Threaded Messages

Send, receive, and fetch threaded messages (replies) in user and group conversations using the CometChat React Native SDK.

Quick Reference - Send a threaded message and fetch thread replies:

// Send a text message in a thread
let textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage("UID", "Hello", CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER);
textMessage.setParentMessageId(100);
CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  message => console.log("Sent:", message),
  err => console.log("Error:", err)
);

// Fetch messages for a thread
let messagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
  .setLimit(30)
  .setParentMessageId(100)
  .build();
messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  messages => console.log("Thread messages:", messages),
  error => console.log("Error:", error)
);

Available via: SDK | REST API | UI Kits

Messages that are started from a particular message are called Threaded Messages or simply threads. Each thread is attached to a message which is the parent message for that thread.

Send Message in a Thread

As mentioned in the Send a Message section, you can either send a message to a user or a group based on the receiverType and the UID/GUID specified for the message. A message can belong to any of the following types:

1. Text Message
2. Media Message
3. Custom Message

Any of the above messages can be sent in a thread. A thread is identified based on the parent message, so while sending a message the parentMessageId must be set to indicate that the message belongs to the thread with the specified parentMessageId.

This can be achieved using the setParentMessageId() method provided by the object of the TextMessage, MediaMessage, and CustomMessage class. The id specified in the setParentMessageId() method maps the message sent to the particular thread.

The parentMessageId is dynamic and corresponds to the actual id of the parent message you want to reply to. In the code examples below, we use placeholder values like 100 or 1, but in practice, you’ll use the actual message ID obtained from your message list or real-time listener.

Example to send a text message in a thread in a user conversation:

JavaScript

let textMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(UID, "Hello", CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER);
textMessage.setParentMessageId(100); // Replace with actual parent message ID

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  message => {
      console.log('Message sent successfully', message);
  }, err => {
      console.log('err', err);
  }
)

TypeScript

let receiverId = "UID",
  receiverType: string = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER,
  textMessage: CometChat.TextMessage = new CometChat.TextMessage(receiverId, "Hello", receiverType),
  messageId: number = 100; // Replace with actual parent message ID

textMessage.setParentMessageId(messageId);

CometChat.sendMessage(textMessage).then(
  (message: CometChat.TextMessage) => {
      console.log('Message sent successfully', message);
  }, (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
      console.log('Message sending failed', error);
  }
);

The above snippet shows how a message with the text “Hello” can be sent in the thread with parentMessageId 100.

Similarly, using the setParentMessageId() method, Media and Custom Messages can be sent in threads too.

Response

On Success — sendMessage() returns the sent threaded message with parentMessageId:

Message Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
id	string	Unique message identifier	"25293"
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
receiverId	string	Receiver’s UID	"cometchat-uid-7"
receiverType	string	Type of receiver	"user"
type	string	Message type	"text"
category	string	Message category	"message"
text	string	Message text content	"Hello thread!"
sentAt	number	Unix timestamp when sent	1771839799
updatedAt	number	Unix timestamp when updated	1771839799
parentMessageId	string	ID of the parent message this reply belongs to	"25291"
sender	object	Sender user details	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver user details	See below ↓
data	object	Additional message data	See below ↓
metadata	object	Message metadata	See below ↓
reactions	array	Message reactions	[]
mentionedUsers	array	Users mentioned in message	[]
mentionedMe	boolean	Whether current user is mentioned	false

---

sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839550
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839549
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
text	string	Message text	"Hello thread!"
resource	string	SDK resource identifier	"REACT_NATIVE-4_0_14-..."
entities	object	Sender and receiver entities	See below ↓
metadata	object	Injected metadata	See below ↓
moderation	object	Moderation status	{"status": "pending"}

---

data.entities Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
sender	object	Sender entity wrapper	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver entity wrapper	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839550
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.entities.receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.receiver.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839549
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

data.metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

---

metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

Receiving Real-Time Messages

The procedure to receive real-time messages is exactly the same as mentioned in the Receive Messages section. This can be achieved using the MessageListener class provided by the SDK.

