Collaboration

Extensions that enable real-time collaboration in your chat application

These extensions enable real-time collaboration directly within your chat. Users can work together on documents and whiteboards without leaving the conversation.

Collaborative document

Co-edit documents in real-time with other users. Perfect for meeting notes, collaborative writing, and shared planning.

When to use: Meeting notes, collaborative drafting, shared to-do lists, or any scenario where multiple people need to edit text together.

Out-of-the-box in: UI Kit Builder ✅ | Widget Builder ✅ | UI Kits ✅ | SDK ✅

Extension settings

1. Open your CometChat app

   Login to CometChat and select your app.

2. Enable Collaborative Document

   Go to Chat & Messaging —> Features, under Extentions and enable Collaborative Document.

How does it work?

Using the Collaborative Document extension is pretty straight-forward. As an initiator, you only have to create a session. The extension will handle the following for you:

• Create a collaboration link: Generate a document link for the session.
• Invite collaborators: Send the link as an invitation to receivers.

Receiving the details

As an initiator

You will receive the document_url of the session in the success callback of the callExtension method.

As a collaborator

The receiver (can be a user or group) will get a message with the following properties:

1. category: custom
2. type: extension_document

Implement the Custom message listener to get the message. See Receive Messages documentation.

Document metadata

"metadata": {
  "incrementUnreadCount": true,
  "@injected": {
    "extensions": {
      "document": {
        "document_url": "https://document.cometchat.io/p/uniqdocid"
      }
    }
  }
}

Document Features

The Collaborative document has the following editing features:

1. Bold, Italic, Underline, Strikethrough
2. Numbered list, Bulleted list
3. Indent and Outdent

You can export your document as: Etherpad, HTML, or Plain text.

Implementation

Technology	Support	Docs
UI Kit Builder	✅
Widget Builder	✅
UI Kits	✅
SDK	✅

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Collaborative whiteboard

Draw, sketch, and brainstorm together in real-time. Perfect for visual collaboration, design discussions, and interactive presentations.

When to use: Design reviews, brainstorming sessions, tutoring, technical diagrams, or any visual collaboration.

Out-of-the-box in: UI Kit Builder ✅ | Widget Builder ✅ | UI Kits ✅ | SDK ✅

Extension settings

1. Open your CometChat app

   Login to CometChat and select your app.

2. Enable Collaborative Whiteboard

   Go to Chat & Messaging —> Features, under Extentions and enable Collaborative Whiteboard.

How does it work?

Using the Collaborative Whiteboard extension is pretty straight-forward. As an initiator, you only have to create a session. The extension will handle the following for you:

• Create a collaboration link: Generate a whiteboard link for the session.
• Invite collaborators: Send the link as an invitation to receivers.

Receiving the details

As an initiator

You will receive the board_url of the whiteboard session in the success callback of the callExtension method.

As a collaborator

The receiver (a user or group) will get a message with the following properties:

1. category: custom
2. type: extension_whiteboard

Implement the Custom message listener to get the message. See Receive Messages documentation.

Whiteboard metadata

"metadata": {
  "@injected": {
    "extensions": {
      "whiteboard": {
        "board_url": "https://whiteboard-.cometchat.io?whiteboardid=abc"
      }
    }
  }
}

Whiteboard Features

Our whiteboard implementation provides the following features:

1. Edit: Clear board, Undo, Redo
2. Tools: Mouse pointer, Select an area, Pen, Line, Rectangle, Circle, Text, Eraser
3. Tool properties: Thickness, Color
4. Upload image to whiteboard
5. Export whiteboard as image

Implementation

Technology	Support	Docs
UI Kit Builder	✅
Widget Builder	✅
UI Kits	✅
SDK	✅

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Limitations

Keep these constraints in mind when using collaboration features:

Constraint	Document	Whiteboard
Max concurrent users	Recommended < 50	Recommended < 20
Session persistence	Until manually closed	Until manually closed
File size limits	Standard text limits	Image uploads < 5MB

Collaboration sessions remain active until explicitly closed. Consider implementing session cleanup for inactive sessions.