CometChatAvatar

let avatar = CometChatAvatar()
avatar.setAvatar(avatarUrl: user.avatar ?? "", with: user.name)

CometChatBadge

let badge = CometChatBadge()
badge.set(count: 5)

CometChatStatusIndicator

let statusIndicator = CometChatStatusIndicator()
statusIndicator.set(status: .online)

16. AI Components

CometChatAIConversationStarter

Displays AI-suggested conversation starters.

CometChatAISmartReply

Displays AI-suggested quick replies.

CometChatAIConversationSummary

Displays AI-generated conversation summary.

17. Extensions

CometChatPollsBubble

Renders poll messages.

CometChatStickerKeyboard

Sticker picker keyboard.

CometChatLinkPreviewBubble

Renders URL link previews.

19. Additional v5 components

These components ship in CometChatUIKitSwift v5 and appear in the docs nav. Verify symbols against the kit source before use — never invent properties.

19.1 CometChatSearch

A UIViewController that searches across conversations and messages, with filter chips (Unread, Groups, Photos, Videos, Links, Documents, Audio). Push it inside a UINavigationController — it installs its own UISearchController into navigationItem.

Usage:

let searchVC = CometChatSearch()
searchVC.set(searchIn: [.conversations, .messages])   // SearchScope
searchVC.set(onConversationClicked: { conversation, indexPath in
    // navigate to the conversation
})
searchVC.set(onMessageClicked: { message in
    // jump to the message
})
navigationController?.pushViewController(searchVC, animated: true)

To scope a search to a single user or group, set searchVC.user or searchVC.group before pushing.

Key Properties:

Callbacks:

Filter configuration: set(searchFilters:initialFilter:) (takes [SearchFilter]).

19.2 CometChatNotificationFeed

A UIViewController (subclass of CometChatListBase) that renders an in-app notification feed — a scrollable list of NotificationFeedItem cards with category filter chips and unread counts. This is the in-app feed UI; it is distinct from push notifications (see cometchat-ios-push for FCM/APNs delivery). Push it inside a UINavigationController.

Usage:

// tier2-expect-error — CometChatNotificationFeed is verified real in the v5 UI Kit
// source (Components/Notification Feed/), but postdates the 5.1.13 Pods snapshot the
// Tier-2 harness compiles against. A fresh `pod 'CometChatUIKitSwift', '~> 5.1'`
// install resolves a newer 5.x that ships it.
let feedVC = CometChatNotificationFeed()
feedVC.set(showFilterChips: true)
feedVC.set(onItemClick: { feedItem in
    // handle the tapped feed item
})
feedVC.set(onActionClick: { feedItem, actionEvent in
    // handle a card action button (CometChatCardActionEvent)
})
navigationController?.pushViewController(feedVC, animated: true)

Key Properties:

Callbacks:

Data operations: insert(feedItem:at:), remove(feedItemId:), clearList(), refresh(), size(), getFeedItems(), getUnreadCount(). Custom fetch via set(notificationFeedRequestBuilder:) and set(notificationCategoriesRequestBuilder:).

19.3 CometChatCompactMessageComposer

A UIView — the compact variant of CometChatMessageComposer (§ 6) — with built-in rich-text formatting (bold/italic/code/blockquote/lists via a CometChatRichTextToolbar). Use it where a single-line, space-constrained composer is needed. Same set(user:) / set(group:) data wiring as the standard composer.

Usage:

private lazy var compactComposer: CometChatCompactMessageComposer = {
    let composer = CometChatCompactMessageComposer()
    composer.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    if let user = user {
        composer.set(user: user)
    } else if let group = group {
        composer.set(group: group)
    }
    composer.set(controller: self)
    return composer
}()

Key Properties / Configuration:

Callbacks:

Edit / reply: edit(message:), reply(message:), preview(message:mode:) (ComposerState).

19.4 CometChatAIAssistanceChatHistory

A UIViewController that lists prior AI-assistant chat sessions (history) for a user or group, with a "New Chat" affordance. Push it inside a UINavigationController. (Note the class name spelling: AIAssistance; its style struct is AiAssistantChatHistoryStyle.)

Usage:

let historyVC = CometChatAIAssistanceChatHistory()
historyVC.set(user: user)                  // or set(group:)
historyVC.onMessageClicked = { message in
    // open the selected AI chat
}
historyVC.onNewChatButtonClicked = { user in
    // start a new AI chat
}
navigationController?.pushViewController(historyVC, animated: true)

Key Properties:

Configuration: set(user:parentMessage:withParent:), set(group:parentMessage:), set(messagesRequestBuilder:), plus set(onError:), set(onLoad:), set(onEmpty:), set(errorView:), set(emptyView:), set(loadingView:).

19.5 CometChatThreadedMessageHeader

A UIView that renders the parent message bubble plus the reply count at the top of a thread/reply screen. Compose it above a CometChatMessageList (configured with the parent message's thread) inside your own thread VC — analogous to how CometChatMessageHeader sits atop a chat screen (§ 4, § 12).

Usage:

private lazy var threadHeader: CometChatThreadedMessageHeader = {
    let header = CometChatThreadedMessageHeader()
    header.translatesAutoresizingMaskIntoConstraints = false
    header.set(parentMessage: parentMessage)
    header.set(count: parentMessage.replyCount)
    header.set(controller: self)
    return header
}()

Key Properties:

Configuration: set(parentMessage:), set(count:), incrementCount(), reset(), set(templates:), add(template:), set(textFormatters:), set(controller:).

18. SwiftUI Integration

Wrap UIKit components for SwiftUI:

import SwiftUI
import CometChatUIKitSwift
import CometChatSDK

struct ConversationsView: UIViewControllerRepresentable {
    @Binding var selectedConversation: Conversation?
    
    func makeUIViewController(context: Context) -> UINavigationController {
        let conversationsVC = CometChatConversations()
        conversationsVC.set(onItemClick: { conversation, _ in
            selectedConversation = conversation
        })
        return UINavigationController(rootViewController: conversationsVC)
    }
    
    func updateUIViewController(_ uiViewController: UINavigationController, context: Context) {}
}