JavaScript/jQuery Chat Methods

The component's default device properties.

Object structure:

Name	Type	Description
device	Device \| Function	Device parameters. When you specify a function, get information about the current device from the argument. Return true if the properties should be applied to the device.
options	Object	Options to be applied.

Name

Type

Description

device

Device

|

Device parameters.
When you specify a function, get information about the current device from the argument. Return true if the properties should be applied to the device.

options

Options to be applied.

defaultOptions is a static method that the UI component class supports. The following code demonstrates how to specify default properties for all instances of the Chat UI component in an application executed on the desktop.

JavaScript


DevExpress.ui.dxChat.defaultOptions({ 
    device: { deviceType: "desktop" },
    options: {
        // Here go the Chat properties
    }
});

You can also set rules for multiple device types:

JavaScript


const devicesConfig = [
    { deviceType: 'desktop' },
    { deviceType: 'tablet' },
    { deviceType: 'phone' },
];
 
devicesConfig.forEach(deviceConfig => {
    DevExpress.ui.dxChat.defaultOptions({ 
        device: deviceConfig,
        options: {
            // Here go the Chat properties
        }
    });
});

dispose()

Disposes of all the resources allocated to the Chat instance.

After calling this method, remove the DOM element associated with the UI component:

JavaScript


$("#myChat").dxChat("dispose");
$("#myChat").remove();

element()

Gets the root UI component element.

Return Value:

HTMLElement | jQuery

An HTML element or a jQuery element when you use jQuery.

endUpdate()

Refreshes the UI component after a call of the beginUpdate() method.

The beginUpdate() and endUpdate() methods reduce the number of renders in cases where extra rendering can negatively affect performance.

focus()

Sets focus to the Chat's input element.

getDataSource()

Gets the DataSource instance.

Return Value:

DataSource

The DataSource instance.

NOTE

This method returns the DataSource instance even if the UI component's dataSource property was given a simple array.

View on GitHub

getInstance(element)

Gets the instance of a UI component found using its DOM node.

Parameters:

element:

Element

|

jQuery

The UI component's container.

Return Value:

The UI component's instance.

getInstance is a static method that the UI component class supports. The following code demonstrates how to get the Chat instance found in an element with the myChat ID:


// Modular approach
import Chat from "devextreme/ui/chat";
...
let element = document.getElementById("myChat");
let instance = Chat.getInstance(element) as Chat;
 
// Non-modular approach
let element = document.getElementById("myChat");
let instance = DevExpress.ui.dxChat.getInstance(element);

instance()

Gets the UI component's instance. Use it to access other methods of the UI component.

Return Value: Chat

This UI component's instance.

off(eventName)

Detaches all event handlers from a single event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

Return Value: Chat

The object for which this method is called.

off(eventName, eventHandler)

Detaches a particular event handler from a single event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

eventHandler:

The event's handler.

Return Value: Chat

The object for which this method is called.

on(eventName, eventHandler)

Subscribes to an event.

Parameters:

eventName:

The event's name.

eventHandler:

The event's handler.

Return Value: Chat

The object for which this method is called.

Use this method to subscribe to one of the events listed in the Events section.

on(events)

Subscribes to events.

Parameters:

events:

Events with their handlers: { "eventName1": handler1, "eventName2": handler2, ...}

Return Value: Chat

The object for which this method is called.

Use this method to subscribe to several events with one method call. Available events are listed in the Events section.

option()

Gets all UI component properties.

Return Value:

The UI component's properties.

option(optionName)

Gets the value of a single property.

Parameters:

optionName:

The property's name or full path.

Return Value: any

This property's value.

option(optionName, optionValue)

Updates the value of a single property.

Parameters:

optionName:

The property's name or full path.

optionValue: any

This property's new value.

option(options)

Updates the values of several properties.

Parameters:

options:

Options with their new values.

registerKeyHandler(key, handler)

Registers a handler to be executed when a user presses a specific key.

Parameters:

key:

A key.

handler:

A handler. Accepts the keydown event as the argument. It is a EventObject or a jQuery.Event when you use jQuery.

The key argument accepts one of the following values:

"backspace"
"tab"
"enter"
"escape"
"pageUp"
"pageDown"
"end"
"home"
"leftArrow"
"upArrow"
"rightArrow"
"downArrow"
"del"
"space"
"F"
"A"
"asterisk"
"minus"

A custom handler for a key cancels the default handler for this key.

renderMessage(message)

Renders a new message.

Parameters:

message:

Message

A message to be rendered.

This method is the primary way to render a new message in jQuery:

index.js


$(() => {
    const chat = $("#chat").dxChat({
        onMessageEntered: (e) => {
            e.component.renderMessage(e.message);
        },
    }).dxChat('instance');
});

View Demo

repaint()

Renders the component again without reloading data. Use the method to update the component's markup and appearance dynamically.

The repaint() method re-initializes the component with new settings, resetting its state and history.

View on GitHub

resetOption(optionName)

Resets a property to its default value.

Parameters:

optionName: