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Overview

The CometChatSearch component is a powerful and customizable search interface that allows users to search across conversations and messages in real time. It supports a wide variety of filters, scopes, and customization options. CometChatSearch helps users find messages, conversations, media, and more through an intuitive and filterable search experience. It can be embedded in multiple contexts — as part of the conversation list, message header, or as a full-screen search experience.

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Usage

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Integration

import React from "react";
import { View } from "react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

function SearchDemo() {
  return (
    <View style={{ width: "100%", height: "100%" }}>
      <CometChatSearch />
    </View>
  );
}

export default SearchDemo;

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Actions

Actions dictate how a component functions. They are divided into two types: Predefined and User-defined. You can override either type, allowing you to tailor the behavior of the component to fit your specific needs.

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1. onConversationClicked

onConversationClicked is triggered when you click on a Conversation from the search result. The onConversationClicked action doesn’t have a predefined behavior. You can override this action using the following code snippet. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";

const openConversation = (conversation: CometChat.Conversation) => {
  console.log("Conversation Selected:", conversation);
};

<CometChatSearch onConversationClicked={openConversation} />;

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2. onMessageClicked

onMessageClicked is triggered when you click on a Message from the search result. The onMessageClicked action doesn’t have a predefined behavior. You can override this action using the following code snippet. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";

const goToMessage = (message: CometChat.BaseMessage) => {
  console.log("Message Selected:", message);
};

<CometChatSearch onMessageClicked={goToMessage} />;

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3. OnBack

OnBack is triggered when you click on the back button of the Message Header component. You can override this action using the following code snippet. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const onBack = () => {
  console.log("Back button pressed");
};

<CometChatSearch onBack={onBack} />;

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4. onError

This action doesn’t change the behavior of the component but rather listens for any errors that occur in the Conversations component. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";

const handleOnError = (error: CometChat.CometChatException) => {
  // Your exception handling code
};

<CometChatSearch onError={handleOnError} />;

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Filters

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1. ConversationsRequestBuilder

You can set the ConversationsRequestBuilder in the Search Component to filter the search result. You can modify the builder as per your specific requirements with multiple options available to know more refer to ConversationRequestBuilder. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";

<CometChatSearch
  conversationsRequestBuilder={new CometChat.ConversationsRequestBuilder().setLimit(
    5
  )}
/>;

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2. MessagesRequestBuilder

You can set the MessagesRequestBuilder in the Search Component to filter the search result. You can modify the builder as per your specific requirements with multiple options available to know more refer to MessagesRequestBuilder. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";

<CometChatSearch
  messagesRequestBuilder={new CometChat.MessagesRequestBuilder().setLimit(5)}
/>;

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Events

Events are emitted by a Component. By using event you can extend existing functionality. Being global events, they can be applied in multiple locations and are capable of being added or removed. The CometChatSearch component does not produce any events.

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Customization

To fit your app’s design requirements, you can customize the appearance of the CometChatSearch component. We provide exposed methods that allow you to modify the experience and behavior according to your specific needs.

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Style

To customize the appearance, you can pass a custom style prop to CometChatSearch. The style prop accepts a DeepPartial<SearchStyle> object that allows you to override various style properties. Example 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";
import { SearchStyle } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const customSearchStyle: Partial<SearchStyle> = {
  containerStyle: {
    backgroundColor: "#E8EAF6",
  },
  headerStyle: {
    backgroundColor: "#5F35AE",
    paddingVertical: 16,
  },
  backButtonIconStyle: {
    tintColor: "#FFFFFF",
  },
  searchInputContainerStyle: {
    backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
    borderRadius: 8,
  },
  searchInputStyle: {
    color: "#000000",
    fontSize: 16,
  },
  filterButtonStyle: {
    backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
    borderRadius: 20,
    paddingHorizontal: 16,
    paddingVertical: 8,
  },
  filterButtonActiveStyle: {
    backgroundColor: "#5F35AE",
  },
  filterButtonTextStyle: {
    color: "#5F35AE",
    fontSize: 14,
  },
  filterButtonTextActiveStyle: {
    color: "#FFFFFF",
  },
  sectionTitleStyle: {
    color: "#000000",
    fontSize: 18,
    fontWeight: "700",
  },
  conversationItemStyle: {
    containerStyle: {
      backgroundColor: "#E8EAF6",
      paddingVertical: 12,
    },
    titleStyle: {
      color: "#000000",
      fontSize: 16,
      fontWeight: "600",
    },
    subtitleStyle: {
      color: "#666666",
      fontSize: 14,
    },
  },
  messageItemStyle: {
    containerStyle: {
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      paddingVertical: 12,
    },
    titleStyle: {
      color: "#000000",
      fontSize: 16,
      fontWeight: "600",
    },
    subtitleStyle: {
      color: "#666666",
      fontSize: 14,
    },
  },
};

