Conversations - CometChat Docs

AI Integration Quick Reference

{
  "component": "CometChatConversations",
  "package": "com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations",
  "xmlElement": "<com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations />",
  "description": "Scrollable list of recent one-on-one and group conversations for the logged-in user.",
  "primaryOutput": {
    "method": "setOnItemClick",
    "type": "OnItemClick<Conversation>"
  },
  "methods": {
    "data": {
      "setConversationsRequestBuilder": {
        "type": "ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder",
        "default": "SDK default (30 per page)",
        "note": "Pass the builder, not the result of .build()"
      },
      "setDateTimeFormatter": {
        "type": "DateTimeFormatterCallback",
        "default": "Component default (hh:mm a today, Yesterday, dd MMM yyyy)"
      },
      "setDateFormat": {
        "type": "SimpleDateFormat",
        "default": "Component default"
      }
    },
    "callbacks": {
      "setOnItemClick": "OnItemClick<Conversation>",
      "setOnItemLongClick": "OnItemLongClick<Conversation>",
      "setOnBackPressListener": "OnBackPress",
      "setOnSelect": "OnSelection<Conversation>",
      "setOnError": "OnError",
      "setOnLoad": "OnLoad<Conversation>",
      "setOnEmpty": "OnEmpty",
      "setOnSearchClickListener": "OnSearchClick"
    },
    "visibility": {
      "setBackIconVisibility": { "type": "int (View.VISIBLE | View.GONE)", "default": "View.GONE" },
      "setToolbarVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setLoadingStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setErrorStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setEmptyStateVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setSeparatorVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setUserStatusVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setGroupTypeVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setReceiptsVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" },
      "setSearchBoxVisibility": { "type": "int", "default": "View.VISIBLE" }
    },
    "sound": {
      "disableSoundForMessages": { "type": "boolean", "default": false },
      "setCustomSoundForMessages": { "type": "@RawRes int", "default": "built-in" }
    },
    "selection": {
      "setSelectionMode": {
        "type": "UIKitConstants.SelectionMode",
        "values": ["NONE", "SINGLE", "MULTIPLE"],
        "default": "NONE"
      }
    },
    "viewSlots": {
      "setItemView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — entire list item row",
      "setLeadingView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — avatar / left section",
      "setTitleView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — name / title text",
      "setSubtitleView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — last message preview",
      "setTrailingView": "ConversationsViewHolderListener — timestamp / badge / right section",
      "setLoadingView": "@LayoutRes int — loading spinner",
      "setEmptyView": "@LayoutRes int — empty state",
      "setErrorView": "@LayoutRes int — error state",
      "setOverflowMenu": "View — toolbar menu",
      "setOptions": "Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>> — long-press context menu (replaces defaults)",
      "addOptions": "Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>> — long-press context menu (appends to defaults)"
    },
    "formatting": {
      "setTextFormatters": {
        "type": "List<CometChatTextFormatter>",
        "default": "default formatters from data source"
      }
    },
    "advanced": {
      "selectConversation": "Conversation, SelectionMode — programmatic selection",
      "clearSelection": "void — clears all selected conversations",
      "getSelectedConversations": "List<Conversation> — returns selected items",
      "getRecyclerView": "RecyclerView — internal RecyclerView access",
      "getViewModel": "ConversationsViewModel — internal ViewModel access",
      "getConversationsAdapter": "ConversationsAdapter — internal adapter access",
      "setAdapter": "ConversationsAdapter — replace the default adapter",
      "getBinding": "CometchatConversationsListViewBinding — root ViewBinding",
      "hideReceipts": "boolean — hide/show read receipts at adapter level",
      "setMentionAllLabelId": "String id, String label — mention-all label"
    },
    "style": {
      "setStyle": {
        "type": "@StyleRes int",
        "parent": "CometChatConversationsStyle"
      }
    }
  },
  "events": [
    {
      "name": "CometChatConversationEvents.ccConversationDeleted",
      "payload": "Conversation",
      "description": "Conversation deleted from list"
    }
  ],
  "sdkListeners": [
    "onTextMessageReceived",
    "onMediaMessageReceived",
    "onCustomMessageReceived",
    "onTypingStarted",
    "onTypingEnded",
    "onMessagesDelivered",
    "onMessagesRead",
    "onMessagesDeliveredToAll",
    "onMessagesReadByAll",
    "onUserOnline",
    "onUserOffline",
    "onGroupMemberJoined",
    "onGroupMemberLeft",
    "onGroupMemberKicked",
    "onGroupMemberBanned",
    "onMemberAddedToGroup"
  ],
  "compositionExample": {
    "description": "Sidebar conversations wired to message view",
    "components": [
      "CometChatConversations",
      "CometChatMessageHeader",
      "CometChatMessageList",
      "CometChatMessageComposer"
    ],
    "flow": "setOnItemClick emits Conversation -> extract User/Group via getConversationWith() -> pass to MessageHeader, MessageList, MessageComposer"
  }
}

Where It Fits

CometChatConversations is a list component. It renders recent conversations and emits the selected Conversation via setOnItemClick. Wire it to CometChatMessageHeader, CometChatMessageList, and CometChatMessageComposer to build a standard chat layout.

Kotlin
Java
XML

ChatActivity.kt

class ChatActivity : AppCompatActivity() {

    private lateinit var conversations: CometChatConversations
    private lateinit var messageHeader: CometChatMessageHeader
    private lateinit var messageList: CometChatMessageList
    private lateinit var messageComposer: CometChatMessageComposer

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_chat)

        conversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations)
        messageHeader = findViewById(R.id.message_header)
        messageList = findViewById(R.id.message_list)
        messageComposer = findViewById(R.id.message_composer)

        conversations.setOnItemClick { view, position, conversation ->
            if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER) {
                val user = conversation.conversationWith as User
                messageHeader.setUser(user)
                messageList.setUser(user)
                messageComposer.setUser(user)
            } else {
                val group = conversation.conversationWith as Group
                messageHeader.setGroup(group)
                messageList.setGroup(group)
                messageComposer.setGroup(group)
            }
        }
    }
}

ChatActivity.java

public class ChatActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    private CometChatConversations conversations;
    private CometChatMessageHeader messageHeader;
    private CometChatMessageList messageList;
    private CometChatMessageComposer messageComposer;

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_chat);

        conversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations);
        messageHeader = findViewById(R.id.message_header);
        messageList = findViewById(R.id.message_list);
        messageComposer = findViewById(R.id.message_composer);

        conversations.setOnItemClick((view, position, conversation) -> {
            if (CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER.equals(conversation.getConversationType())) {
                User user = (User) conversation.getConversationWith();
                messageHeader.setUser(user);
                messageList.setUser(user);
                messageComposer.setUser(user);
            } else {
                Group group = (Group) conversation.getConversationWith();
                messageHeader.setGroup(group);
                messageList.setGroup(group);
                messageComposer.setGroup(group);
            }
        });
    }
}

activity_chat.xml

<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:orientation="horizontal">

    <!-- Conversation sidebar -->
    <com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations
        android:id="@+id/conversations"
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_weight="1" />

    <!-- Message panel -->
    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="0dp"
        android:layout_height="match_parent"
        android:layout_weight="2"
        android:orientation="vertical">

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messageheader.CometChatMessageHeader
            android:id="@+id/message_header"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messagelist.CometChatMessageList
            android:id="@+id/message_list"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="0dp"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

        <com.cometchat.chatuikit.messagecomposer.CometChatMessageComposer
            android:id="@+id/message_composer"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />

    </LinearLayout>

</LinearLayout>

On phones, you’d typically use separate Activities instead of a side-by-side layout — see the Conversation List + Message View getting started guide.

