# Customize Chat Message Bubble

When TapTalk.io framework is integrated to your app with the UI implementation method, you can add customized chat message bubbles to be used in chat.

### Adding a Custom Chat Bubble

You can check the following example to add a custom bubble to your chat.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Note**: To add a custom bubble, you need to implement **recyclerView** dependency to your **app-level build.gradle** file.
{% endhint %}

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="app module build.gradle" %}

```java
implementation 'com.android.support:recyclerview-v7:28.0.0'
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

#### 1. Create an XML layout file for the custom bubble

First, create a new XML layout resource file for your custom bubble, we will name it `my_custom_bubble_layout.xml`. You are free to customize the custom bubble layout as you wish. In this example, we will be using a simple image and text bubble.<br>

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="my\_custom\_bubble\_layout.xml" %}

```markup
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
<android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout
    xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
    xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto"
    xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"
    android:layout_width="match_parent"
    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
    android:layout_marginStart="16dp"
    android:layout_marginEnd="16dp"
    android:layout_marginBottom="8dp"
    android:background="@color/tapWhite">

    <ImageView
        android:id="@+id/imageView"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:adjustViewBounds="true"
        android:src="@mipmap/ic_launcher"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
    
    <!--We are using TapTalk'io's default message body style for this TextView-->
    <TextView
        android:id="@+id/textView"
        style="@style/tapLeftBubbleMessageBodyStyle"
        android:layout_width="match_parent"
        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
        android:padding="8dp"
        app:layout_constraintTop_toBottomOf="@id/imageView"
        tools:text="Message body" />

</android.support.constraint.ConstraintLayout>
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

![my\_custom\_bubble\_layout.xml](/files/-MITUeTY7darodJ5FFO8)

{% hint style="info" %}
**Note:** TapTalk.io's default message bubble layouts generally have a `8dp` bottom margin and no top margin.
{% endhint %}

#### 2. Create a custom listener

In order to listen to event callbacks that happens in your custom bubble, we will create a custom interface that extends **TapTalkBaseCustomInterface**. We will name this interface `MyCustomBubbleListener`.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleListener.java" %}

```java
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Interface.TapTalkBaseCustomInterface;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel;

...

public interface MyCustomBubbleListener extends TapTalkBaseCustomInterface {

    // Use this to notify that the user tapped your custom bubble
    void onBubbleTapped(TAPMessageModel message);
}
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleListener.kt" %}

```kotlin
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Interface.TapTalkBaseCustomInterface
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel

...

interface MyCustomBubbleListener : TapTalkBaseCustomInterface {

    // Use this to notify that the user tapped your custom bubble
    fun onBubbleTapped(message: TAPMessageModel)
}
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

#### 3. Create a custom bubble ViewHolder

To display your custom bubble layout in a chat room, you will need to create a custom ViewHolder that extends **TAPBaseChatViewHolder**. We will name this class `MyCustomBubbleViewHolder`.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleListener.java" %}

```java
import android.view.View;
import android.view.ViewGroup;
import android.widget.ImageView;
import android.widget.TextView;

import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.View.Adapter.TAPBaseChatViewHolder;

public class MyCustomBubbleViewHolder extends TAPBaseChatViewHolder {

    private ImageView imageView;
    private TextView textView;

    private MyCustomBubbleListener listener; // The listener that you just created above will be used here

    // Add MyCustomBubbleListener to the constructor parameter
    MyCustomBubbleViewHolder(ViewGroup parent, int itemLayoutId, MyCustomBubbleListener listener) {
        super(parent, itemLayoutId);

        // Bind views on constructor
        imageView = itemView.findViewById(R.id.imageView);
        textView = itemView.findViewById(R.id.textView);

        // Pass the listener from parameter
        this.listener = listener;
    }

    @Override
    protected void onBind(TAPMessageModel message, int index) {
        super.onBind(message, index);

        // Set message text
        textView.setText(message.getBody());

        // Set click listener
        imageView.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
            @Override
            public void onClick(View view) {
                // Trigger listener and pass the clicked message
                listener.onBubbleTapped(message);
            }
        });
    }
}
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleListener.kt" %}

```kotlin
import android.view.ViewGroup
import android.widget.ImageView
import android.widget.TextView
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.View.Adapter.TAPBaseChatViewHolder

class MyCustomBubbleViewHolder internal constructor(
    parent: ViewGroup,
    itemLayoutId: Int,
    private val listener: MyCustomBubbleListener
) : TAPBaseChatViewHolder(parent, itemLayoutId) {

    private val imageView: ImageView = itemView.findViewById(R.id.imageView)
    private val textView: TextView = itemView.findViewById(R.id.textView)

    override fun onBind(message: TAPMessageModel?, index: Int) {
        super.onBind(message, index)
          
        // Set message text
        textView.text = message!!.body
          
        // Pass the listener from parameter
        imageView.setOnClickListener { 
            // Trigger listener and pass the clicked message
            listener.onBubbleTapped(message)
        }
    }
}
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

#### 4. Create a custom bubble class

Using all the things you have created above, we will create a custom bubble class that extends **TAPBaseCustomBubble**. This class instance will then be added to the custom bubble list.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleClass.java" %}

```java
import android.view.ViewGroup;

import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Helper.TAPBaseCustomBubble;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPUserModel;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.View.Adapter.TAPMessageAdapter;

public class MyCustomBubbleClass extends TAPBaseCustomBubble<MyCustomBubbleViewHolder, MyCustomBubbleListener> {

    public MyCustomBubbleClass(int customBubbleLayoutRes, int messageType, MyCustomBubbleListener listener) {
        super(customBubbleLayoutRes, messageType, listener);
    }

    @Override
    public MyCustomBubbleViewHolder createCustomViewHolder(ViewGroup viewGroup, TAPMessageAdapter tapMessageAdapter, TAPUserModel tapUserModel, MyCustomBubbleListener listener) {
        return new MyCustomBubbleViewHolder(viewGroup, getCustomBubbleLayoutRes(), listener);
    }
}
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="MyCustomBubbleClass.kt" %}

```kotlin
import android.view.ViewGroup

import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Helper.TAPBaseCustomBubble
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPUserModel
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.View.Adapter.TAPMessageAdapter

class MyCustomBubbleClass(
    customBubbleLayoutRes: Int,
    messageType: Int,
    listener: MyCustomBubbleListener
) : TAPBaseCustomBubble<MyCustomBubbleViewHolder, MyCustomBubbleListener>(
    customBubbleLayoutRes,
    messageType,
    listener
) {

    override fun createCustomViewHolder(
        viewGroup: ViewGroup,
        tapMessageAdapter: TAPMessageAdapter,
        tapUserModel: TAPUserModel,
        listener: MyCustomBubbleListener
    ): MyCustomBubbleViewHolder {
        return MyCustomBubbleViewHolder(viewGroup, customBubbleLayoutRes, listener)
    }
}
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

#### 5. Add your custom bubble class

To add your custom bubble to TapTalk.io, use the **TapUI** class and call the `addCustomBubble()` method. This is typically done in your Application class, after `init()` has already been called.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Java" %}

```java
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Helper.TapTalk;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapUI;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel;

...

TapTalk.init(...);

// Insert the XML layout resource, message type, and your custom listener as parameter
TapUI.getInstance().addCustomBubble(new MyCustomBubbleClass(
    R.layout.my_custom_bubble_layout,
    3001,
    new MyCustomBubbleListener() {
        @Override
        public void onBubbleTapped(TAPMessageModel message) {
            // My custom bubble was tapped by user
        }
    }
));
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Kotlin" %}

```kotlin
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Helper.TapTalk
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapUI
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel

...

TapTalk.init(...)

// Insert the XML layout resource, message type, and your custom listener as parameter
TapUI.getInstance().addCustomBubble(MyCustomBubbleClass(
    R.layout.my_custom_bubble_layout,
    3001,
    object : MyCustomBubbleListener() {
        fun onBubbleTapped(message: TAPMessageModel) {
            // My custom bubble was tapped by user
        }
    }
))
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Note:** Please note that the message type for custom bubbles should start with 3 as the prefix. For more information, check the [message type page](/powertalk-chat-sdk-documentation/powertalk-ios/message-type.md).
{% endhint %}

After completing all the steps above, your custom bubble will be ready to use.

### Showing Your Custom Bubble in Chat

You can use your customized chat bubble in a chat room by constructing a custom **TAPMessageModel** with [`constructTapTalkMessageModel()`](broken://pages/-MITd810gfX-Tnf3zLdP#construct-taptalk-io-message-model) method, then sending the constructed message to the chat room with [`sendCustomMessage()`](broken://pages/-MITd810gfX-Tnf3zLdP#send-a-custom-message). Both methods can be accessed from the **TapCoreMessageManager** class.

To construct a message, you are required to have a **TAPRoomModel** as a parameter. You can use [`getPersonalChatRoom()`](broken://pages/-MITd810gfX-Tnf3zLdP#get-personal-chat-room-with-recipient-user) or [`getGroupChatRoom()`](/powertalk-chat-sdk-documentation/powertalk-android/group-chat/tapcore.md#get-group-chat-room) method in **TapCoreChatRoomManager** class to obtain a chat room model.

Below is an example to send a custom message with the steps mentioned above.

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="Java" %}

```java
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapCoreMessageManager;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapCoreChatRoomManager;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Listener.TapCoreGetRoomListener;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Listener.TapCoreSendMessageListener;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel;
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPRoomModel;

...

// First, we will retrieve a TAPRoomModel required to construct a message
TapCoreChatRoomManager.getInstance().getPersonalChatRoom(RECIPIENT_USER, new TapCoreGetRoomListener() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(TAPRoomModel room) {
        // Retrieved room data successfully, we will use this room to construct a TAPMessageModel
        TAPMessageModel customBubbleMessage = TapCoreMessageManager.getInstance().constructTapTalkMessageModel(
            "This is a custom message", // MESSAGE_BODY
            room,                       // ROOM
            3001,                       // MESSAGE_TYPE
            null                        // MESSAGE_DATA
        );
      
        // We will then send the constructed message to its corresponding chat room
        TapCoreMessageManager.getInstance().sendCustomMessage(customBubbleMessage, new TapCoreSendMessageListener() {
            @Override
            public void onSuccess(TAPMessageModel message) {
                // Custom message was sent successfully
            }

            @Override
            public void onError(String errorCode, String errorMessage) {
                
            }
        });
    }
});
```

{% endtab %}

{% tab title="Kotlin" %}

```kotlin
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapCoreMessageManager
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Manager.TapCoreChatRoomManager
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Listener.TapCoreGetRoomListener
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Listener.TapCoreSendMessageListener
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPMessageModel
import io.taptalk.TapTalk.Model.TAPRoomModel

...

// First, we will retrieve a TAPRoomModel required to construct a message
TapCoreChatRoomManager.getInstance().getPersonalChatRoom(RECIPIENT_USER, object : TapCoreGetRoomListener() {
    override fun onSuccess(room: TAPRoomModel?) {
        // Retrieved room data successfully, we will use this room to construct a TAPMessageModel
        val customBubbleMessage = TapCoreMessageManager.getInstance().constructTapTalkMessageModel(
            "This is a custom message", // MESSAGE_BODY
            room!!,                     // ROOM
            3001,                       // MESSAGE_TYPE
            null                        // MESSAGE_DATA
        )
      
        // We will then send the constructed message to its corresponding chat room
        TapCoreMessageManager.getInstance().sendCustomMessage(customBubbleMessage, object : TapCoreSendMessageListener() {
            override fun onSuccess(message: TAPMessageModel?) {
                // Custom message was sent successfully
            }

            override fun onError(errorCode: String?, errorMessage: String?) {
                
            }
        })
    }
})
```

{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.taptalk.io/powertalk-chat-sdk-documentation/powertalk-android/customize-chat-message-bubble.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.