Launch Chat Window On Tap Of Push Notification

Guide to launching the chat window from UI Kit when user taps a message push notification.

Quick Reference for AI Agents & Developers

• Requires: CometChat SDK and UI Kit both configured
• Implementation: Handle notification tap in AppDelegate or SceneDelegate
• Parse payload: Extract sender UID or group GUID from notification payload
• Launch: Present CometChatMessages view controller with user/group
• Related: Receive Message · Push Notifications · UI Kit

This guide helps you to launch a chat window from the UI Kit library on receiving a new message notification.

CometChat SDK & UI Kit both need to be configured before launching the chat window.

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Step 1. Process push notification payload and grab User or Group object

To present a chat window, firstly you will need a User or a Group object. You can grab this from the push notification payload itself of incoming message notification. You need to call CometChat.processMessage() method to process push notification payload.

Swift

 func userNotificationCenter(_ center: UNUserNotificationCenter,
                    didReceive response: UNNotificationResponse,
                    withCompletionHandler completionHandler: @escaping () -> Void) {
        
        if let userInfo = response.notification.request.content.userInfo as? [String : Any], let messageObject = userInfo["message"] as? [String:Any] {
           print("didReceive: \\(userInfo)")
          if let baseMessage = CometChat.processMessage(messageObject).0 {
            switch baseMessage.messageCategory {
            case .message:
                print("Message Object Received: \\(String(describing: (baseMessage as? TextMessage)?.stringValue()))")
                
            case .action: break
            case .call: break
            case .custom: break
            @unknown default: break
            }
          }
        }
        completionHandler()
      }

Sample Payload - User Message Push Notification

userInfo Dictionary Structure (User Message):

Parameter	Type	Description
message	[String: Any]	Message dictionary containing message details. See message Dictionary below
aps	[String: Any]	Apple Push Notification Service payload. See aps Dictionary below

message Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
id	Int	Unique message identifier. Example: 12345
muid	String	Message unique ID. Example: "muid_xyz123"
category	String	Message category. Example: "message"
type	String	Message type. Example: "text"
text	String	Message content. Example: "Hello there!"
sender	[String: Any]	Sender user details. See sender Dictionary below
receiver	String	Receiver UID. Example: "cometchat-uid-2"
receiverType	String	Receiver type. Example: "user"
sentAt	Int	Unix timestamp. Example: 1699800000
deliveredAt	Int	Delivery timestamp. Example: 0
readAt	Int	Read timestamp. Example: 0
conversationId	String	Conversation ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1_user_cometchat-uid-2"

sender Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	Sender’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
name	String	Sender’s display name. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
avatar	String	Sender’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar.png"
status	String	User online status. Example: "online"
role	String	User role. Example: "default"
lastActiveAt	Int	Last active timestamp. Example: 1699799000

aps Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
alert	[String: Any]	Alert content. See alert Dictionary below
badge	Int	Badge count. Example: 1
sound	String	Notification sound. Example: "default"
mutable-content	Int	Enables notification modification. Example: 1

alert Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
title	String	Notification title. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
body	String	Notification body. Example: "Hello there!"

Sample Payload - Group Message Push Notification

userInfo Dictionary Structure (Group Message):

Parameter	Type	Description
message	[String: Any]	Message dictionary containing message details. See message Dictionary below
aps	[String: Any]	Apple Push Notification Service payload. See aps Dictionary below

message Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
id	Int	Unique message identifier. Example: 12346
muid	String	Message unique ID. Example: "muid_abc456"
category	String	Message category. Example: "message"
type	String	Message type. Example: "text"
text	String	Message content. Example: "Hey team!"
sender	[String: Any]	Sender user details. See sender Dictionary below
receiver	[String: Any]	Receiver group details. See receiver Dictionary below
receiverType	String	Receiver type. Example: "group"
sentAt	Int	Unix timestamp. Example: 1699800000
deliveredAt	Int	Delivery timestamp. Example: 0
readAt	Int	Read timestamp. Example: 0
conversationId	String	Conversation ID. Example: "group_cometchat-guid-1"

sender Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	Sender’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
name	String	Sender’s display name. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
avatar	String	Sender’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar.png"
status	String	User online status. Example: "online"
role	String	User role. Example: "default"
lastActiveAt	Int	Last active timestamp. Example: 1699799000

receiver Dictionary (Group):