To add a MessageListener, you can use the addMessageListener() method of the SDK. The only thing that needs to be checked is if the received message belongs to the active thread. This can be done using the parentMessageId field of the message object.

JavaScript

var listenerID = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";
var activeThreadId = 100;

CometChat.addMessageListener(
listenerID,
new CometChat.MessageListener({
  onTextMessageReceived: textMessage => {
      if(textMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
          console.log("Text message received for active thread.", textMessage);
      }
  },
  onMediaMessageReceived: mediaMessage => {
      if(mediaMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
          console.log("Media message received for active thread.", textMessage);
      }
  },
  onCustomMessageReceived: customMessage => {
      if(customMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
          console.log("Custom message received for active thread.", textMessage);
      }
  }
})
);

TypeScript

var listenerID: string = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID",
  activeThreadId: number = 100;

CometChat.addMessageListener(
  listenerID,
  new CometChat.MessageListener({
      onTextMessageReceived: (textMessage: CometChat.TextMessage) => {
          if (textMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
              console.log("Text message received for active thread.", textMessage);
          }
      },
      onMediaMessageReceived: (mediaMessage: CometChat.MediaMessage) => {
          if (mediaMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
              console.log("Media message received for active thread.", mediaMessage);
          }
      },
      onCustomMessageReceived: (customMessage: CometChat.CustomMessage) => {
          if (customMessage.getParentMessageId() == activeThreadId) {
              console.log("Custom message received for active thread.", customMessage);
          }
      }
  })
); 

Remember to remove your listener on unmount. Always call CometChat.removeMessageListener("UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID") when the component unmounts (e.g., in a useEffect cleanup or componentWillUnmount) to avoid memory leaks and duplicate event handling.

Fetch All Messages for a Thread

You can fetch all the messages belonging to a particular thread by using the MessagesRequest class. To get an object of the MessagesRequest class, use the MessagesRequestBuilder class and call the setParentMessageId() method to inform the SDK that you only need the messages belonging to the thread with the specified parentMessageId.

Once you have the object of the MessagesRequest class, call the fetchPrevious() method to get the latest messages in the thread. In one call, a maximum of 100 messages can be fetched. To fetch the next set of messages, call the fetchPrevious() method again on the same object.

JavaScript

let limit = 30;
let parentMessageId = 1; // Replace with actual parent message ID
let messagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
                      .setLimit(limit)
                      .setParentMessageId(parentMessageId)
                      .build();
     
messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  messages => {
      console.log("Messages for thread fetched successfully", messages);
  }, error => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

TypeScript

let limit: number = 30,
  parentMessageId: number = 1, // Replace with actual parent message ID
  messagesRequest: CometChat.MessagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
      .setLimit(limit)
      .setParentMessageId(parentMessageId)
      .build();

messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  (messages: CometChat.BaseMessage[]) => {
      console.log("Messages for thread fetched successfully", messages);
  }, (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

Response

On Success — fetchPrevious() returns an array of messages belonging to the thread:

Message Object (per item in array):

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
id	string	Unique message identifier	"25293"
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
receiverId	string	Receiver’s UID	"cometchat-uid-7"
receiverType	string	Type of receiver	"user"
type	string	Message type	"text"
category	string	Message category	"message"
text	string	Message text content	"Hello thread!"
sentAt	number	Unix timestamp when sent	1771839799
updatedAt	number	Unix timestamp when updated	1771839799
parentMessageId	string	ID of the parent message this reply belongs to	"25291"
sender	object	Sender user details	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver user details	See below ↓
data	object	Additional message data	See below ↓
metadata	object	Message metadata	See below ↓
reactions	array	Message reactions	[]
mentionedUsers	array	Users mentioned in message	[]
mentionedMe	boolean	Whether current user is mentioned	false

