Introduction to Chat UI Kit React
The Chat UI Kit React is a comprehensive toolset designed for developers aiming to create web chat applications rapidly. It is an open-source UI toolkit offered by chatscope, which simplifies the process of building chat interfaces using React components.
Overview
For those developers who find themselves bogged down by tricky issues such as sticky scrollbars, setting up editable content, achieving responsiveness, and dealing with complex CSS hacks, the Chat UI Kit React provides a relief. This kit aims to streamline chat UI development, making it swift and efficient.
Key Features
Developers gain a powerful advantage by using this toolkit, as it enables the creation of functional chat interfaces in just a few minutes. With its comprehensive set of components, it eliminates the need for tedious and repetitive coding, allowing developers to focus more on customizing and enhancing their applications. Explore all features.
Demonstrations
To illustrate its capabilities, chatscope offers a variety of demos:
- A fully-featured chat application: View Demo
- Discover interactions with Zoe, Akane, Eliot, and Joe: View Demo
- Curious? Try out a conversation with the Martian: Visit Here
All demos are accessible from the demos index: Demos Index.
Getting Started
For installation, developers can easily add the component library via yarn or npm:
Using yarn:
yarn add @chatscope/chat-ui-kit-react
Using npm:
npm install @chatscope/chat-ui-kit-react
To include styles, follow the same process:
Using yarn:
yarn add @chatscope/chat-ui-kit-styles
Using npm:
npm install @chatscope/chat-ui-kit-styles
Basic Usage
The chat interfaces can be implemented using ESM. Below is a simple example that sets up a basic chat GUI:
import styles from "@chatscope/chat-ui-kit-styles/dist/default/styles.min.css";
import {
MainContainer,
ChatContainer,
MessageList,
Message,
MessageInput,
} from "@chatscope/chat-ui-kit-react";
<div style={{ position: "relative", height: "500px" }}>
<MainContainer>
<ChatContainer>
<MessageList>
<Message
model={{
message: "Hello my friend",
sentTime: "just now",
sender: "Joe",
}}
/>
</MessageList>
<MessageInput placeholder="Type message here" />
</ChatContainer>
</MainContainer>
</div>;
With just this code snippet, you have a functional chat interface. For details on using UMD format, consult the Storybook documentation.
Typescript Compatibility
Although the library itself is crafted in JavaScript, it includes TypeScript typings starting from version 1.9.3, facilitating better integration for TypeScript developers.
Additional Resources
Developers looking for enhanced state management functionalities for chat applications might benefit from @chatscope/use-chat. This React hook further simplifies the management of chat state logic.
Community and Support
- Follow chatscope on Twitter: @chatscope
- Join discussions on Discord
- Connect via Facebook
- Read more on the chatscope blog
For further details, visit the chatscope website.
Licensing
The Chat UI Kit React is released under the MIT License, ensuring freedom to modify and distribute while complying with its terms.
In conclusion, the Chat UI Kit React is a solid choice for developers wanting to expedite their chat application development process with efficiency and ease.