Quick Start

Add the component to your layout XML:

layout_activity.xml

<com.cometchat.chatuikit.conversations.CometChatConversations
        android:id="@+id/conversation"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="match_parent" />

Prerequisites: CometChat SDK initialized with CometChatUIKit.init(), a user logged in, and the cometchat-chat-uikit-android dependency added. To add programmatically in an Activity:

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

 override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
    super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
    setContentView(CometChatConversations(this))
}

YourActivity.java

 @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
       setContentView(new CometChatConversations(this));
    }

Or in a Fragment:

Kotlin
Java

YourFragment.kt

 override fun onCreateView(inflater: LayoutInflater,container: ViewGroup?,savedInstanceState: Bundle?): View {
    return CometChatConversations(requireContext())
}

YourFragment.java

@Override
    public View onCreateView(LayoutInflater inflater, ViewGroup container,
                             Bundle savedInstanceState) {
       return new CometChatConversations(getContext());
    }

Filtering Conversations

Pass a ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder to setConversationsRequestBuilder. Pass the builder instance — not the result of .build().

Kotlin
Java

val builder = ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder()
    builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)
    builder.setLimit(50)

cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)

ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder builder = new ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder();
            builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER);
            builder.setLimit(50);

cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder);

Filter Recipes

Recipe	Code
Only user conversations	`builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)`
Only group conversations	`builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_GROUP)`
Limit to 10 per page	`builder.setLimit(10)`
With specific tags	`builder.setTags(Arrays.asList("vip"))`
Filter by user tags	`builder.withUserAndGroupTags(true); builder.setUserTags(Arrays.asList("premium"))`
Filter by group tags	`builder.withUserAndGroupTags(true); builder.setGroupTags(Arrays.asList("support"))`

Default page size is 30. The component uses infinite scroll — the next page loads as the user scrolls to the bottom. Refer to ConversationsRequestBuilder for the full builder API.

Actions and Events

Callback Methods

`setOnItemClick`

Fires when a conversation row is tapped. Primary navigation hook — set the active conversation and render the message view.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onItemClick = OnItemClick { view, position, conversation ->
            
    }

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnItemClick((view1, position, conversation) -> {
            
    });

What this does: Replaces the default item-click behavior. When a user taps a conversation, your custom lambda executes instead of the built-in navigation.

`setOnItemLongClick`

Fires when a conversation row is long-pressed. Use for additional actions like delete or select.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onItemLongClick = OnItemLongClick({ view, position, conversation ->
            
    })

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnItemLongClick((view1, position, conversation) -> {

    });

What this does: Replaces the default long-press behavior. When a user long-presses a conversation, your custom lambda executes.

`setOnBackPressListener`

Fires when the user presses the back button in the app bar. Default: navigates to the previous activity.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.onBackPressListener = OnBackPress {

    }

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnBackPressListener(() -> {
            
    });

What this does: Overrides the default back-press navigation. When the user taps the back button, your custom logic runs instead.

`setOnSelect`

Fires when a conversation is checked/unchecked in multi-select mode. Requires setSelectionMode to be set.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnSelect(object : OnSelection<Conversation?> {
        override fun onSelection(t: MutableList<Conversation?>?) {
                
        }
    })

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnSelect(t -> {

    });

What this does: Registers a callback that fires when the user selects one or more conversations. The callback receives the list of selected Conversation objects.

`setOnError`

Fires on internal errors (network failure, auth issue, SDK exception).

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnError {

    }

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnError(cometchatException -> {

    });

What this does: Registers an error listener. If the component encounters an error (e.g., network failure), your callback receives the CometChatException.

`setOnLoad`

Fires when the list is successfully fetched and loaded.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnLoad(object : OnLoad<Conversation?> {
    override fun onLoad(list: MutableList<Conversation?>?) {

    }
})

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnLoad(list -> {

});

What this does: Registers a callback that fires after the conversation list is fetched and rendered. The callback receives the list of loaded Conversation objects.

`setOnEmpty`

Fires when the list is empty, enabling custom handling such as showing a placeholder.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnEmpty{
            
    }

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnEmpty(() -> {
            
    });

What this does: Registers a callback that fires when the conversation list has no items. Use this to show a custom empty-state message or trigger other logic.

`setOnSearchClickListener`

Fires when the user taps the search icon in the toolbar.

Kotlin
Java

YourActivity.kt

cometchatConversations.setOnSearchClickListener {

    }

YourActivity.java

cometchatConversations.setOnSearchClickListener(() -> {

    });

What this does: Overrides the default search icon tap behavior. When the user taps the search icon, your custom logic runs instead.

Verify: After setting an action callback, trigger the corresponding user interaction (tap, long-press, back, select, search) and confirm your custom logic executes instead of the default behavior.

Global UI Events

CometChatConversationEvents emits events subscribable from anywhere in the application. Add a listener and remove it when no longer needed.

Event	Fires when	Payload
`ccConversationDeleted`	A conversation is deleted from the list	`Conversation`

Kotlin
Java

Add Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.addListener("LISTENER_TAG", object : CometChatConversationEvents() {
    override fun ccConversationDeleted(conversation: Conversation) {
        super.ccConversationDeleted(conversation)
    }
})

Remove Listener

 CometChatConversationEvents.removeListener("LISTENER_TAG");

Add Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.addListener("YOUR_LISTENER_TAG", new CometChatConversationEvents() {
    @Override
    public void ccConversationDeleted(Conversation conversation) {
        super.ccConversationDeleted(conversation);
    }
});

Remove Listener

CometChatConversationEvents.removeListener("YOUR_LISTENER_TAG");

SDK Events (Real-Time, Automatic)

The component listens to these SDK events internally. No manual attachment needed unless additional side effects are required.

SDK Listener	Internal behavior
`onTextMessageReceived` / `onMediaMessageReceived` / `onCustomMessageReceived`	Moves conversation to top, updates last message preview and unread count
`onTypingStarted` / `onTypingEnded`	Shows/hides typing indicator in the subtitle
`onMessagesDelivered` / `onMessagesRead` / `onMessagesDeliveredToAll` / `onMessagesReadByAll`	Updates receipt ticks (unless `setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE)`)
`onUserOnline` / `onUserOffline`	Updates online/offline status dot (unless `setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE)`)
`onGroupMemberJoined` / `onGroupMemberLeft` / `onGroupMemberKicked` / `onGroupMemberBanned` / `onMemberAddedToGroup`	Updates group conversation metadata

Automatic: new messages, typing indicators, receipts, user presence, group membership changes. Manual: deleting a conversation via the SDK directly (not through the component’s context menu) requires emitting CometChatConversationEvents.ccConversationDeleted for the UI to update.

Functionality

Small functional customizations such as toggling visibility of UI elements, setting custom sounds, and configuring selection modes.

Methods	Description	Code
`setBackIconVisibility`	Toggles visibility for the back button in the app bar	`.setBackIconVisibility(View.VISIBLE);`
`setToolbarVisibility`	Toggles visibility for the toolbar in the app bar	`.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setLoadingStateVisibility`	Hides the loading state while fetching conversations	`.setLoadingStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility`	Toggles visibility for the delete option on long press	`.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setErrorStateVisibility`	Hides the error state on fetching conversations	`.setErrorStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setEmptyStateVisibility`	Hides the empty state on fetching conversations	`.setEmptyStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setSeparatorVisibility`	Controls visibility of separators in the list view	`.setSeparatorVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setUserStatusVisibility`	Controls visibility of the online status indicator	`.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setGroupTypeVisibility`	Controls visibility of the group type indicator	`.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setReceiptsVisibility`	Hides receipts shown in the subtitle without disabling read/delivered marking	`.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setSearchBoxVisibility`	Controls visibility of the search box in the toolbar	`.setSearchBoxVisibility(View.GONE);`
`setSearchInputEndIconVisibility`	Controls visibility of the end icon in the search bar	`.setSearchInputEndIconVisibility(View.GONE);`
`hideReceipts`	Hides read receipts in the conversation list (adapter-level)	`.hideReceipts(true);`
`disableSoundForMessages`	Disables sound notifications for incoming messages	`.disableSoundForMessages(true);`
`setCustomSoundForMessages`	Sets a custom sound file for incoming message notifications	`.setCustomSoundForMessages(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.raw.cometchat_beep2);`
`setSelectionMode`	Determines the selection mode (single or multiple)	`.setSelectionMode(UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);`
`setSearchInputText`	Sets the text in the search input field	`.setSearchInputText("Sample Text");`
`setSearchPlaceholderText`	Sets the placeholder text for the search input field	`.setSearchPlaceholderText("Enter search term");`

Verify: After calling a visibility method, confirm the corresponding UI element is shown or hidden. After calling disableSoundForMessages(true), confirm no sound plays on incoming messages.

