Building a Custom Chat Component for Retool Using React and WebSocket

In the modern digital transformation era, real-time communication is a vital feature for any application. Enhancing your Retool applications with a custom chat component can significantly improve internal communication and collaboration. At ZeroCodez, we understand the importance of seamless messaging and have designed a custom ChatComponent integrated with React and WebSocket to meet this need.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through setting up, developing, and deploying this chat component. By the end of this tutorial, you will have a robust chat feature integrated into your Retool app, boosting its interactivity and usability.

Overview

Our ChatComponent is meticulously designed to provide a real-time messaging experience that fosters instant communication. Whether it's an internal team chat or a user-support feature, the component is adaptable and easy to integrate. Key features include:

• Real-time Messaging: Utilizes WebSocket for instant communication, ensuring messages are delivered and received in real time.

• Dynamic User Support: Displays messages with dynamic usernames, aiding in user identification and conversation flow.

• Styled Message Bubbles: Distinct styling makes it easy to differentiate between sent and received messages.

• Auto-scrolling: Automatically scrolls to the latest message, ensuring the latest conversation is always visible.

• Responsive Design: Optimized for various screen sizes, offering a seamless experience on desktops, tablets, and mobile devices.

Getting Started

In this section, we'll cover the prerequisites and initial setup required to get the ChatComponent up and running on your local machine for development and testing.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following installed on your machine:

• Node.js: The JavaScript runtime needed to run React applications.

• npm or yarn: The package managers for handling project dependencies.

Installation

To start, clone the repository containing the template for custom components in Retool:

git clone https://github.com/tryretool/custom-component-collection-template new-custom-component
cd new-custom-component

Install the necessary dependencies to get everything working:

npm install

Login to your Retool account to authenticate your session:

npx retool-ccl login

You'll need your Retool username, password, Retool URL, and authentication token for this step.

Usage

With the initial setup complete, you're ready to initialize the custom component library and make additional installations.

Initialize the Retool Custom Component Library

Begin by initializing the custom component library:

npx retool-ccl init

Follow the prompts to name your component (e.g., Chat Socket) and provide a description (e.g., WebSocket dependency used in this).

Install Additional Dependencies

Certain dependencies are necessary to fully realize the ChatComponent's features:

npm install react-scroll-to-bottom uuid websocket moment prop-types react@latest react-dom@latest

Set Up Source Files

Create or move the following critical files into the src folder:

1. ChatComponent.js: This is where the main logic of the chat component resides. Replace the WebSocket URL with your own in this file.

2. App.js: Acts as the primary entry point of your React application.

3. index.js: The main file that ties together the React app.

Start the Development Server

Start the development server to begin testing and iterating on your component:

npx retool-ccl dev

This command will initiate the development server, enabling you to see your component within the Retool environment. Navigate to Retool, head over to Settings > Custom Component Libraries, and verify that your library name is listed there.

Create an application in Retool, add the ChatComponent by searching for its name, and drag it into your app container for testing.

Developing the Chat Component

Crafting the ChatComponent.js

The heart of your chat component lies within ChatComponent.js. The key areas to focus on include:

1. WebSocket Initialization: Establish a WebSocket connection to handle real-time messaging.

2. State Management: Use React's useState and useEffect hooks to manage user messages and system state.

3. Rendering Messages: Create a function to render messages with different styles for sent and received messages.

4. Handling User Input: Implement an input box and a send button to capture and broadcast user messages.

5. Auto-scrolling Feature: Ensure the chat window scrolls to the latest message automatically.

import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
import ScrollToBottom from 'react-scroll-to-bottom';
import uuid from 'uuid';
import PropTypes from 'prop-types';

const ChatComponent = ({ websocketUrl, username }) => {
    const [messages, setMessages] = useState([]);
    const [input, setInput] = useState('');
    const [ws, setWs] = useState(null);

    useEffect(() => {
        const socket = new WebSocket(websocketUrl);
        socket.onmessage = (event) => {
            const newMessage = JSON.parse(event.data);
            setMessages((prevMessages) => [...prevMessages, newMessage]);
        };
        setWs(socket);
        return () => socket.close();
    }, [websocketUrl]);

    const sendMessage = () => {
        if (input.trim() !== '') {
            const message = {
                id: uuid(),
                username,
                text: input
            };
            ws.send(JSON.stringify(message));
            setMessages((prevMessages) => [...prevMessages, message]);
            setInput('');
        }
    };

    return (
        <div className="chat-container">
            <ScrollToBottom className="message-list">
                {messages.map((msg) => (
                    <div key={msg.id} className={`message ${msg.username === username ? 'sent' : 'received'}`}>
                        <span>{msg.username}</span>
                        <p>{msg.text}</p>
                    </div>
                ))}
            </ScrollToBottom>
            <div className="input-container">
                <input
                    type="text"
                    value={input}
                    onChange={(e) => setInput(e.target.value)}
                    onKeyPress={(e) => e.key === 'Enter' && sendMessage()}
                />
                <button onClick={sendMessage}>Send</button>
            </div>
        </div>
    );
};

ChatComponent.propTypes = {
    websocketUrl: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
    username: PropTypes.string.isRequired
};

export default ChatComponent;

Styling the Component

To ensure the chat component is visually appealing and user-friendly, create and integrate a CSS file with styles for the chat container, message bubbles, and input field.

.chat-container {
    display: flex;
    flex-direction: column;
    height: 100%;
    width: 100%;
}

.message-list {
    flex-grow: 1;
    overflow-y: auto;
}

.message {
    margin: 10px;
    padding: 10px;
    border-radius: 8px;
}

.sent {
    background-color: #daf8cb;
    align-self: flex-end;
}

.received {
    background-color: #ececec;
    align-self: flex-start;
}

.input-container {
    display: flex;
    padding: 10px;
}

input {
    flex-grow: 1;
    padding: 10px;
    border: 1px solid #ccc;
    border-radius: 4px;
}

button {
    padding: 10px;
    background-color: #007bff;
    color: white;
    border: none;
    border-radius: 4px;
    cursor: pointer;
}

Testing the Chat Component

Test the chat component directly within Retool to ensure all functionalities (message sending, receiving, and displaying) are working correctly. If any issues arise, debug the WebSocket connection and inspect the state management within ChatComponent.js.

Deploying the Component

Once you have thoroughly tested your chat component and ensured it functions as expected, deploy it to Retool:

npx retool-ccl deploy

This command will make the ChatComponent available for use across your Retool applications, allowing you to integrate seamless chat functionality with minimal effort.

View fullsize

Conclusion

By following this in-depth guide, you can effortlessly add a custom chat component to your Retool application, leveraging React and WebSocket for real-time communication capabilities. This component not only enhances user interaction but also supports responsive design and dynamic user handling, ensuring a top-notch user experience.

At ZeroCodez, we strive to simplify the development process and provide robust solutions tailored to your needs. If you found this guide helpful, don't hesitate to reach out for further assistance or new development projects. Explore more of our services and elevate your application capabilities to the next generation.