Getting Started with the Vue Chat UI Component in Vue 2

22 Jul 20266 minutes to read

This article provides a step-by-step guide for setting up a Vue 2 project using Vue-CLI and integrating the Syncfusion® Vue Chat UI component.

Prerequisites

Requirement Version
Vue 2.6 or higher
Node.js 16.0.0 or above

Vue supported versions

Vue version Minimum Syncfusion Vue Chat UI version
Vue v2.7 20.3.47 and above
Vue v3.0 19.2.44 and above

Browser support

Browser Supported versions
Chrome Latest
Firefox Latest
Opera Latest
Edge 13+
Internet Explorer (IE) 11+
Safari 9+
iOS Safari 9+
Android Browser / Chrome for Android 4.4+
Windows Mobile IE 11+

Setup the Vue 2 project

Easily set up a Vue 2 application using Vue CLI, which provides a reliable development environment, a streamlined project structure, and optimized builds compared to older setup tools. For detailed steps, refer to the Vue CLI installation instructions.

To create a new Vue 2 application, run the following commands based on your preferred package manager:

npm install -g @vue/cli
vue create quickstart

or

yarn global add @vue/cli
vue create quickstart

During the setup process, the CLI will prompt you for a few configuration options. Select the following:

  • Which linter to use? → Default ([Vue 2] babel, eslint)
  • Install with npm and start now? → Yes

Selecting Yes automatically installs the project dependencies and starts the development server.

After verifying that the application starts successfully, terminate the development server in the terminal and proceed to the next step.

Navigate to the project directory:

cd quickstart

Adding Vue Chat UI packages

To install the Chat UI package, use the following command:

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

or

yarn add @syncfusion/ej2-vue-interactive-chat

Adding CSS reference

Themes for Syncfusion® Vue components can be applied using CSS files provided through npm theme packages. For available themes, refer to the Themes documentation.

Install the Material 3 theme package using the following command:

npm install @syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme --save

Then add the following CSS reference to the src/App.vue file:

<style>
    @import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-material3-theme/styles/chat-ui/index.css";
</style>

Adding Chat UI component

The Chat UI code should be added in the src/App.vue file.

The user property assigns an identity to the current user, which is essential for distinguishing the user’s messages from those of other participants.

<template>
  <div id='container' style="height: 380px; width: 450px; margin: 0 auto;">
    <ejs-chatui :user="currentUser">
      <e-messages>
        <e-message :author="currentUser" text="Hi Michale, are we on track for the deadline?"></e-message>
        <e-message :author="michaleUser" text="Yes, the design phase is complete."></e-message>
        <e-message :author="currentUser" text="I’ll review it and send feedback by today."></e-message>
      </e-messages>
    </ejs-chatui>
  </div>
</template>

<script>
import { ChatUIComponent, MessagesDirective, MessageDirective } from "@syncfusion/ej2-vue-interactive-chat";

export default {
  components: {
    'ejs-chatui': ChatUIComponent,
    'e-messages': MessagesDirective,
    'e-message': MessageDirective
  },
  data() {
    return {
      currentUser: {
        id: "user1",
        user: "Albert",
      },
      michaleUser: {
        id: "user2",
        user: "Michale Suyama",
      }
    };
  },
};
</script>

<style>
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-base/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-inputs/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-navigations/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-buttons/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-popups/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-interactive-chat/styles/tailwind3.css";
@import "../node_modules/@syncfusion/ej2-splitbuttons/styles/tailwind3.css";
</style>

Run the application

npm run serve

or

yarn run serve

Registering your Syncfusion license

Generate a license key from the Syncfusion License Dashboard and register it before rendering your Vue 2 application:

```javascript
import { registerLicense } from '@syncfusion/ej2-base';

registerLicense('YOUR_LICENSE_KEY');
```

Note: A valid Syncfusion license is required for production use. Without a valid license, a trial license warning message will be displayed.

Troubleshooting

  • Chat UI not rendering styles: Ensure the theme CSS is imported in src/App.vue and that any default Vue CLI starter styles are not overriding the Chat UI styles.
  • Trial license warning banner: Register a license key via registerLicense() from @syncfusion/ej2-base.