Custom View Slots

Each slot replaces a section of the default UI. Slots that accept a Conversation parameter receive the conversation object for that row via the ConversationsViewHolderListener pattern (createView + bindView).

Slot	Method	Replaces
Leading view	`setLeadingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	Avatar / left section
Title view	`setTitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	Name / title text
Subtitle view	`setSubtitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	Last message preview
Trailing view	`setTrailingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	Timestamp / badge / right section
Item view	`setItemView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	Entire list item row
Loading view	`setLoadingView(@LayoutRes int)`	Loading spinner
Empty view	`setEmptyView(@LayoutRes int)`	Empty state
Error view	`setErrorView(@LayoutRes int)`	Error state
Overflow menu	`setOverflowMenu(View)`	Toolbar menu
Options (replace)	`setOptions(Function2)`	Long-press context menu (replaces defaults)
Options (append)	`addOptions(Function2)`	Long-press context menu (appends to defaults)

`setLeadingView`

Replace the avatar / left section. Typing-aware avatar example.

Kotlin
Java

        cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View? {
                return null
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
            }
        })

        cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return null;
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom view for the leading (left) area of each conversation item. createView inflates your layout, and bindView populates it with conversation data.

The following example shows a custom leading view with a chat-dots icon for typing indicators and an avatar with status indicator:

drawable/chat_dots.xml

<vector xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:width="48dp"
    android:height="48dp"
    android:viewportWidth="48"
    android:viewportHeight="48">
  <path
      android:pathData="M5,15.5C5,11.358 8.358,8 12.5,8H36C40.142,8 43.5,11.358 43.5,15.5V26.535C43.5,30.677 40.142,34.035 36,34.035H16.149C15.47,34.035 14.82,34.311 14.349,34.8L8.44,40.931C7.191,42.227 5,41.342 5,39.543V15.5Z"
      android:strokeLineJoin="round"
      android:strokeWidth="2.5"
      android:fillColor="#DCD7F6"
      android:strokeColor="#141414"/>
  <path
      android:pathData="M18.25,22.75C19.078,22.75 19.75,22.078 19.75,21.25C19.75,20.421 19.078,19.75 18.25,19.75C17.421,19.75 16.75,20.421 16.75,21.25C16.75,22.078 17.421,22.75 18.25,22.75ZM24.5,22.75C25.329,22.75 26,22.078 26,21.25C26,20.421 25.329,19.75 24.5,19.75C23.671,19.75 23,20.421 23,21.25C23,22.078 23.671,22.75 24.5,22.75ZM31,22.75C31.829,22.75 32.5,22.078 32.5,21.25C32.5,20.421 31.829,19.75 31,19.75C30.171,19.75 29.5,20.421 29.5,21.25C29.5,22.078 30.171,22.75 31,22.75Z"
      android:strokeWidth="0.5"
      android:fillColor="#141414"
      android:strokeColor="#141414"/>
</vector>

What this does: Defines a vector drawable of a chat bubble with three dots, used as a typing indicator icon in the custom leading view.

Create a leading_view.xml custom layout:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical">

    <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
        android:id="@+id/conversation_leading_view"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_centerVertical="true">

        <ImageView
            android:id="@+id/leading_iv"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:src="@drawable/chat_dots"
            android:visibility="gone"
            tools:ignore="MissingConstraints" />

        <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
            android:id="@+id/leading_view"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
            tools:ignore="MissingConstraints">

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.avatar.CometChatAvatar
                android:id="@+id/conversations_avatar"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_48dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_48dp" />

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.statusindicator.CometChatStatusIndicator
                android:id="@+id/status_and_type_indicator"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_15dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_15dp"
                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
                app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" />
        </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

    </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

</LinearLayout>

Inflate and bind with typing indicator tracking:

Kotlin
Java

        val typingIndicatorHashMap = HashMap<String, Boolean>()
        CometChat.addMessageListener(System.currentTimeMillis().toString() + "", object : MessageListener() {
            override fun onTypingStarted(typingIndicator: TypingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.receiverType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.sender.uid)) {
                        return
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap[typingIndicator.sender.uid] = true
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.receiverId)) {
                        return
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap[typingIndicator.receiverId] = true
                }
            }

            override fun onTypingEnded(typingIndicator: TypingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.receiverType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.sender.uid)
                } else {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.receiverId)
                }
            }
        })

        binding.cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.leading_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val imageView = createdView.findViewById<ImageView>(R.id.leading_iv)
                val constraintLayout = createdView.findViewById<ConstraintLayout>(R.id.leading_view)
                val avatar = createdView.findViewById<CometChatAvatar>(R.id.conversations_avatar)
                val statusIndicator = createdView.findViewById<CometChatStatusIndicator>(R.id.status_and_type_indicator)

                avatar.setAvatar(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation), ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation))

                if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    if ((conversation.conversationWith as User).status.equals(CometChatConstants.USER_STATUS_ONLINE, ignoreCase = true)) {
                        if (!Utils.isBlocked((conversation.conversationWith as User))) {
                            statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.ONLINE
                        } else {
                            statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.OFFLINE
                        }
                    } else {
                        statusIndicator.statusIndicator = StatusIndicator.OFFLINE
                    }
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey((conversation.conversationWith as User).uid)) {
                        imageView.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.GONE
                    } else {
                        imageView.visibility = View.GONE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    }
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey((conversation.conversationWith as Group).guid)) {
                        imageView.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.GONE
                    } else {
                        imageView.visibility = View.GONE
                        constraintLayout.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    }
                }
            }
        })

HashMap<String, Boolean> typingIndicatorHashMap = new HashMap<>();
CometChat.addMessageListener(System.currentTimeMillis() + "", new CometChat.MessageListener() {
            @Override
            public void onTypingStarted(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.getReceiverType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid())) {
                        return;
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.put(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid(), true);
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(typingIndicator.getReceiverId())) {
                        return;
                    }
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.put(typingIndicator.getReceiverId(), true);
                }
            }

            @Override
            public void onTypingEnded(TypingIndicator typingIndicator) {
                if (typingIndicator.getReceiverType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.getSender().getUid());
                } else {
                    typingIndicatorHashMap.remove(typingIndicator.getReceiverId());
                }
            }
        });

cometchatConversations.setLeadingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.leading_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                ImageView imageView = createdView.findViewById(R.id.leading_iv);
                ConstraintLayout constraintLayout = createdView.findViewById(R.id.leading_view);
                CometChatAvatar avatar = createdView.findViewById(R.id.conversations_avatar);
                CometChatStatusIndicator statusIndicator = createdView.findViewById(R.id.status_and_type_indicator);

                avatar.setAvatar(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation), ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation));

                if (conversation.getConversationType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    if (((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getStatus().equalsIgnoreCase(CometChatConstants.USER_STATUS_ONLINE)) {
                        if (!Utils.isBlocked(((User) conversation.getConversationWith()))) {
                            statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.ONLINE);
                        } else {
                            statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.OFFLINE);
                        }
                    } else {
                        statusIndicator.setStatusIndicator(StatusIndicator.OFFLINE);
                    }
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getUid())) {
                        imageView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(GONE);
                    } else {
                        imageView.setVisibility(GONE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    }
                } else {
                    if (typingIndicatorHashMap.containsKey(((Group) conversation.getConversationWith()).getGuid())) {
                        imageView.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(GONE);
                    } else {
                        imageView.setVisibility(GONE);
                        constraintLayout.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    }
                }
            }
        });

`setTrailingView`

Replace the timestamp / badge / right section.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Relative time badge example: Create a custom_tail_view.xml custom layout file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content">

    <com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView
        android:id="@+id/card"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:elevation="@dimen/cometchat_0dp"
        app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/cometchat_6dp"
        app:cardElevation="@dimen/cometchat_0dp">

        <LinearLayout
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:orientation="vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_5dp">

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/hours"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:layout_gravity="center_horizontal"
                android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold" />

            <TextView
                android:id="@+id/time_title"
                android:layout_width="wrap_content"
                android:layout_height="wrap_content"
                android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold" />

        </LinearLayout>

    </com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom trailing view layout with a MaterialCardView containing two TextView elements for displaying the time value and unit (e.g., “5” and “Min ago”).

