@sendbird/uikit-react-native

Sendbird UIKit for React Native: A feature-rich and customizable chat UI kit with messaging, channel management, and user authentication.

React-Native based UI kit based on sendbird javascript SDK

Before getting started

This section shows the prerequisites you need to check to use Sendbird UIKit for React-Native.

Requirements

• Nodejs 14 or newer
• Watchman
• JDK 11 or newer
• XCode
• Android Studio

More details, please see https://reactnative.dev/docs/environment-setup

Getting started

This section gives you information you need to get started with Sendbird UIKit for React-Native.

Try the sample app

Our sample app has all the core features of Sendbird UIKit for React-Native. Download the app from our GitHub repository to get an idea of what you can build with the actual UIKit before building your own project.

Create a project

You can get started by creating a project. (highly recommended to use typescript)

npx react-native init ChatApp --template=react-native-template-typescript

Install UIKit for React-Native

UIKit for React-Native can be installed through either yarn or npm

Install dependencies

Note: If you are using react-native version 0.71 or lower, you should install @sendbird/react-native-scrollview-enhancer.

npm install @sendbird/uikit-react-native \
            @sendbird/chat \
            date-fns \
            react-native-safe-area-context \
            @react-native-community/netinfo \
            react-native-mmkv

Linking native modules

npx pod-install

Getting permissions

Client apps must acquire permission from users to get access to their media library and save files to their mobile storage. Once the permission is granted, users can send images and videos to other users and save media files.

Android

Add the following permissions to your android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml file.

<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
          package="com.your.app">

    <!-- Permissions for voice message -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.RECORD_AUDIO" />

    <!-- Permissions for attachments -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.READ_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:maxSdkVersion="32" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.WRITE_EXTERNAL_STORAGE" android:maxSdkVersion="28" />
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA" />

    <!-- Permissions for notifications (Android 13+) -->
    <uses-permission android:name="android.permission.POST_NOTIFICATIONS" />

</manifest>

iOS

Add the following permission usage descriptions to your info.plist file.

| Key | Type | Value | | --------------------------------------------------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | Privacy - Camera Usage Description | string | $(PRODUCT_NAME) would like to use your camera | | Privacy - Photo Library Usage Description | string | $(PRODUCT_NAME) would like access to your photo library | | Privacy - Photo Library Additions Usage Description | string | $(PRODUCT_NAME) would like to save photos to your photo library |

NOTE: If you use react-native-permissions, you must update permissions and run pod install

Implementation guide

Install a native modules

In order to use the APIs and features of the native module in the UIKit for React Native, you need to implement the platform service interfaces that Sendbird provides. After implementing all the interfaces, you can set them as props of SendbirdUIKitContainer to use the native module features across Sendbird UIKit for React-Native.

const App = () => {
  return (
    <SendbirdUIKitContainer
      appId={'APP_ID'}
      chatOptions={{
        localCacheStorage: MMKV,
      }}
      platformServices={{
        file: FileService,
        notification: NotificationService,
        clipboard: ClipboardService,
        media: MediaService,
        recorder: RecorderService,
        player: PlayerService,
      }}
    >
      {/* ... */}
    </SendbirdUIKitContainer>
  );
};

In order to implement the interfaces to your React Native app more easily, we provide various helper functions for each interface.

NOTE: Helper function is not required! You can implement it with native modules you're using. More details about PlatformService interfaces, please see here

Using React Native CLI

You can use createNativeClipboardService, createNativeNotificationService, createNativeFileService and createNativeMediaService helper functions with below native modules.

npm install react-native-video \
            react-native-permissions \
            react-native-file-access \
            react-native-image-picker \
            react-native-document-picker \
            react-native-create-thumbnail \
            react-native-audio-recorder-player \
            @react-native-clipboard/clipboard \
            @react-native-camera-roll/camera-roll \
            @react-native-firebase/app \
            @react-native-firebase/messaging \
            @bam.tech/react-native-image-resizer

npx pod-install

import Clipboard from '@react-native-clipboard/clipboard';
import { CameraRoll } from '@react-native-camera-roll/camera-roll';
import RNFBMessaging from '@react-native-firebase/messaging';
import Video from 'react-native-video';
import * as DocumentPicker from 'react-native-document-picker';
import * as FileAccess from 'react-native-file-access';
import * as ImagePicker from 'react-native-image-picker';
import * as Permissions from 'react-native-permissions';
import * as CreateThumbnail from 'react-native-create-thumbnail';
import * as ImageResizer from '@bam.tech/react-native-image-resizer';
import * as AudioRecorderPlayer from 'react-native-audio-recorder-player';

const nativePlatformServices = {
  clipboard: createNativeClipboardService(Clipboard),
  notification: createNativeNotificationService({
    messagingModule: RNFBMessaging,
    permissionModule: Permissions,
  }),
  file: createNativeFileService({
    imagePickerModule: ImagePicker,
    documentPickerModule: DocumentPicker,
    permissionModule: Permissions,
    fsModule: FileAccess,
    mediaLibraryModule: CameraRoll,
  }),
  media: createNativeMediaService({
    VideoComponent: Video,
    thumbnailModule: CreateThumbnail,
    imageResizerModule: ImageResizer,
  }),
  player: createNativePlayerService({
    audioRecorderModule: AudioRecorderPlayer,
    permissionModule: Permissions,
  }),
  recorder: createNativeRecorderService({
    audioRecorderModule: AudioRecorderPlayer,
    permissionModule: Permissions,
  }),
};

Using Expo CLI

You can use createExpoClipboardService, createExpoNotificationService, createExpoFileService and createExpoMediaService helper functions with below expo modules.

expo install expo-image-picker \
             expo-document-picker \
             expo-media-library \
             expo-file-system \
             expo-clipboard \
             expo-notifications \
             expo-av \
             expo-video-thumbnails \
             expo-image-manipulator

import * as ExpoClipboard from 'expo-clipboard';
import * as ExpoDocumentPicker from 'expo-document-picker';
import * as ExpoFS from 'expo-file-system';
import * as ExpoImagePicker from 'expo-image-picker';
import * as ExpoMediaLibrary from 'expo-media-library';
import * as ExpoNotifications from 'expo-notifications';
import * as ExpoAV from 'expo-av';
import * as ExpoVideoThumbnail from 'expo-video-thumbnails';
import * as ExpoImageManipulator from 'expo-image-manipulator';

const expoPlatformServices = {
  clipboard: createExpoClipboardService(ExpoClipboard),
  notification: createExpoNotificationService(ExpoNotifications),
  file: createExpoFileService({
    fsModule: ExpoFS,
    imagePickerModule: ExpoImagePicker,
    mediaLibraryModule: ExpoMediaLibrary,
    documentPickerModule: ExpoDocumentPicker,
  }),
  media: createExpoMediaService({
    avModule: ExpoAV,
    thumbnailModule: ExpoVideoThumbnail,
    imageManipulator: ExpoImageManipulator,
    fsModule: ExpoFS,
  }),
  player: createExpoPlayerService({
    avModule: ExpoAV,
  }),
  recorder: createExpoRecorderService({
    avModule: ExpoAV,
  }),
};

Local caching (required)

You can implement Local caching easily.

npm i react-native-mmkv
npx pod-install

import { MMKV } from 'react-native-mmkv';

import { SendbirdUIKitContainer } from '@sendbird/uikit-react-native';

const mmkv = new MMKV();
const App = () => {
  return <SendbirdUIKitContainer chatOptions={{ localCacheStorage: mmkv }}>{/* ... */}</SendbirdUIKitContainer>;
};

Or you can use AsyncStorage instead of MMKV, but it has been deprecated.

import { AsyncStorage } from '@react-native-async-storage/async-storage';

import { SendbirdUIKitContainer } from '@sendbird/uikit-react-native';

const App = () => {
  return <SendbirdUIKitContainer chatOptions={{ localCacheStorage: AsyncStorage }}>{/* ... */}</SendbirdUIKitContainer>;
};

Integration with navigation library

Now you can create a screen and integrate it with a navigation library like react-navigation. See more details on here

The example below shows how to integrate using react-navigation.

