Menu & Options - CometChat Docs

Components provide context menus (e.g., long-press on a conversation) and the message composer provides attachment and AI action options. You can customize all of these at the component level or globally via the DataSource framework.

Component-Level Options

setOptions vs addOptions

Method	Behavior
`setOptions(Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>>)`	Replaces all default options with your custom list
`addOptions(Function2<Context, Conversation, List<MenuItem>>)`	Appends your custom options to the existing defaults

Use addOptions when you want to keep the default actions (like “Delete”) and add your own. Use setOptions when you want full control over the menu.

Example: Adding a Custom Option

Kotlin
Java

conversations.addOptions { context, conversation ->
    listOf(
        CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
            id = "pin",
            name = "Pin Conversation",
            startIcon = ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_pin),
            endIcon = null,
            onClick = {
                pinConversation(conversation)
            }
        )
    )
}

conversations.addOptions((context, conversation) -> {
    List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> items = new ArrayList<>();
    items.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
        "pin",
        "Pin Conversation",
        ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_pin),
        null,
        () -> pinConversation(conversation)
    ));
    return items;
});

Example: Replacing All Options

Kotlin
Java

conversations.setOptions { context, conversation ->
    listOf(
        CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
            id = "archive",
            name = "Archive",
            startIcon = ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_archive),
            endIcon = null,
            onClick = { archiveConversation(conversation) }
        ),
        CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem(
            id = "mute",
            name = "Mute",
            startIcon = ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_mute),
            endIcon = null,
            onClick = { muteConversation(conversation) }
        )
    )
}

conversations.setOptions((context, conversation) -> {
    List<CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem> items = new ArrayList<>();
    items.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("archive", "Archive",
        ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_archive), null,
        () -> archiveConversation(conversation)));
    items.add(new CometChatPopupMenu.MenuItem("mute", "Mute",
        ContextCompat.getDrawable(context, R.drawable.ic_mute), null,
        () -> muteConversation(conversation)));
    return items;
});

DataSource Message Options

For message-level options (the actions that appear on message bubbles), use the DataSource framework. Override these methods in a DataSourceDecorator:

Message Option Methods

Method	Description
`getTextMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options for text messages
`getImageMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options for image messages
`getVideoMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options for video messages
`getAudioMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options for audio messages
`getFileMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options for file messages
`getCommonOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	Options common to all message types
`getMessageOptions(Context, BaseMessage, Group)`	All options for a message (combines type-specific and common)

Composer Action Methods

Method	Description
`getAttachmentOptions(Context, User, Group)`	Attachment options in the composer (camera, gallery, file, etc.)
`getAIOptions(Context, User, Group)`	AI action options in the composer

Extending Options via DataSourceDecorator

Use a DataSourceDecorator to add custom options globally without replacing the defaults:

Kotlin
Java

class CustomOptionsDataSource(dataSource: DataSource) : DataSourceDecorator(dataSource) {

    override fun getTextMessageOptions(
        context: Context,
        baseMessage: BaseMessage,
        group: Group?
    ): List<CometChatMessageOption> {
        val options = super.getTextMessageOptions(context, baseMessage, group).toMutableList()
        options.add(CometChatMessageOption(
            id = "translate",
            title = "Translate",
            icon = R.drawable.ic_translate,
            onClick = { translateMessage(baseMessage) }
        ))
        return options
    }
}

// Register globally
ChatConfigurator.enable { dataSource -> CustomOptionsDataSource(dataSource) }

public class CustomOptionsDataSource extends DataSourceDecorator {
    public CustomOptionsDataSource(DataSource dataSource) {
        super(dataSource);
    }

    @Override
    public List<CometChatMessageOption> getTextMessageOptions(
            Context context, BaseMessage baseMessage, Group group) {
        List<CometChatMessageOption> options =
            new ArrayList<>(super.getTextMessageOptions(context, baseMessage, group));
        options.add(new CometChatMessageOption(
            "translate", "Translate", R.drawable.ic_translate,
            () -> translateMessage(baseMessage)
        ));
        return options;
    }
}

// Register globally
ChatConfigurator.enable(dataSource -> new CustomOptionsDataSource(dataSource));

DataSource & ChatConfigurator — Full DataSource decorator framework reference.
Customization Overview — See all customization categories.

​Component-Level Options

​setOptions vs addOptions

​Example: Adding a Custom Option

​Example: Replacing All Options

​DataSource Message Options

​Message Option Methods

​Composer Action Methods

​Extending Options via DataSourceDecorator

​Related