Inflate and bind with color-coded time badges:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_tail_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val card = createdView.findViewById<MaterialCardView>(R.id.card)
                val tvHours = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.hours)
                val tvMessage = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.time_title)

                var timestamp = conversation.updatedAt * 1000

                if (timestamp.toString().length == 10) {
                    timestamp *= 1000
                }

                val now = Calendar.getInstance()
                val lastSeen = Calendar.getInstance()
                lastSeen.timeInMillis = timestamp

                val diffInMillis = now.timeInMillis - lastSeen.timeInMillis
                val diffInMinutes = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toMinutes(diffInMillis)
                val diffInHours = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toHours(diffInMillis)

                if (diffInMinutes == 0L) {
                    tvHours.text = "1"
                    tvMessage.text = "Min ago"
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.applyColorWithAlphaValue(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40))
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                } else if (diffInMinutes < 60) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInMinutes.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Min ago"
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40))
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"))
                } else if (diffInHours < 10) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInHours.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Hr ago"
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"))
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"), 40))
                } else if (diffInHours < 1000) {
                    tvHours.text = diffInHours.toString()
                    tvMessage.text = "Hr ago"
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"))
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"))
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#F44649"), 40))
                }
            }
        })

cometchatConversations.setTrailingView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_tail_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                MaterialCardView card = createdView.findViewById(R.id.card);
                TextView tvHours = createdView.findViewById(R.id.hours);
                TextView tvMessage = createdView.findViewById(R.id.time_title);

                long timestamp = conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000;

                if (String.valueOf(timestamp).length() == 10) {
                    timestamp *= 1000;
                }

                Calendar now = Calendar.getInstance();
                Calendar lastSeen = Calendar.getInstance();
                lastSeen.setTimeInMillis(timestamp);

                long diffInMillis = now.getTimeInMillis() - lastSeen.getTimeInMillis();
                long diffInMinutes = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toMinutes(diffInMillis);
                long diffInHours = TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS.toHours(diffInMillis);

                if (diffInMinutes == 0) {
                    tvHours.setText("1");
                    tvMessage.setText("Min ago");
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.applyColorWithAlphaValue(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40));
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                } else if (diffInMinutes < 60) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInMinutes + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Min ago");
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"), 40));
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#6852D6"));
                } else if (diffInHours < 10) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInHours + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Hr ago");
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"));
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#FFAB00"), 40));
                } else if (diffInHours < 1000) {
                    tvHours.setText(diffInHours + "");
                    tvMessage.setText("Hr ago");
                    tvMessage.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"));
                    tvHours.setTextColor(Color.parseColor("#F44649"));
                    card.setCardBackgroundColor(Utils.multiplyColorAlpha(Color.parseColor("#F44649"), 40));
                }
            }
        });

`setTitleView`

Replace the name / title text.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Inline user status example: Create a custom_title_view.xml layout:

custom_title_view.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="horizontal"
    android:gravity="center_vertical">

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/name"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading4Bold"
        android:maxLines="1"
        android:ellipsize="end" />

    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/status"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="4dp"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceCaption1Regular"
        android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorSecondary"
        android:maxLines="1"
        android:ellipsize="end"
        android:visibility="gone" />

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom title layout with the conversation name and an inline user status message.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(object : ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(context: Context?, listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_title_view, null)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val name = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.name)
                val status = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.status)

                name.text = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation)
                if (conversation.conversationType == CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER) {
                    status.visibility = View.VISIBLE
                    status.text = "• " + (conversation.conversationWith as User).statusMessage
                } else {
                    status.visibility = View.GONE
                }
            }
        })

cometchatConversations.setTitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_title_view, null);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context,
                                 View createdView,
                                 Conversation conversation,
                                 RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder,
                                 List<Conversation> conversationList,
                                 int position) {

                TextView name = createdView.findViewById(R.id.name);
                TextView status = createdView.findViewById(R.id.status);

                name.setText(ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation));
                if (conversation.getConversationType().equals(CometChatConstants.RECEIVER_TYPE_USER)) {
                    status.setVisibility(View.VISIBLE);
                    status.setText("• " + ((User) conversation.getConversationWith()).getStatusMessage());
                } else {
                    status.setVisibility(View.GONE);
                }
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom title view for each conversation item. The example inflates a layout with the conversation name and an inline user status message. For group conversations, the status is hidden.

`setSubtitleView`

Replace the last message preview text.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Example with last-active timestamp:

Kotlin
Java

    cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View {
                return TextView(context)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val tvSubtitle = createdView as TextView
                tvSubtitle.text =
                    "Last Active at: " + SimpleDateFormat("dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss").format(
                        conversation.updatedAt * 1000
                    )
                tvSubtitle.setTextColor(Color.BLACK)
            }
        })

YourActivity.java

    cometchatConversations.setSubtitleView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return new TextView(context);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {
                TextView tvSubtitle = (TextView) createdView;
                tvSubtitle.setText("Last Active at: "+new SimpleDateFormat("dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss").format(conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000));
                tvSubtitle.setTextColor(Color.BLACK);
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that provides a custom subtitle view for each conversation item. The example creates a TextView showing the last active timestamp formatted as “dd/MM/yyyy, HH:mm:ss”.

`setItemView`

Replace the entire list item row.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setItemView(object :
    ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    override fun createView(
        context: Context?,
        listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
    ): View? {
        return null
    }

    override fun bindView(
        context: Context,
        createdView: View,
        conversation: Conversation,
        holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
        conversationList: List<Conversation>,
        position: Int
    ) {
    }
})

cometchatConversations.setItemView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
    @Override
    public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
        return null;
    }

    @Override
    public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {

    }
});

Example with compact layout:

Create an item_converation_list.xml custom layout file:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:orientation="vertical">

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
        android:layout_marginBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
        android:layout_marginEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
        android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_3"
        android:gravity="center_vertical"
        android:orientation="horizontal">

        <androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
            android:id="@+id/conversation_leading_view"
            android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_45dp"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_45dp">

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.avatar.CometChatAvatar
                android:id="@+id/custom_avatar"
                android:layout_width="match_parent"
                android:layout_height="match_parent"
                app:cometchatAvatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4.Bold"
                app:cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius="@dimen/cometchat_8dp" />

            <com.cometchat.chatuikit.shared.views.statusindicator.CometChatStatusIndicator
                android:id="@+id/status_and_type_indicator"
                android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_12dp"
                android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_12dp"
                app:layout_constraintBottom_toBottomOf="parent"
                app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" />

        </androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tvName"
            android:layout_width="0dp"
            android:textAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4.Medium"
            android:layout_marginStart="@dimen/cometchat_margin_3"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:layout_weight="1" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tvDate"
            android:textAppearance="@style/CometChatTextAppearanceCaption1.Regular"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content" />
    </LinearLayout>

    <View
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="1dp"
        android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorLight" />

</LinearLayout>

What this does: Defines a custom list item layout with a CometChatAvatar, status indicator, conversation name, and date — providing a compact, single-line conversation item design.