---

sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839550
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839549
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
text	string	Message text	"Hello thread!"
resource	string	SDK resource identifier	"REACT_NATIVE-4_0_14-..."
entities	object	Sender and receiver entities	See below ↓
metadata	object	Injected metadata	See below ↓
moderation	object	Moderation status	{"status": "approved"}

---

data.entities Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
sender	object	Sender entity wrapper	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver entity wrapper	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839550
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.entities.receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.receiver.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771839549
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

data.metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

---

metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

Avoid Threaded Messages in User/Group Conversations

While fetching messages for normal user/group conversations using the MessagesRequest, threaded messages will be included in the list by default. To exclude threaded messages from the list of user/group messages, use the hideReplies() method of the MessagesRequestBuilder class. This method takes a boolean argument which, when set to true, excludes messages belonging to threads from the list of messages.

Default Behavior (without hideReplies) - Thread replies included

Without hideReplies(true) — fetchPrevious() returns all messages including thread replies (note the second message has parentMessageId):

Message Object (per item in array):

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
id	string	Unique message identifier	"25291"
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
receiverId	string	Receiver’s UID	"cometchat-uid-6"
receiverType	string	Type of receiver	"user"
type	string	Message type	"text"
category	string	Message category	"message"
text	string	Message text content	"Hello"
sentAt	number	Unix timestamp when sent	1771831336
deliveredAt	number	Unix timestamp when delivered	1771832977
readAt	number	Unix timestamp when read	1771832977
updatedAt	number	Unix timestamp when updated	1771832977
replyCount	number	Number of replies to this message	1
sender	object	Sender user details	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver user details	See below ↓
data	object	Additional message data	See below ↓
metadata	object	Message metadata	See below ↓
reactions	array	Message reactions	[]
mentionedUsers	array	Users mentioned in message	[]
mentionedMe	boolean	Whether current user is mentioned	false

Thread replies in the same response will have a parentMessageId field linking them to their parent message.

---

sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829868
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829859
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
text	string	Message text	"Hello"
resource	string	SDK resource identifier	"REACT_NATIVE-4_0_14-..."
entities	object	Sender and receiver entities	See below ↓
metadata	object	Injected metadata	See below ↓

---

data.entities Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
sender	object	Sender entity wrapper	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver entity wrapper	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829868
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.entities.receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.receiver.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829859
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

data.metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

---

metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

To User

let UID = "UID";
let limit = 30;
let messagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
                      .setUID(UID)
                      .setLimit(limit)
                      .hideReplies(true)
                      .build();
     
messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  messages => {
      console.log("Messages for thread fetched successfully", messages);
  }, error => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

To Group

let GUID = "GUID";
let limit = 30;
let messagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
                      .setGUID(GUID)
                      .setLimit(limit)
                      .hideReplies(true)
                      .build();
     
messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  messages => {
      console.log("Messages for thread fetched successfully", messages);
  }, error => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

TypeScript (User)

let UID: string = "UID",
  limit: number = 30,
  messagesRequest: CometChat.MessagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
      .setUID(UID)
      .setLimit(limit)
      .hideReplies(true)
      .build();

messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  (messages: CometChat.BaseMessage[]) => {
      console.log("Messages fetched successfully", messages);
  }, (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

TypeScript (Group)

let GUID: string = "GUID",
  limit: number = 30,
  messagesRequest: CometChat.MessagesRequest = new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder()
      .setGUID(GUID)
      .setLimit(limit)
      .hideReplies(true)
      .build();

messagesRequest.fetchPrevious().then(
  (messages: CometChat.BaseMessage[]) => {
      console.log("Messages fetched successfully", messages);
  }, (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
      console.log("Message fetching failed with error:", error);
  }
);

Response

On Success — fetchPrevious() returns messages excluding thread replies (note: parent messages with replyCount are included, but their replies are not):

Message Object (per item in array):

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
id	string	Unique message identifier	"25291"
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
receiverId	string	Receiver’s UID	"cometchat-uid-6"
receiverType	string	Type of receiver	"user"
type	string	Message type	"text"
category	string	Message category	"message"
text	string	Message text content	"Hello"
sentAt	number	Unix timestamp when sent	1771831336
deliveredAt	number	Unix timestamp when delivered	1771832977
readAt	number	Unix timestamp when read	1771832977
updatedAt	number	Unix timestamp when updated	1771832977
replyCount	number	Number of replies to this message	1
sender	object	Sender user details	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver user details	See below ↓
data	object	Additional message data	See below ↓
metadata	object	Message metadata	See below ↓
reactions	array	Message reactions	[]
mentionedUsers	array	Users mentioned in message	[]
mentionedMe	boolean	Whether current user is mentioned	false

---

sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829868
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	URL to user’s avatar	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829859
hasBlockedMe	boolean	Whether user has blocked current user	false
blockedByMe	boolean	Whether current user blocked this user	false
deactivatedAt	number	Deactivation timestamp (0 if active)	0
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
text	string	Message text	"Hello"
resource	string	SDK resource identifier	"REACT_NATIVE-4_0_14-..."
entities	object	Sender and receiver entities	See below ↓
metadata	object	Injected metadata	See below ↓

---

data.entities Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
sender	object	Sender entity wrapper	See below ↓
receiver	object	Receiver entity wrapper	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.sender.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-7"
name	string	User’s display name	"Henry Marino"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-7.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829868
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.entities.receiver Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
entityType	string	Type of entity	"user"
entity	object	User entity details	See below ↓

---

data.entities.receiver.entity Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
uid	string	User’s unique identifier	"cometchat-uid-6"
name	string	User’s display name	"Ronald Jerry"
avatar	string	User’s avatar URL	"https://assets.cometchat.io/sampleapp/v2/users/cometchat-uid-6.webp"
role	string	User’s role	"default"
status	string	User’s online status	"online"
lastActiveAt	number	Last active timestamp	1771829859
conversationId	string	Conversation identifier	"cometchat-uid-6_user_cometchat-uid-7"
tags	array	User tags	[]

---

data.metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

data.metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

---

metadata Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
@injected	object	Injected extensions data	See below ↓

---

metadata.@injected Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
extensions	object	Extensions data	See below ↓

---

[e-mail] Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
link-preview	object	Link preview extension	See below ↓

---

[e-mail]-preview Object:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
links	array	Extracted links	[]

The above snippet will return messages between the logged-in user and cometchat-uid-1 excluding all the threaded messages belonging to the same conversation.

Best Practices and Troubleshooting

How do I identify which thread a message belongs to?

Every message object has a parentMessageId field. If this field is set (non-zero), the message is part of a thread. Use message.getParentMessageId() to retrieve the parent message ID and match it against the active thread.

Why am I receiving thread messages in my main conversation list?

By default, MessagesRequest includes threaded messages. Use the hideReplies(true) method on MessagesRequestBuilder when fetching messages for the main conversation to exclude thread replies.

What is the maximum number of messages I can fetch per request?

You can fetch a maximum of 100 messages per fetchPrevious() call. Use the setLimit() method on MessagesRequestBuilder to control the number of messages returned. To load more messages, call fetchPrevious() again on the same MessagesRequest object.

Can I send media or custom messages in a thread?

Yes. The setParentMessageId() method is available on TextMessage, MediaMessage, and CustomMessage objects. Set the parent message ID before calling CometChat.sendMessage() to send any message type within a thread.

Next Steps

Send a Message

Learn how to send text, media, and custom messages to users and groups.

Receive Messages

Set up real-time message listeners and fetch message history.

Message Filtering

Filter messages by type, category, tags, timestamps, and more.

Message Structure

Understand message categories, types, and the message hierarchy.