--- name: conversation description: "Raft conversation surfaces: Sidebar, ConversationPanel vs ThreadPanel, MessageList/MessageItem satellite families, SystemMessage, Composer structure." --- # Conversation surfaces These encode the Raft product shape. Reach for them before assembling anything chat-like out of primitives. ## Contents - Which surface - ConversationPanel vs ThreadPanel - Composer vs Textarea - Sidebar structure - Message surfaces - Composer structure - What stays in your app --- ## Which surface | Scenario | Component | | ----------------------------------- | ----------------------------- | | Channel and DM list | `SidebarRoot` | | The main conversation column | `ConversationPanelRoot` | | A thread beside the conversation | `ThreadPanelRoot` | | The scrolling list of messages | `MessageList` + `MessageItem` | | One human or agent message | `MessageItem` | | Join/leave/rename event in the flow | `SystemMessage` | | Message input | `ComposerRoot` + `Composer` | | Notification inbox | `NotificationCenter` | | Live agent activity strip | `LiveAgentActivityBar` | The sidebar family is named `Sidebar*`, not `ChatSidebar*` — it was generalized to shared navigation primitives. If you find `ChatSidebar` anywhere, it is pre-0.2 code. --- ## ConversationPanel vs ThreadPanel They are not the same component with a different width. | | `ConversationPanel` | `ThreadPanel` | | --------------------- | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------- | | Shows | a channel or DM | replies to one message | | Header | channel identity, status, tabs | the thread's title and reply count | | Has an origin message | no | yes — `ThreadPanelOriginalMessage` | `ThreadPanel` carries thread-specific parts that have no equivalent in the conversation column: `ThreadPanelOriginalMessage`, `ThreadPanelReplyCount`, `ThreadPanelReplySummary`, and an in-thread search (`ThreadPanelSearch`, `ThreadPanelSearchCount`, `ThreadPanelSearchTrailing`). `ConversationPanel` keeps its own root, body, tabs, and empty state (`ConversationPanelRoot`, `ConversationPanelBody`, `ConversationPanelContent`, `ConversationPanelFooter`, `ConversationPanelTabs`, `ConversationPanelEmptyState` with `…Brand` / `…BrandMark`), but its **header chrome is the shared `Panel*` set owned by the `Panel` component**: `PanelHeader` with `PanelHeaderContent` / `PanelHeaderIcon` / `PanelHeading` / `PanelTitle` / `PanelMeta` / `PanelActions`, plus `PanelStatus` and `PanelActivity` — see the header guidance in [layout.md](./layout.md). Use `ConversationPanelEmptyState` rather than the generic `EmptyState` inside a conversation. --- ## Composer vs Textarea `Textarea` is a form control. `Composer` is a message-sending surface. Use the `ComposerRoot` / `Composer` family whenever the input sends a message. It provides the attachment, drop-overlay, toolbar, submit, and suggestion parts; `SortableComposerAttachments` and `useComposerSuggestions` own the reusable behavior they name. Your app still owns selected files, upload lifecycle, send state, and submit policy. Use `Textarea` for a description field in a form. --- ## Sidebar structure Deeply parted by design. Render the parts you need; do not pass item config objects. Naming is regular at three levels — guess by pattern, then confirm against the declarations ([lookup.md](./lookup.md)): | Level | Prefix | Anchor parts | | ----------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Frame | `Sidebar*` | `SidebarRoot`, `SidebarHeader`, `SidebarBody`, `SidebarLiveActivity` | | Section | `SidebarSection*` | `…Header`, `…Title`, `…Count`, `…Chevron`, `…Disclosure`, `…Empty` | | Row | `SidebarItem*` | `…Icon`, `…Title`, `…Subtitle`, `…Meta`, `…Count`, `…Status` | | Footer menu | `SidebarMenu*` | `…Icon`, `…Title`, `…Count`, `…Aside` | - Unread counts go in `SidebarItemCount`, not appended to the title string. - Presence goes in `SidebarItemStatus`, not a hand-placed dot. - `SidebarGroupLabel` labels a group of sections; `SidebarSectionTitle` labels one section. - `SidebarLiveActivity` is the slot in the sidebar frame; the standalone strip is `LiveAgentActivityBar` (stable) with `…Row` / `…Avatar` / `…Status` / `…Text` parts. --- ## Message surfaces The message family is large and satellite-structured: `MessageItem` is the anchor, and each concern is its own part family with a regular prefix. Do not hand-roll any of these — every state below already has a dedicated part. | Prefix | Owns | | ------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `MessageList*` | the scroller: `MessageListDateDivider`, `…Notice`, `…HistoryLimited` | | `MessageItem*` | one message: `…Header`, `…Sender`, `…Time`, `…Body`, `…Footer`, `…Gutter`, `…Toolbar`, `…ReadReceipt`, `…SavedIndicator`, `…SearchMatch` | | `MessageReaction*` | reaction chips, quick row, picker, tooltip | | `MessageReference*` | reference chips: `…Chip`, `…Pending`, `…Unavailable` | | `MessageAttachment*` | attachment cards, diff summaries; plus `MessageImageGallery*` and `MessageVideoPreview*` | | `MessageEmbed*` | link embeds | | `MessageActionCard*` | agent action cards with scope and properties | | `MessageQuotedPreview*` | quoted message preview, including `…Loading` and `…Unavailable` | | `MessageReplies*` | the reply summary row under a message | | `MessageForwardedBundle*` | forwarded message bundles | | `MessageItemTranslation*` | translation status, original text, retry | | `MessageMultiSelect*` | multi-select checkboxes and toolbar | | `MessageTextSelectionToolbar*` | the toolbar that appears over selected text | `SystemMessage` is separate from `MessageItem` — join/leave/rename events use `SystemMessage` + `SystemMessageTime`, and consecutive events collapse with the `SystemMessageGroup*` disclosure parts. Product-state parts follow the library-wide pattern: the consumer decides which state part to render (`MessageReferencePending`, `MessageQuotedPreviewUnavailable`, `MessageItemTranslationFailedStatus`), the root never takes a `state` prop. For message text content, the `Markdown*` renderer parts (see [display.md](./display.md)) style each markdown node. --- ## Composer structure ``` ComposerRoot ComposerAttachments → ComposerAttachment → ComposerAttachmentImage | ComposerAttachmentFile, ComposerAttachmentBody, ComposerAttachmentTitle, ComposerAttachmentMeta, ComposerAttachmentRemove, ComposerAttachmentUploadingOverlay, ComposerAttachmentUploadProgressBar, ComposerAttachmentFailedOverlay ComposerInput ComposerToolbar → ComposerToolbarLabel, ComposerIconButton ComposerActions → ComposerSubmit ComposerMeta ComposerDropOverlay → ComposerDropOverlayLabel, ComposerDropOverlayPrompt ``` - `ComposerSubmit` is a `Button` locked to `variant="accent"` — the core-action color. Its props omit `variant`; do not try to restyle it into a yellow or default button. - Upload state has dedicated overlay parts. Render `ComposerAttachmentUploadingOverlay` while uploading and `ComposerAttachmentFailedOverlay` on failure — do not dim the tile with a className. - Reorderable attachments use `SortableComposerAttachments` / `SortableComposerAttachment` / `SortableComposerAttachmentsScroll`. - Mentions and slash commands use the `useComposerSuggestions` hook with `ComposerSuggestionList`, `ComposerSuggestionGroup`, `ComposerSuggestionOption`, `ComposerSuggestionIcon`, `ComposerSuggestionTitle`, `ComposerSuggestionMeta`, `ComposerSuggestionAside`. Set `ComposerSuggestionIcon variant` to `avatar`, `framed`, or `auxiliary`, and set `ComposerSuggestionMeta variant` to `text` or `code`. Pick `avatar` for people, `framed` for channels and commands, and `code` for anything the user types literally. The suggestion parts are **styling slots**, not a combobox state machine. `useComposerSuggestions` owns matching and keyboard behavior; the parts render it. --- ## What stays in your app The conversation components are business-agnostic shells. These belong to you, not to a prop on the component: - Upload lifecycle and retry policy - Send permissions, read-only channels, rate limits - Notification and mute policy - Read/unread tracking - Which entities exist and what they are called The pattern throughout is the same: the library exposes the parts, you choose which to render based on your state.