Inflate the XML and bind:

Kotlin
Java

        cometchatConversations.setItemView(object :
            ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            override fun createView(
                context: Context?,
                listItem: CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding?
            ): View {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context)
                    .inflate(R.layout.custom_list_item_view, null, false)
            }

            override fun bindView(
                context: Context,
                createdView: View,
                conversation: Conversation,
                holder: RecyclerView.ViewHolder,
                conversationList: List<Conversation>,
                position: Int
            ) {
                val avatar = createdView.findViewById<CometChatAvatar>(R.id.custom_avatar)
                val title = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.tvName)
                val tvDate = createdView.findViewById<TextView>(R.id.tvDate)

                val name = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation)
                title.text = name
                avatar.setStyle(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatAvatarStyle)
                avatar.avatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance =
                    com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4_Bold
                avatar.setAvatar(name, ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation))
                val simpleDateFormat = SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a")
                val date = simpleDateFormat.format(conversation.updatedAt * 1000)
                tvDate.text = date
            }
        })

YourActivity.java

        cometchatConversations.setItemView(new ConversationsViewHolderListener() {
            @Override
            public View createView(Context context, CometchatConversationsListItemsBinding listItem) {
                return LayoutInflater.from(context).inflate(R.layout.custom_list_item_view, null, false);
            }

            @Override
            public void bindView(Context context, View createdView, Conversation conversation, RecyclerView.ViewHolder holder, List<Conversation> conversationList, int position) {
                CometChatAvatar avatar = createdView.findViewById(R.id.custom_avatar);
                TextView title = createdView.findViewById(R.id.tvName);
                TextView tvDate = createdView.findViewById(R.id.tvDate);

                String name = ConversationsUtils.getConversationTitle(conversation);
                title.setText(name);
                avatar.setStyle(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatAvatarStyle);
                avatar.setAvatarPlaceHolderTextAppearance(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.style.CometChatTextAppearanceHeading4_Bold);
                avatar.setAvatar(name, ConversationsUtils.getConversationAvatar(conversation));
                SimpleDateFormat simpleDateFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a");
                String date = simpleDateFormat.format(conversation.getUpdatedAt() * 1000);
                tvDate.setText(date);
            }
        });

What this does: Registers a ConversationsViewHolderListener that replaces the entire list item row. The example inflates a compact layout with an avatar, name, and date — replacing the default multi-line conversation item.

`setDateTimeFormatter`

Custom date/time formatting for conversation timestamps. Implement the DateTimeFormatterCallback interface to control how each time range is displayed:

Method	Called when
`time(long timestamp)`	Custom full timestamp format
`today(long timestamp)`	Message is from today
`yesterday(long timestamp)`	Message is from yesterday
`lastWeek(long timestamp)`	Message is from the past week
`otherDays(long timestamp)`	Message is older than a week
`minute(long timestamp)`	Exactly 1 minute ago
`minutes(long diffInMinutesFromNow, long timestamp)`	Multiple minutes ago (e.g., “5 minutes ago”)
`hour(long timestamp)`	Exactly 1 hour ago
`hours(long diffInHourFromNow, long timestamp)`	Multiple hours ago (e.g., “2 hours ago”)

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setDateTimeFormatter(object : DateTimeFormatterCallback {

        private val fullTimeFormatter = SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault())
        private val dateFormatter = SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM yyyy", Locale.getDefault())

        override fun time(timestamp: Long): String {
            return fullTimeFormatter.format(Date(timestamp))
        }

        override fun today(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Today"
        }

        override fun yesterday(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Yesterday"
        }

        override fun lastWeek(timestamp: Long): String {
            return "Last Week"
        }

        override fun otherDays(timestamp: Long): String {
            return dateFormatter.format(Date(timestamp))
        }

        override fun minutes(diffInMinutesFromNow: Long, timestamp: Long): String {
            return "$diffInMinutesFromNow mins ago"
        }

        override fun hours(diffInHourFromNow: Long, timestamp: Long): String {
            return "$diffInHourFromNow hrs ago"
        }
    })

cometchatConversations.setDateTimeFormatter(new DateTimeFormatterCallback() {

        private final SimpleDateFormat fullTimeFormatter = new SimpleDateFormat("hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault());
        private final SimpleDateFormat dateFormatter = new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM yyyy", Locale.getDefault());

        @Override
        public String time(long timestamp) {
            return fullTimeFormatter.format(new Date(timestamp));
        }

        @Override
        public String today(long timestamp) {
            return "Today";
        }

        @Override
        public String yesterday(long timestamp) {
            return "Yesterday";
        }

        @Override
        public String lastWeek(long timestamp) {
            return "Last Week";
        }

        @Override
        public String otherDays(long timestamp) {
            return dateFormatter.format(new Date(timestamp));
        }

        @Override
        public String minutes(long diffInMinutesFromNow, long timestamp) {
            return diffInMinutesFromNow + " mins ago";
        }

        @Override
        public String hours(long diffInHourFromNow, long timestamp) {
            return diffInHourFromNow + " hrs ago";
        }
    });

`setOptions`

Replace the long-press context menu entirely. Generic signature:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setOptions { context, conversation -> emptyList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem?>() }

cometchatConversations.setOptions((context, conversation) -> Collections.emptyList());

Example with a custom delete option:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setOptions { context, conversation ->
            val optionsArrayList: MutableList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> =
                ArrayList()
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    UIKitConstants.ConversationOption.DELETE,
                    "Delete",
                    ResourcesCompat. getDrawable(resources,com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.drawable.cometchat_ic_delete, getContext()?.theme),
                    null,
                    CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                    0,
                    CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) {
                    Toast.makeText(context, "Delete", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()
                }
            )
            optionsArrayList
        }

cometchatConversations.setOptions((context, conversation) -> {
List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> optionsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(UIKitConstants.ConversationOption.DELETE,
                                                                 "Delete",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.drawable.cometchat_ic_delete),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getErrorColor(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> {
                                                                     Toast.makeText(context, "Delete", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();
                                                                 }));
            return optionsArrayList;
        });

`addOptions`

Append to the long-press context menu without removing defaults. Generic signature:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.addOptions { context, conversation -> emptyList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem?>() }

cometchatConversations.addOptions((context, conversation) -> Collections.emptyList());

Example with archive, pin, and mark-as-read options:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.addOptions { context, conversation ->
            val optionsArrayList: MutableList<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> = ArrayList()
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "ARCHIVE", "Archive",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.archive), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Archive", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "PIN", "Pin",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.pin), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Pin", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList.add(
                CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
                    "MARKASREAD", "Mark as read",
                    resources.getDrawable(R.drawable.mark_as_read), null,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context), 0,
                    CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                    CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context)
                ) { Toast.makeText(context, "Mark as read", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show() }
            )
            optionsArrayList
        }

cometchatConversations.addOptions((context, conversation) -> {
            List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> optionsArrayList = new ArrayList<>();
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("ARCHIVE",
                                                                 "Archive",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.archive),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Archive", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("PIN",
                                                                 "Pin",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.pin),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Pin", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            optionsArrayList.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("MARKASREAD",
                                                                 "Mark as read",
                                                                 getResources().getDrawable(R.drawable.mark_as_read),
                                                                 null,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 0,
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextColorPrimary(context),
                                                                 CometChatTheme.getTextAppearanceBodyRegular(context),
                                                                 () -> Toast.makeText(context, "Mark as read", Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show()));
            return optionsArrayList;
        });

`setTextFormatters`

Custom text formatters for the conversation subtitle. See the MentionsFormatter Guide for details.

themes.xml

<style name="CustomConversationsMentionsStyle" parent="CometChatConversationsMentionsStyle">
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionTextColor">#D6409F</item>
    <item name="cometchatMentionBackgroundColor">#D6409F</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextColor">#30A46C</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionTextAppearance">?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular</item>
    <item name="cometchatSelfMentionBackgroundColor">#30A46C</item>
</style>

Kotlin
Java

val mentionFormatter = CometChatMentionsFormatter(context)
mentionFormatter.setConversationsMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomConversationsMentionsStyle)

val textFormatters: MutableList<CometChatTextFormatter> = ArrayList()
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter)
cometChatConversations.setTextFormatters(textFormatters)

CometChatMentionsFormatter mentionFormatter = new CometChatMentionsFormatter(context);
mentionFormatter.setConversationsMentionTextStyle(context, R.style.CustomConversationsMentionsStyle);

List<CometChatTextFormatter> textFormatters = new ArrayList<>();
textFormatters.add(mentionFormatter);
cometChatConversations.setTextFormatters(textFormatters);

`setLoadingView`

Sets a custom loading view displayed when data is being fetched.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.loadingView = R.layout.your_loading_view

cometchatConversations.setLoadingView(R.layout.your_loading_view);

What this does: Replaces the default loading spinner with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays while conversations are being fetched.

`setEmptyView`

Configures a custom view displayed when there are no conversations in the list.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.emptyView = R.layout.your_empty_view

cometchatConversations.setEmptyView(R.layout.your_empty_view);

What this does: Replaces the default empty state with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays when the conversation list has no items.

`setErrorView`

Defines a custom error state view that appears when an issue occurs while loading conversations.

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.errorView = R.layout.your_error_view

cometchatConversations.setErrorView(R.layout.your_error_view);

What this does: Replaces the default error state with your custom layout resource. The custom view displays when the component encounters an error during data fetching.

`setDateFormat`

Customizes the date format used for displaying timestamps in conversations. Generic signature:

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat)

cometChatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat);

Example:

Kotlin
Java

cometchatConversations.setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a",Locale.getDefault()))

cometchatConversations.setDateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a",Locale.getDefault()));

What this does: Sets the conversation date format to “dd MMM, hh:mm a” (e.g., “10 Jul, 02:30 PM”) using the device’s default locale.

`setOverflowMenu`

Replace the toolbar overflow menu. Generic signature:

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(view)

cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(View v);

Example with a user profile popup menu:

Create a user_profile_popup_menu_layout.xml custom view file:

user_profile_popup_menu_layout.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    android:layout_width="@dimen/cometchat_30dp"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_gravity="end"
    android:layout_marginTop="@dimen/cometchat_margin_10"
    android:background="?attr/cometchatBackgroundColor1"
    android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
    app:cardCornerRadius="@dimen/cometchat_radius_2"
    app:strokeColor="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault"
    app:strokeWidth="@dimen/cometchat_1dp">

    <LinearLayout
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:orientation="vertical">

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_create_conversation"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:text="@string/app_create_conversation"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_start_conversation" />

        <View
            android:id="@+id/view_separator"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_1dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_user_name"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:paddingStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:paddingEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorPrimary"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_user_profile" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_logout"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="wrap_content"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:drawablePadding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:paddingStart="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingTop="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:paddingEnd="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:paddingBottom="@dimen/cometchat_padding_2"
            android:text="@string/app_logout"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceSubtitle1"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatErrorColor"
            app:drawableStartCompat="@drawable/ic_logout" />

        <View
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="@dimen/cometchat_1dp"
            android:layout_gravity="center"
            android:background="?attr/cometchatStrokeColorDefault" />

        <TextView
            android:id="@+id/tv_version"
            style="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceBodyRegular"
            android:layout_width="match_parent"
            android:layout_height="wrap_content"
            android:gravity="center_vertical"
            android:padding="@dimen/cometchat_padding_4"
            android:textAppearance="?attr/textAppearanceCaption"
            android:textColor="?attr/cometchatTextColorSecondary" />

    </LinearLayout>

</com.google.android.material.card.MaterialCardView>

What this does: Defines a popup menu layout with options for creating a conversation, viewing the user profile, logging out, and displaying the app version.

Inflate the view and pass it to setOverflowMenu:

Kotlin
Java

class YourActivity : AppCompatActivity() {
    private lateinit var cometChatConversations: CometChatConversations

    override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main)
        cometChatConversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations)
        cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(logoutView)
    }

    private val logoutView: View?
        get() {
            val user = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser()
            if (user != null) {
                val cometchatAvatar = CometChatAvatar(this)
                cometchatAvatar.setAvatar(user.name, user.avatar)
                val layoutParams = LinearLayout.LayoutParams(
                    resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp),
                    resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp))
                layoutParams.layoutDirection = Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL
                cometchatAvatar.layoutParams = layoutParams
                cometchatAvatar.setOnClickListener {
                    showCustomMenu(cometChatConversations.binding.toolbarLayout)
                }
                return cometchatAvatar
            }
            return null
        }

    private fun showCustomMenu(anchorView: View) {
        val popupMenuBinding = UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding.inflate(LayoutInflater.from(this))
        val popupWindow = PopupWindow(popupMenuBinding.root,
            resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_250dp),
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, true)

        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.text = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser().name
        val version = "V" + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "(" + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE + ")"
        popupMenuBinding.tvVersion.text = version

        popupMenuBinding.tvCreateConversation.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }
        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }
        popupMenuBinding.tvLogout.setOnClickListener { popupWindow.dismiss() }

        popupWindow.elevation = 5f
        val endMargin = resources.getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_margin_2)
        val anchorWidth = anchorView.width
        val offsetX = anchorWidth - popupWindow.width - endMargin
        popupWindow.showAsDropDown(anchorView, offsetX, 0)
    }
}

public class YourActivity extends AppCompatActivity {
    private CometChatConversations cometChatConversations;
    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
        cometChatConversations = findViewById(R.id.conversations);
        cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(getLogoutView());
    }

    private View getLogoutView() {
        User user = CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser();
        if (user != null) {
            CometChatAvatar cometchatAvatar = new CometChatAvatar(this);
            cometchatAvatar.setAvatar(user.getName(), user.getAvatar());
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams layoutParams = new LinearLayout.LayoutParams(
                getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp),
                getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_40dp));
            layoutParams.setLayoutDirection(Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL);
            cometchatAvatar.setLayoutParams(layoutParams);
            cometchatAvatar.setOnClickListener(v -> {
                showCustomMenu(cometChatConversations.getBinding().toolbarLayout);
            });
            return cometchatAvatar;
        }
        return null;
    }

    private void showCustomMenu(View anchorView) {
        UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding popupMenuBinding = UserProfilePopupMenuLayoutBinding.inflate(LayoutInflater.from(this));
        final PopupWindow popupWindow = new PopupWindow(popupMenuBinding.getRoot(),
            getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_250dp),
            LinearLayout.LayoutParams.WRAP_CONTENT, true);

        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setText(CometChatUIKit.getLoggedInUser().getName());
        String version = "V" + BuildConfig.VERSION_NAME + "(" + BuildConfig.VERSION_CODE + ")";
        popupMenuBinding.tvVersion.setText(version);

        popupMenuBinding.tvCreateConversation.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());
        popupMenuBinding.tvUserName.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());
        popupMenuBinding.tvLogout.setOnClickListener(view -> popupWindow.dismiss());

        popupWindow.setElevation(5);
        int endMargin = getResources().getDimensionPixelSize(com.cometchat.chatuikit.R.dimen.cometchat_margin_2);
        int anchorWidth = anchorView.getWidth();
        int offsetX = anchorWidth - popupWindow.getWidth() - endMargin;
        popupWindow.showAsDropDown(anchorView, offsetX, 0);
    }
}

What this does: Creates a complete overflow menu implementation. An avatar of the logged-in user is set as the overflow menu view. When tapped, it shows a popup window with options for creating a conversation, viewing the user profile, logging out, and displaying the app version.

Verify: After setting any custom view slot, confirm the custom view renders in the correct position within the conversation list item, and the data binding populates correctly for each conversation.

Common Patterns

Custom empty state with action button

layout/empty_conversations.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<LinearLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="match_parent"
    android:gravity="center"
    android:orientation="vertical"
    android:padding="40dp">

    <TextView
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:text="No conversations yet"
        android:textAppearance="?attr/cometchatTextAppearanceHeading3Bold" />

    <Button
        android:id="@+id/btn_start_chat"
        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:layout_marginTop="16dp"
        android:text="Start a conversation" />

</LinearLayout>

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.emptyView = R.layout.empty_conversations

cometChatConversations.setEmptyView(R.layout.empty_conversations);

Hide all chrome — minimal list

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE)
cometChatConversations.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE)

cometChatConversations.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);
cometChatConversations.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);

Filter to user conversations only

Kotlin
Java

val builder = ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder()
    .setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER)
cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)

ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder builder = new ConversationsRequest.ConversationsRequestBuilder();
builder.setConversationType(CometChatConstants.CONVERSATION_TYPE_USER);
cometChatConversations.setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder);

Advanced Methods

Programmatic Selection

`selectConversation`

Programmatically selects or deselects a conversation. Works with both SINGLE and MULTIPLE selection modes.