<CometChatSearch style={customSearchStyle} />;

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Functionality

These are a set of small functional customizations that allow you to fine-tune the overall experience of the component. With these, you can change text, set custom icons, and toggle the visibility of UI elements. Here is a code snippet demonstrating how you can customize the functionality of the Search component. 
import React from "react";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

<CometChatSearch hideBackButton={true} />;
Following is a list of customizations along with their corresponding code snippets:
PropertyDescriptionCode
uidA string representing the user ID in whose conversation the search will be performed.uid="user123"
guidA string representing the group ID in whose conversation the search will be performed.guid="group456"
Hide Back ButtonHides the back button in the Search component.hideBackButton={true}
Search FiltersList of filters to be rendered in the Search component.searchFilters={[CometChatSearchFilter.Messages, CometChatSearchFilter.Photos, CometChatSearchFilter.Audio, CometChatSearchFilter.Documents]}
Initial Search FilterThe filter which will be active by default on load.initialSearchFilter={CometChatSearchFilter.Messages}
Search InList of entities in which the search should be performed.searchIn={[CometChatSearchScope.Conversations]}
Search PlaceholderCustom placeholder text for the search input.searchPlaceholder="Search messages..."
Loading ViewA custom component to display during the loading state.loadingView={() => <CustomLoadingView />}
Empty ViewA custom component to display when there are no results available.emptyView={() => <CustomEmptyView />}
Error ViewA custom component to display when an error occurs.errorView={() => <CustomErrorView />}

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Advanced

For advanced-level customization, you can set custom views to the component. This lets you tailor each aspect of the component to fit your exact needs and application aesthetics. You can create and define your views, layouts, and UI elements and then incorporate those into the component.

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ConversationItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom list item view to a conversation in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getConversationItemView = (
  conversation: CometChat.Conversation, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const conversationWith = conversation.getConversationWith();
  const lastMessage = conversation.getLastMessage() as CometChat.TextMessage;
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
    }}>
      <View style={{ flex: 1, marginRight: 12 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {conversationWith.getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 14,
            color: "#666666",
          }} 
          numberOfLines={2}
        >
          {lastMessage?.getText?.() || "No messages yet"}
        </Text>
      </View>
      <View style={{ justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "flex-end" }}>
        <Text style={{
          fontSize: 12,
          fontWeight: "bold",
          color: "#6851D6",
        }}>
          {conversation.getUnreadMessageCount() > 0 
            ? conversation.getUnreadMessageCount() 
            : ""}
        </Text>
      </View>
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch conversationItemView={getConversationItemView} />;

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TextMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for text messages in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getTextMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const textMessage = message as CometChat.TextMessage;
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#F5F5F5",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
    }}>
      <Text style={{
        fontSize: 14,
        fontWeight: "600",
        color: "#6851D6",
        marginRight: 4,
      }}>
        {message.getSender().getName()}:
      </Text>
      <Text 
        style={{
          flex: 1,
          fontSize: 14,
          color: "#333333",
        }} 
        numberOfLines={2}
      >
        {textMessage.getText()}
      </Text>
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch textMessageItemView={getTextMessageItemView} />;
It should look like this in the app:

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ImageMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for image messages in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text, Image } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getImageMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const imageMessage = message as CometChat.MediaMessage;
  const attachment = imageMessage.getAttachment();
  const imageUrl = attachment?.url;
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
      alignItems: "center",
    }}>
      <View style={{ flex: 1, marginRight: 12 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {message.getSender().getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text style={{
          fontSize: 14,
          color: "#666666",
        }}>
          📷 Photo
        </Text>
      </View>
      {imageUrl && (
        <Image 
          source={{ uri: imageUrl }} 
          style={{
            width: 60,
            height: 60,
            borderRadius: 8,
          }}
          resizeMode="cover"
        />
      )}
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch imageMessageItemView={getImageMessageItemView} />;

​
VideoMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for video messages in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text, Image } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getVideoMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const videoMessage = message as CometChat.MediaMessage;
  const attachment = videoMessage.getAttachment();
  const thumbnailUrl = attachment?.thumbnail || attachment?.url;
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
      alignItems: "center",
    }}>
      <View style={{ flex: 1, marginRight: 12 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {message.getSender().getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text style={{
          fontSize: 14,
          color: "#666666",
        }}>
          🎥 Video
        </Text>
      </View>
      {thumbnailUrl && (
        <View style={{ position: "relative" }}>
          <Image 
            source={{ uri: thumbnailUrl }} 
            style={{
              width: 60,
              height: 60,
              borderRadius: 8,
            }}
            resizeMode="cover"
          />
          <View style={{
            position: "absolute",
            top: 0,
            left: 0,
            right: 0,
            bottom: 0,
            justifyContent: "center",
            alignItems: "center",
            backgroundColor: "rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3)",
            borderRadius: 8,
          }}>
            <Text style={{
              fontSize: 20,
              color: "#FFFFFF",
            }}>
              ▶
            </Text>
          </View>
        </View>
      )}
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch videoMessageItemView={getVideoMessageItemView} />;