Create a fragments and screens

import { useNavigation, useRoute } from '@react-navigation/native';

import { useGroupChannel } from '@sendbird/uikit-chat-hooks';
import {
  createGroupChannelCreateFragment,
  createGroupChannelFragment,
  createGroupChannelListFragment,
} from '@sendbird/uikit-react-native';

const GroupChannelListFragment = createGroupChannelListFragment();
const GroupChannelCreateFragment = createGroupChannelCreateFragment();
const GroupChannelFragment = createGroupChannelFragment();

const GroupChannelListScreen = () => {
  const navigation = useNavigation<any>();
  return (
    <GroupChannelListFragment
      onPressCreateChannel={(channelType) => {
        // Navigate to GroupChannelCreate function.
        navigation.navigate('GroupChannelCreate', { channelType });
      }}
      onPressChannel={(channel) => {
        // Navigate to GroupChannel function.
        navigation.navigate('GroupChannel', { channelUrl: channel.url });
      }}
    />
  );
};

const GroupChannelCreateScreen = () => {
  const navigation = useNavigation<any>();

  return (
    <GroupChannelCreateFragment
      onCreateChannel={async (channel) => {
        // Navigate to GroupChannel function.
        navigation.replace('GroupChannel', { channelUrl: channel.url });
      }}
      onPressHeaderLeft={() => {
        // Go back to the previous screen.
        navigation.goBack();
      }}
    />
  );
};

const GroupChannelScreen = () => {
  const navigation = useNavigation<any>();
  const { params } = useRoute<any>();

  const { sdk } = useSendbirdChat();
  const { channel } = useGroupChannel(sdk, params.channelUrl);
  if (!channel) return null;

  return (
    <GroupChannelFragment
      channel={channel}
      onChannelDeleted={() => {
        // Navigate to GroupChannelList function.
        navigation.navigate('GroupChannelList');
      }}
      onPressHeaderLeft={() => {
        // Go back to the previous screen.
        navigation.goBack();
      }}
      onPressHeaderRight={() => {
        // Navigate to GroupChannelSettings function.
        navigation.navigate('GroupChannelSettings', { channelUrl: params.channelUrl });
      }}
    />
  );
};

Register screens to navigator

import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { createNativeStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/native-stack';

import { SendbirdUIKitContainer, useConnection, useSendbirdChat } from '@sendbird/uikit-react-native';

const RootStack = createNativeStackNavigator();
const SignInScreen = () => {
  const { connect } = useConnection();

  return (
    <View style={{ flex: 1, alignItems: 'center', justifyContent: 'center' }}>
      <Pressable
        style={{
          width: 120,
          height: 30,
          backgroundColor: '#742DDD',
          alignItems: 'center',
          justifyContent: 'center',
        }}
        onPress={() => connect('USER_ID', { nickname: 'NICKNAME' })}
      >
        <Text>{'Sign in'}</Text>
      </Pressable>
    </View>
  );
};

const Navigation = () => {
  const { currentUser } = useSendbirdChat();

  return (
    <NavigationContainer>
      <RootStack.Navigator screenOptions={{ headerShown: false }}>
        {!currentUser ? (
          <RootStack.Screen name={'SignIn'} component={SignInScreen} />
        ) : (
          <>
            <RootStack.Screen name={'GroupChannelList'} component={GroupChannelListScreen} />
            <RootStack.Screen name={'GroupChannelCreate'} component={GroupChannelCreateScreen} />
            <RootStack.Screen name={'GroupChannel'} component={GroupChannelScreen} />
          </>
        )}
      </RootStack.Navigator>
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
};

const App = () => {
  return (
    <SendbirdUIKitContainer
      appId={APP_ID}
      platformServices={{
        file: FileService,
        notification: NotificationService,
        clipboard: ClipboardService,
        media: MediaService,
        recorder: RecorderService,
        player: PlayerService,
      }}
    >
      <Navigation />
    </SendbirdUIKitContainer>
  );
};

You can use sendbird sdk using useSendbirdChat() hook, and you can connect or disconnect using useConnection() hook. for more details about hooks, please refer to our docs