Kotlin
Java

// Select a conversation in single-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.SINGLE)

// Select a conversation in multi-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE)

// Select a conversation in single-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.SINGLE);

// Select a conversation in multi-select mode
cometChatConversations.selectConversation(conversation, UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);

In SINGLE mode, selecting a new conversation replaces the previous selection. In MULTIPLE mode, calling this on an already-selected conversation deselects it (toggle behavior).

`clearSelection`

Clears all selected conversations and resets the selection UI.

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.clearSelection()

cometChatConversations.clearSelection();

`getSelectedConversations`

Returns the list of currently selected Conversation objects.

Kotlin
Java

val selected = cometChatConversations.selectedConversations

List<Conversation> selected = cometChatConversations.getSelectedConversations();

Selected Conversations List

When using multi-select mode, a horizontal list of selected conversations can be shown above the main list.

Method	Type	Description
`setSelectedConversationsListVisibility`	`int (View.VISIBLE / View.GONE)`	Show or hide the selected conversations strip
`setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Avatar style for selected conversation chips
`setSelectedConversationItemTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Text color for selected conversation names
`setSelectedConversationItemTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Text appearance for selected conversation names
`setSelectedConversationItemRemoveIcon`	`Drawable`	Icon for the remove button on each chip
`setSelectedConversationItemRemoveIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint color for the remove icon

Search Input Customization

The built-in search box can be customized programmatically:

Method	Type	Description
`setSearchInputText`	`String`	Sets the search input text programmatically
`setSearchPlaceholderText`	`String`	Sets the placeholder text for the search input
`setSearchInputTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Text color of the search input
`setSearchInputTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Text appearance of the search input
`setSearchInputPlaceHolderTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Placeholder text color
`setSearchInputPlaceHolderTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Placeholder text appearance
`setSearchInputStartIcon`	`Drawable`	Leading icon in the search box
`setSearchInputStartIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for the leading icon
`setSearchInputEndIcon`	`Drawable`	Trailing icon in the search box
`setSearchInputEndIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for the trailing icon
`setSearchInputEndIconVisibility`	`int`	Visibility of the trailing icon
`setSearchInputStrokeWidth`	`@Dimension int`	Stroke width of the search box border
`setSearchInputStrokeColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Stroke color of the search box border
`setSearchInputBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color of the search box
`setSearchInputCornerRadius`	`@Dimension int`	Corner radius of the search box

Internal Access

These methods provide direct access to internal components for advanced use cases.

Method	Returns	Description
`getRecyclerView()`	`RecyclerView`	The underlying RecyclerView displaying conversations
`getViewModel()`	`ConversationsViewModel`	The ViewModel managing conversation data and state
`getConversationsAdapter()`	`ConversationsAdapter`	The adapter powering the RecyclerView
`setAdapter(ConversationsAdapter)`	`void`	Replaces the default adapter with a custom one
`getBinding()`	`CometchatConversationsListViewBinding`	The ViewBinding for the component’s root layout

Use these only when the standard API is insufficient. Directly manipulating the adapter or ViewModel may conflict with the component’s internal state management.

Other Methods

Method	Type	Description
`setMentionAllLabelId(String id, String mentionAllLabel)`	`void`	Sets the label used for “mention all” in conversation subtitles
`setDateStyle(@StyleRes int)`	`void`	Sets the style for the date label in conversation items
`setOptionListStyle(@StyleRes int)`	`void`	Sets the style for the long-press popup menu

Style

The component uses XML theme styles. Define a custom style with parent CometChatConversationsStyle in themes.xml, then apply with setStyle().

themes.xml

    <style name="CustomAvatarStyle" parent="CometChatAvatarStyle">
        <item name="cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius">8dp</item>
        <item name="cometchatAvatarBackgroundColor">#FBAA75</item>
    </style>

    <style name="CustomBadgeCountStyle" parent="CometChatBadgeStyle">
        <item name="cometchatBadgeBackgroundColor">#F76808</item>
        <item name="cometchatBadgeTextColor">#FFFFFF</item>
    </style>

    <style name="CustomConversationsStyle" parent="CometChatConversationsStyle">
        <item name="cometchatConversationsAvatarStyle">@style/CustomAvatarStyle</item>
        <item name="cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle">@style/CustomBadgeCountStyle</item>
    </style>

Kotlin
Java

cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle)

cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle);

To know more such attributes, visit the attributes file.

Programmatic Style Properties

In addition to XML theme styles, the component exposes programmatic setters for fine-grained control:

Method	Type	Description
`setBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color of the component
`setBackIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint color for the back icon
`setBackIcon`	`Drawable`	Custom back icon drawable
`setTitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Title text color in the toolbar
`setTitleTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Title text appearance in the toolbar
`setItemTitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Text color for conversation item titles
`setItemTitleTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Text appearance for conversation item titles
`setItemSubtitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Text color for conversation item subtitles
`setItemSubtitleTextAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Text appearance for conversation item subtitles
`setItemMessageTypeIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for message type icons in subtitles
`setSeparatorColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Color of list item separators
`setSeparatorHeight`	`@Dimension int`	Height of list item separators
`setStrokeColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Stroke color of the component border
`setStrokeWidth`	`@Dimension int`	Stroke width of the component border
`setCornerRadius`	`@Dimension int`	Corner radius of the component
`setEmptyStateTitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Title text color for the empty state
`setEmptyStateSubtitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Subtitle text color for the empty state
`setEmptyStateTextTitleAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Title text appearance for the empty state
`setEmptyStateTextSubtitleAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Subtitle text appearance for the empty state
`setErrorStateTitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Title text color for the error state
`setErrorStateSubtitleTextColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Subtitle text color for the error state
`setErrorStateTextTitleAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Title text appearance for the error state
`setErrorStateTextSubtitleAppearance`	`@StyleRes int`	Subtitle text appearance for the error state
`setDeleteOptionIcon`	`Drawable`	Icon for the delete option in the context menu
`setDeleteOptionIconTint`	`int`	Tint for the delete option icon
`setDeleteOptionTextColor`	`int`	Text color for the delete option
`setDeleteOptionTextAppearance`	`int`	Text appearance for the delete option
`setAvatarStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for conversation avatars
`setStatusIndicatorStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for online/offline status indicators
`setBadgeStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for unread badge counts
`setReceiptStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for read/delivered receipt icons
`setTypingIndicatorStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for typing indicator text
`setMentionsStyle`	`@StyleRes int`	Style for @mention text in subtitles
`setItemBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color for list items
`setItemSelectedBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color for selected list items

Checkbox Style Properties (Selection Mode)

When using SINGLE or MULTIPLE selection mode, checkboxes appear on each item:

Method	Type	Description
`setCheckBoxStrokeWidth`	`@Dimension int`	Stroke width of the checkbox border
`setCheckBoxCornerRadius`	`@Dimension int`	Corner radius of the checkbox
`setCheckBoxStrokeColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Stroke color of the checkbox border
`setCheckBoxBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color of unchecked checkbox
`setCheckBoxCheckedBackgroundColor`	`@ColorInt int`	Background color of checked checkbox
`setCheckBoxSelectIcon`	`Drawable`	Icon shown when checkbox is checked
`setCheckBoxSelectIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for the checkbox select icon
`setDiscardSelectionIcon`	`Drawable`	Icon for the discard selection button
`setDiscardSelectionIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for the discard selection icon
`setSubmitSelectionIcon`	`Drawable`	Icon for the submit selection button
`setSubmitSelectionIconTint`	`@ColorInt int`	Tint for the submit selection icon