​
AudioMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for audio messages in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getAudioMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const audioMessage = message as CometChat.MediaMessage;
  const attachment = audioMessage.getAttachment();
  const fileName = attachment?.name || "Audio Message";
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
      alignItems: "center",
    }}>
      <View style={{
        width: 48,
        height: 48,
        borderRadius: 24,
        backgroundColor: "#6851D6",
        justifyContent: "center",
        alignItems: "center",
        marginRight: 12,
      }}>
        <Text style={{
          fontSize: 24,
          color: "#FFFFFF",
        }}>
          🎵
        </Text>
      </View>
      <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {message.getSender().getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 14,
            color: "#666666",
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {fileName}
        </Text>
      </View>
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch audioMessageItemView={getAudioMessageItemView} />;

​
DocumentMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for document/file messages in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getDocumentMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const fileMessage = message as CometChat.MediaMessage;
  const attachment = fileMessage.getAttachment();
  const fileName = attachment?.name || "Document";
  const fileExtension = fileName.split('.').pop()?.toUpperCase() || "FILE";
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
      alignItems: "center",
    }}>
      <View style={{
        width: 48,
        height: 48,
        borderRadius: 8,
        backgroundColor: "#E8EAF6",
        justifyContent: "center",
        alignItems: "center",
        marginRight: 12,
      }}>
        <Text style={{
          fontSize: 10,
          fontWeight: "bold",
          color: "#6851D6",
        }}>
          {fileExtension}
        </Text>
      </View>
      <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {message.getSender().getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 14,
            color: "#666666",
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {fileName}
        </Text>
      </View>
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch documentMessageItemView={getDocumentMessageItemView} />;

​
LinkMessageItemView

With this function, you can assign a custom view for link messages (text messages with link previews) in the search result. Example 
import React from "react";
import { View, Text, Image } from "react-native";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-react-native";
import { CometChatSearch } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react-native";

const getLinkMessageItemView = (
  message: CometChat.BaseMessage, 
  searchKeyword?: string
) => {
  const textMessage = message as CometChat.TextMessage;
  const metadata = textMessage.getMetadata();
  const linkPreview = metadata?.['@injected']?.extensions?.['link-preview'];
  const firstLink = linkPreview?.links?.[0];
  const thumbnailUrl = firstLink?.image || firstLink?.favicon;
  
  return (
    <View style={{
      flexDirection: "row",
      padding: 16,
      backgroundColor: "#FFFFFF",
      borderBottomWidth: 1,
      borderBottomColor: "#E0E0E0",
      alignItems: "center",
    }}>
      {thumbnailUrl && (
        <Image 
          source={{ uri: thumbnailUrl }} 
          style={{
            width: 48,
            height: 48,
            borderRadius: 8,
            marginRight: 12,
          }}
          resizeMode="cover"
        />
      )}
      <View style={{ flex: 1 }}>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 16,
            fontWeight: "600",
            color: "#000000",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={1}
        >
          {message.getSender().getName()}
        </Text>
        <Text 
          style={{
            fontSize: 14,
            color: "#333333",
            marginBottom: 4,
          }} 
          numberOfLines={2}
        >
          {textMessage.getText()}
        </Text>
        {firstLink?.title && (
          <Text 
            style={{
              fontSize: 12,
              color: "#6851D6",
              fontStyle: "italic",
            }} 
            numberOfLines={1}
          >
            🔗 {firstLink.title}
          </Text>
        )}
      </View>
    </View>
  );
};

<CometChatSearch linkMessageItemView={getLinkMessageItemView} />;
Below is a summary table of all message item view customization functions:
FunctionMessage TypeDescription
textMessageItemViewText MessageCustom view for text messages
imageMessageItemViewImage MessageCustom view for image messages
videoMessageItemViewVideo MessageCustom view for video messages
audioMessageItemViewAudio MessageCustom view for audio messages
documentMessageItemViewDocument/File MessageCustom view for document and file messages
linkMessageItemViewLink MessageCustom view for text messages with link previews
Assigns the list of text formatters. If the provided list is not null, it sets the list. Otherwise, it assigns the default text formatters retrieved from the data source.