Parameter	Type	Description
guid	String	Group’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-guid-1"
name	String	Group’s display name. Example: "Development Team"
icon	String	Group’s icon URL. Example: "https://example.com/group.png"
type	String	Group type. Example: "public"
membersCount	Int	Number of members. Example: 15
owner	String	Group owner UID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
createdAt	Int	Creation timestamp. Example: 1699700000
hasJoined	Bool	Whether user has joined. Example: true

aps Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
alert	[String: Any]	Alert content. See alert Dictionary below
badge	Int	Badge count. Example: 1
sound	String	Notification sound. Example: "default"
mutable-content	Int	Enables notification modification. Example: 1

alert Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
title	String	Notification title. Example: "Development Team"
body	String	Notification body. Example: "Andrew Joseph: Hey team!"

Sample Payload - CometChat.processMessage() Output

Method Signature:

Parameter	Type	Description
Input	[String: Any]	Push notification message dictionary
Returns	(BaseMessage?, CometChatException?)	Tuple containing parsed message or error

Return Tuple Structure:

Index	Type	Description
0	BaseMessage?	Parsed message object. See TextMessage Object below
1	CometChatException?	Error object if parsing fails. nil on success

TextMessage Object Properties (when type is “text”):

Parameter	Type	Description
id	Int	Message ID. Example: 12345
muid	String	Message unique ID. Example: "muid_xyz123"
messageCategory	MessageCategory	Category enum. Example: .message
messageType	MessageType	Type enum. Example: .text
text	String	Message text content. Example: "Hello there!"
sender	User	Sender user object. See sender Object below
receiver	User or Group	Receiver object. See receiver Object below
receiverType	ReceiverType	Type of receiver. Example: .user or .group
sentAt	Int	Unix timestamp. Example: 1699800000
deliveredAt	Int	Delivery timestamp. Example: 0
readAt	Int	Read timestamp. Example: 0
conversationId	String	Conversation identifier. Example: "cometchat-uid-1_user_cometchat-uid-2"
editedAt	Int	Edit timestamp. Example: 0
editedBy	String?	Editor UID. Example: nil
deletedAt	Int	Deletion timestamp. Example: 0
deletedBy	String?	Deleter UID. Example: nil

sender User Object:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	User’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
name	String	User’s display name. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
avatar	String?	User’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar.png"
status	UserStatus	Online status. Example: .online
role	String	User role. Example: "default"
lastActiveAt	Int	Last active timestamp. Example: 1699799000

receiver Object (User or Group):

When receiverType is .user:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	User’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-2"
name	String	User’s display name. Example: "Jane Smith"
avatar	String?	User’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar2.png"
status	UserStatus	Online status. Example: .offline

When receiverType is .group:

Parameter	Type	Description
guid	String	Group’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-guid-1"
name	String	Group’s display name. Example: "Development Team"
icon	String?	Group’s icon URL. Example: "https://example.com/group.png"
groupType	GroupType	Group type. Example: .public
membersCount	Int	Number of members. Example: 15

MessageCategory Enum Values:

Value	Description
.message	Regular message (text, media, etc.)
.action	Action message (member joined, left, etc.)
.call	Call message
.custom	Custom message type

ReceiverType Enum Values:

Value	Description
.user	One-to-one conversation
.group	Group conversation

Step 2. Launch Chat Window

You can launch the chat window from your base view controller after you tap on the Message Notification. This method uses NotificationCenter to trigger and present a chat window.

1. In this method you need to fire notification after you receive the User or Group Object.
2. In Notification’s user info you can pass User or Group Object to that desired notification.

Trigger notification from App Delegate

Swift

if let message = baseMessage as? BaseMessage {
  switch baseMessage.receiverType {
    case .user:
     DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5) {
       if let user = baseMessage.sender {
         NotificationCenter.default.post(name: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromUser"), object: nil, userInfo: ["user":user])
       }
     }
    case .group:
    DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5) {
      if let group = baseMessage.receiver as? Group {
        NotificationCenter.default.post(name: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromGroup"), object: nil, userInfo: ["group":group])
       }
      }
    @unknown default: break
  }
}

Sample Payload - NotificationCenter POST (User Message)

NotificationCenter.default.post() Method Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
name	NSNotification.Name	Notification identifier name. Example: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromUser")
object	Any?	Sender object (typically nil). Example: nil
userInfo	[AnyHashable: Any]?	Dictionary containing user data. See userInfo Dictionary below

userInfo Dictionary Structure:

Parameter	Type	Description
user	User	The sender User object. See User Object below

User Object Properties:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	User’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
name	String	User’s display name. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
avatar	String?	User’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar.png"
link	String?	User’s profile link. Example: nil
status	UserStatus	Online status. Example: .online
role	String	User role. Example: "default"
lastActiveAt	Int	Last active timestamp. Example: 1699799000
hasBlockedMe	Bool	Whether user has blocked current user. Example: false
blockedByMe	Bool	Whether current user has blocked this user. Example: false
metadata	[String: Any]?	Custom metadata. Example: nil
tags	[String]?	User tags. Example: []

UserStatus Enum Values:

Value	Description
.online	User is currently online
.offline	User is offline
.available	User is available

Notification Dispatch Flow:

Step	Action	Description
1	Check receiverType	baseMessage.receiverType == .user
2	Extract sender	baseMessage.sender
3	Delay	DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5)
4	Post	NotificationCenter.default.post(...)

Sample Payload - NotificationCenter POST (Group Message)

NotificationCenter.default.post() Method Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
name	NSNotification.Name	Notification identifier name. Example: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromGroup")
object	Any?	Sender object (typically nil). Example: nil
userInfo	[AnyHashable: Any]?	Dictionary containing group data. See userInfo Dictionary below

userInfo Dictionary Structure:

Parameter	Type	Description
group	Group	The receiver Group object. See Group Object below

Group Object Properties:

Parameter	Type	Description
guid	String	Group’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-guid-1"
name	String	Group’s display name. Example: "Development Team"
icon	String?	Group’s icon URL. Example: "https://example.com/group.png"
description	String?	Group description. Example: "Team discussions"
groupType	GroupType	Group type. Example: .public
membersCount	Int	Number of members. Example: 15
owner	String	Group owner UID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
createdAt	Int	Creation timestamp. Example: 1699700000
updatedAt	Int	Last update timestamp. Example: 1699750000
hasJoined	Bool	Whether current user has joined. Example: true
joinedAt	Int	Join timestamp. Example: 1699710000
scope	MemberScope	Current user’s scope. Example: .participant
metadata	[String: Any]?	Custom metadata. Example: nil
tags	[String]?	Group tags. Example: []

GroupType Enum Values:

Value	Description
.public	Anyone can join
.private	Requires invitation
.password	Requires password to join

MemberScope Enum Values:

Value	Description
.admin	Administrator privileges
.moderator	Moderator privileges
.participant	Regular member

Notification Dispatch Flow:

Step	Action	Description
1	Check receiverType	baseMessage.receiverType == .group
2	Extract receiver	baseMessage.receiver as? Group
3	Delay	DispatchQueue.main.asyncAfter(deadline: .now() + 0.5)
4	Post	NotificationCenter.default.post(...)

3. On the other hand, you need to observe for the above notification in your base view controller.

1. Base view controller is a controller that launches immediately after the app delegate.
2. Base view controller should be present to observe the notification when notification fires.
3. If the view controller is not present in the memory when a new notification receives, then it won’t launch Chat Window.

Observe notification in Base View Controller

Swift

class BaseViewController : UIViewController {
  
  override func viewDidLoad() {
   NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self, selector:#selector(self.didReceivedMessageFromGroup(_:)), name: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromGroup"), object: nil)
        NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self, selector:#selector(self.didReceivedMessageFromUser(_:)), name: NSNotification.Name(rawValue: "didReceivedMessageFromUser"), object: nil)
  }
}

Add selector method & Launch Chat Window

Swift

  @objc func didReceivedMessageFromGroup(_ notification: NSNotification) {
        if let group = notification.userInfo?["group"] as? Group {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
             let messageList = CometChatMessageList()
             let navigationController = UINavigationController(rootViewController:messageList)
              messageList.set(conversationWith: group, type: .group)
              self.present(navigationController, animated:true, completion:nil)
            }
        }
    }
    
    @objc func didReceivedMessageFromUser(_ notification: NSNotification) {
          print("didReceivedMessageFromUser")
        if let user = notification.userInfo?["user"] as? User {
            DispatchQueue.main.async {
             let messageList = CometChatMessageList()
             let navigationController = UINavigationController(rootViewController:messageList)
              messageList.set(conversationWith: user, type: .user)
              self.present(navigationController, animated:true, completion:nil)
            }
        }
    }

Sample Payload - didReceivedMessageFromGroup Notification

NSNotification Object Structure:

Parameter	Type	Description
name	NSNotification.Name	Notification identifier. Example: "didReceivedMessageFromGroup"
object	Any?	Sender object. Example: nil
userInfo	[AnyHashable: Any]?	Dictionary containing group data. See userInfo Dictionary below

userInfo Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
group	Group	The Group object from notification. See Group Object below

Group Object Properties:

Parameter	Type	Description
guid	String	Group’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-guid-1"
name	String	Group’s display name. Example: "Development Team"
icon	String?	Group’s icon URL. Example: "https://example.com/group.png"
description	String?	Group description. Example: "Team discussions"
groupType	GroupType	Group type. Example: .public
membersCount	Int	Number of members. Example: 15
owner	String	Group owner UID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
createdAt	Int	Creation timestamp. Example: 1699700000
hasJoined	Bool	Whether current user has joined. Example: true
scope	MemberScope	Current user’s scope. Example: .participant

CometChatMessageList Configuration:

Parameter	Type	Description
set(conversationWith:type:)	(Group, ReceiverType)	Method to set group conversation

set(conversationWith:type:) Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
conversationWith	Group	The Group object to open conversation with
type	ReceiverType	Receiver type. Example: .group

Selector Method Flow:

Step	Action	Description
1	Extract	notification.userInfo?["group"] as? Group
2	Dispatch	DispatchQueue.main.async { ... }
3	Initialize	let messageList = CometChatMessageList()
4	Wrap	UINavigationController(rootViewController: messageList)
5	Configure	messageList.set(conversationWith: group, type: .group)
6	Present	self.present(navigationController, animated: true)

Sample Payload - didReceivedMessageFromUser Notification

NSNotification Object Structure:

Parameter	Type	Description
name	NSNotification.Name	Notification identifier. Example: "didReceivedMessageFromUser"
object	Any?	Sender object. Example: nil
userInfo	[AnyHashable: Any]?	Dictionary containing user data. See userInfo Dictionary below

userInfo Dictionary:

Parameter	Type	Description
user	User	The User object from notification. See User Object below

User Object Properties:

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	User’s unique ID. Example: "cometchat-uid-1"
name	String	User’s display name. Example: "Andrew Joseph"
avatar	String?	User’s avatar URL. Example: "https://example.com/avatar.png"
link	String?	User’s profile link. Example: nil
status	UserStatus	Online status. Example: .online
role	String	User role. Example: "default"
lastActiveAt	Int	Last active timestamp. Example: 1699799000
hasBlockedMe	Bool	Whether user has blocked current user. Example: false
blockedByMe	Bool	Whether current user has blocked this user. Example: false

CometChatMessageList Configuration:

Parameter	Type	Description
set(conversationWith:type:)	(User, ReceiverType)	Method to set user conversation

set(conversationWith:type:) Parameters:

Parameter	Type	Description
conversationWith	User	The User object to open conversation with
type	ReceiverType	Receiver type. Example: .user

Selector Method Flow:

Step	Action	Description
1	Extract	notification.userInfo?["user"] as? User
2	Dispatch	DispatchQueue.main.async { ... }
3	Initialize	let messageList = CometChatMessageList()
4	Wrap	UINavigationController(rootViewController: messageList)
5	Configure	messageList.set(conversationWith: user, type: .user)
6	Present	self.present(navigationController, animated: true)