Customization Matrix

What to change	Where	Property/API	Example
Override behavior on user interaction	Activity/Fragment	`setOn<Event>` callbacks	`setOnItemClick((v, pos, c) -> { ... })`
Filter which conversations appear	Activity/Fragment	`setConversationsRequestBuilder`	`setConversationsRequestBuilder(builder)`
Toggle visibility of UI elements	Activity/Fragment	`set<Feature>Visibility(int)`	`setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE)`
Replace a section of the list item	Activity/Fragment	`set<Slot>View`	`setLeadingView(listener)`
Change colors, fonts, spacing	`themes.xml`	`CometChatConversationsStyle`	`<item name="cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle">@style/...</item>`
Avatar style (corner radius, background)	`themes.xml`	`cometchatConversationsAvatarStyle`	`<item name="cometchatAvatarStrokeRadius">8dp</item>`
Badge count style (background, text color)	`themes.xml`	`cometchatConversationsBadgeStyle`	`<item name="cometchatBadgeBackgroundColor">#F76808</item>`
Apply a custom style	Activity/Fragment	`setStyle(int styleRes)`	`cometChatConversations.setStyle(R.style.CustomConversationsStyle);`
Back button visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setBackIconVisibility(int)`	`.setBackIconVisibility(View.VISIBLE);`
Toolbar visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setToolbarVisibility(int)`	`.setToolbarVisibility(View.GONE);`
Loading state visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setLoadingStateVisibility(int)`	`.setLoadingStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
Delete option visibility on long press	Activity/Fragment	`setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(int)`	`.setDeleteConversationOptionVisibility(View.GONE);`
Error state visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setErrorStateVisibility(int)`	`.setErrorStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
Empty state visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setEmptyStateVisibility(int)`	`.setEmptyStateVisibility(View.GONE);`
Separator visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setSeparatorVisibility(int)`	`.setSeparatorVisibility(View.GONE);`
User online status visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setUserStatusVisibility(int)`	`.setUserStatusVisibility(View.GONE);`
Group type indicator visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setGroupTypeVisibility(int)`	`.setGroupTypeVisibility(View.GONE);`
Read/delivered receipts visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setReceiptsVisibility(int)`	`.setReceiptsVisibility(View.GONE);`
Incoming message sound	Activity/Fragment	`disableSoundForMessages(boolean)`	`.disableSoundForMessages(true);`
Custom message sound	Activity/Fragment	`setCustomSoundForMessages(int)`	`.setCustomSoundForMessages(R.raw.cometchat_beep2);`
Selection mode (single/multiple)	Activity/Fragment	`setSelectionMode(SelectionMode)`	`.setSelectionMode(UIKitConstants.SelectionMode.MULTIPLE);`
Date/time formatting	Activity/Fragment	`setDateTimeFormatter(DateTimeFormatterCallback)`	See `setDateTimeFormatter` code above
Date format	Activity/Fragment	`setDateFormat(SimpleDateFormat)`	`.setDateFormat(new SimpleDateFormat("dd MMM, hh:mm a", Locale.getDefault()));`
Long-press options (replace)	Activity/Fragment	`setOptions(Function2)`	See `setOptions` code above
Long-press options (append)	Activity/Fragment	`addOptions(Function2)`	See `addOptions` code above
Loading view	Activity/Fragment	`setLoadingView(int)`	`.setLoadingView(R.layout.your_loading_view);`
Empty view	Activity/Fragment	`setEmptyView(int)`	`.setEmptyView(R.layout.your_empty_view);`
Error view	Activity/Fragment	`setErrorView(int)`	`.setErrorView(R.layout.your_error_view);`
Leading view (avatar area)	Activity/Fragment	`setLeadingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	See `setLeadingView` code above
Title view	Activity/Fragment	`setTitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	See `setTitleView` code above
Trailing view	Activity/Fragment	`setTrailingView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	See `setTrailingView` code above
Entire list item	Activity/Fragment	`setItemView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	See `setItemView` code above
Subtitle view	Activity/Fragment	`setSubtitleView(ConversationsViewHolderListener)`	See `setSubtitleView` code above
Text formatters (mentions)	Activity/Fragment	`setTextFormatters(List<CometChatTextFormatter>)`	See `setTextFormatters` code above
Overflow menu	Activity/Fragment	`setOverflowMenu(View)`	`cometChatConversations.setOverflowMenu(view);`
Filter conversations	Activity/Fragment	`setConversationsRequestBuilder(ConversationsRequestBuilder)`	See Filters code above
Search box visibility	Activity/Fragment	`setSearchBoxVisibility(int)`	`.setSearchBoxVisibility(View.GONE);`
Search input text	Activity/Fragment	`setSearchInputText(String)`	`.setSearchInputText("search term");`
Search placeholder text	Activity/Fragment	`setSearchPlaceholderText(String)`	`.setSearchPlaceholderText("Search...");`
Search input colors	Activity/Fragment	`setSearchInputTextColor`, `setSearchInputBackgroundColor`	`.setSearchInputTextColor(Color.BLACK);`
Search input icons	Activity/Fragment	`setSearchInputStartIcon`, `setSearchInputEndIcon`	`.setSearchInputStartIcon(drawable);`
Hide receipts (adapter)	Activity/Fragment	`hideReceipts(boolean)`	`.hideReceipts(true);`
Programmatic selection	Activity/Fragment	`selectConversation(Conversation, SelectionMode)`	`.selectConversation(conv, SelectionMode.SINGLE);`
Clear selection	Activity/Fragment	`clearSelection()`	`.clearSelection();`
Selected conversations strip	Activity/Fragment	`setSelectedConversationsListVisibility(int)`	`.setSelectedConversationsListVisibility(View.VISIBLE);`
Selected conversation avatar style	Activity/Fragment	`setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle(int)`	`.setSelectedConversationAvatarStyle(R.style.CustomAvatarStyle);`
Internal adapter access	Activity/Fragment	`getConversationsAdapter()` / `setAdapter()`	Advanced use only
Internal ViewModel access	Activity/Fragment	`getViewModel()`	Advanced use only
Mention-all label	Activity/Fragment	`setMentionAllLabelId(String, String)`	`.setMentionAllLabelId("all", "Everyone");`

Next Steps

Users

Browse and search available users

Groups

Browse and search available groups

Message List

Display messages in a conversation

Message Composer

Rich input for sending messages

​Where It Fits

​Quick Start

​Filtering Conversations

​Filter Recipes

​Actions and Events

​Callback Methods

​setOnItemClick

​setOnItemLongClick

​setOnBackPressListener

​setOnSelect

​setOnError

​setOnLoad

​setOnEmpty

​setOnSearchClickListener

​Global UI Events

​SDK Events (Real-Time, Automatic)

​Functionality

​Custom View Slots

​setLeadingView

​setTrailingView

​setTitleView

​setSubtitleView

​setItemView

​setDateTimeFormatter

​setOptions

​addOptions

​setTextFormatters

​setLoadingView

​setEmptyView

​setErrorView

​setDateFormat

​setOverflowMenu

​Common Patterns

​Custom empty state with action button

​Hide all chrome — minimal list

​Filter to user conversations only

​Advanced Methods

​Programmatic Selection

​selectConversation

​clearSelection

​getSelectedConversations

​Selected Conversations List

​Search Input Customization

​Internal Access

​Other Methods

​Style

​Programmatic Style Properties

​Checkbox Style Properties (Selection Mode)

​Customization Matrix

​Next Steps

Users

Groups

Message List

Message Composer

Where It Fits

Quick Start

Filtering Conversations

Filter Recipes

Actions and Events

Callback Methods

`setOnItemClick`

`setOnItemLongClick`

`setOnBackPressListener`

`setOnSelect`

`setOnError`

`setOnLoad`

`setOnEmpty`

`setOnSearchClickListener`

Global UI Events

SDK Events (Real-Time, Automatic)

Functionality

Custom View Slots

`setLeadingView`

`setTrailingView`

`setTitleView`

`setSubtitleView`

`setItemView`

`setDateTimeFormatter`

`setOptions`

`addOptions`

`setTextFormatters`

`setLoadingView`

`setEmptyView`

`setErrorView`

`setDateFormat`

`setOverflowMenu`

Common Patterns

Custom empty state with action button

Hide all chrome — minimal list

Filter to user conversations only

Advanced Methods

Programmatic Selection

`selectConversation`

`clearSelection`

`getSelectedConversations`

Selected Conversations List

Search Input Customization

Internal Access

Other Methods

Style

Programmatic Style Properties

Checkbox Style Properties (Selection Mode)

Customization Matrix

Next Steps