Getting started with EJ2 TypeScript Chat UI control

22 Jul 20265 minutes to read

This section explains how to create a simple Chat UI control and configure its available functionalities in TypeScript, using Essential® JS 2 quickstart seed repository.

This application is integrated with the webpack.config.js configuration and uses the latest version of the webpack-cli. It requires Node.js v14.15.0 or higher. For more information about webpack and its features, refer to the webpack documentation.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure the following tools are installed on your machine:

Tool Version / Notes
Node.js v14.15.0 or higher
npm Bundled with Node.js
Git Required to clone the quickstart repository
Visual Studio Code Recommended code editor

You can verify your Node.js and npm versions by running:

node -v
npm -v

Registering the license key

Syncfusion® Essential® JS 2 controls require a valid license key from version 16.2.0.41 onwards. Using the controls without a license key will display a license validation message in the browser console.

Steps to register the license key:

  1. Sign in to the Syncfusion License Portal and copy your license key.
  2. Register the key in your src/app/app.ts file, before instantiating any Syncfusion control:
import { registerLicense } from '@syncfusion/ej2-base';

registerLicense('YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE');

For more details on obtaining and registering a license key, refer to the License Key Generation and License Key Registration documentation.

Setup for local development

Clone the Essential® JS 2 quickstart application project from GitHub using the following command line scripts.

git clone https://github.com/SyncfusionExamples/ej2-quickstart-webpack
cd ej2-quickstart-webpack

Adding Syncfusion® TypeScript Chat UI package

Syncfusion® TypeScript (Essential® JS 2) packages are available on the npmjs.com public registry. You can install all Syncfusion® TypeScript (Essential® JS 2) controls in a single @syncfusion/ej2 package or individual packages for each control.

Use the following command to install the @syncfusion/ej2-interactive-chat package:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-interactive-chat --save

Then, install the remaining dependent npm packages using the following command:

npm install

Adding CSS reference

Themes for Syncfusion® Chat UI controls can be applied using CSS files provided through the npm theme package. Install the Fluent 2 theme package using the following command:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-fluent2-theme --save

Then add the following CSS reference to the src/styles/styles.css file:

@import "../../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-fluent2-theme/styles/chat-ui/index.css";

Adding Chat UI control

Add the Chat UI control in src/app/app.ts file using the following code.

You can use the messages property to add messages and the user property to configure the current user for the chat.

import { ChatUI, UserModel, MessageModel } from '@syncfusion/ej2-interactive-chat';
import { enableRipple } from '@syncfusion/ej2-base';

enableRipple(true);

let currentUserModel: UserModel = {
    id: "user1",
    user: "Albert"
};

let michaleUserModel: UserModel = {
    id: "user2",
    user: "Michale Suyama"
};

let chatMessages: MessageModel[] = [
    {
        author: currentUserModel,
        text: "Hi Michale, are we on track for the deadline?"
    },
    {
        author: michaleUserModel,
        text: "Yes, the design phase is complete."
    },
    {
        author: currentUserModel,
        text: "I’ll review it and send feedback by today."
    }
];

// Initializes the Chat UI control
let chatUI: ChatUI = new ChatUI({
    messages: chatMessages,
    user: currentUserModel
});

// Render initialized Chat UI.
chatUI.appendTo('#default-chat');
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">

<head>
    <title>EJ2 Chat UI</title>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
    <meta name="description" content="TypeScript Chat UI Control" />
    <meta name="author" content="Syncfusion" />
    <link href="index.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-base/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-inputs/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-buttons/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-navigations/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-popups/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-interactive-chat/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <link href="https://cdn.syncfusion.com/ej2/34.1.29/ej2-splitbuttons/styles/tailwind3.css" rel="stylesheet" />
    <script src="https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/systemjs/0.19.38/system.js"></script>
    <script src="systemjs.config.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
    <div id='loader'>Loading....</div>
    <div id='container' style="height: 380px; width: 450px;">
        <div id="default-chat"></div>
    </div>
</body>
</html>

Run the application

The npm start command compiles the TypeScript source files and starts the webpack development server. Run the following command:

npm start

Open http://localhost:8080 (or the port shown in the terminal) in a browser. You should see a Chat UI rendered with the default layout.