Chat

A real-time messaging interface that supports sending and receiving messages over MeshSocket. Ideal for device-to-device communication, command logs, or interactive chatbots.

Type

"chat"

Relevant Fields

Inherits all Control Definition. Key fields:

Field	Type	Default	Description
`label`	string	falls back to `id`	Header label
`config.target`	string	—	MeshSocket peer name to route messages to. Set this for companion/bot chat; omit for channel chat
`config.showTypingIndicators`	bool	`true`	Show typing bubbles
`config.showReadReceipts`	bool	`true`	Show read receipts
`config.allowReactions`	bool	`true`	Allow emoji reactions on messages
`config.allowReplies`	bool	`true`	Allow threaded replies
`config.allowImages`	bool	`false`	Allow image attachments
`config.historyCount`	number	`50`	Number of messages to keep in history
`config.tint`	string	`"#667eea"`	Chat bubble accent color

Examples

Device-to-device chat

{
  "type": "chat",
  "id": "team-chat",
  "position": [0, 0],
  "span": [4, 4],
  "label": "Team Chat",
  "config": {
    "target": "hub-server",
    "showTypingIndicators": true,
    "showReadReceipts": true,
    "allowReactions": true,
    "allowReplies": true,
    "historyCount": 100
  }
}

Wire Protocol

When config.target is set, the chat routes to that peer by name (companion mode):

Outgoing — every message you send:

"route_msg_noreply": {
  "target_name": "companion",
  "type": "chat_message",
  "payload": { "text": "your message" }
}

Incoming — the companion replies with a broadcast the chat listens for:

"broadcast": { "event": "chat_response", "text": "the reply" }

The optional name / sender.name / from field on the broadcast sets the reply's display name; otherwise it falls back to the target name.

The companion (server side) must wait for the MeshSocket welcome before routing — connect, wait_until_ready(), then wait for the welcome event before sending.

Without config.target (channel mode) the chat sends a chat_message event and listens on chat_message for the whole channel.