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Threads allow users to reply to a specific message in a focused side-conversation without cluttering the main message stream. Each top-level message can have replies, and the threadReplyCount field on the message shows how many replies exist.

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How Threads Work

  • Any message can be the root of a thread (a parentMessageId of null).
  • Thread replies have parentMessageId set to the root message’s ID.
  • Threads are one level deep — replies cannot have their own threads.
  • The threadReplyCount on a root message is updated in real-time via the thread:reply_count socket event.

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Using useMessageThread

useMessageThread is a convenience hook that combines message loading and sending for a specific message thread: 
import { useMessageThread } from "@replyke/react-js";

function ThreadPanel({
  conversationId,
  messageId,
}: {
  conversationId: string;
  messageId: string;
}) {
  const { replies, loading, hasMore, loadMore, sendReply } = useMessageThread({
    conversationId,
    messageId,
  });
  const [text, setText] = useState("");

  const handleReply = async () => {
    if (!text.trim()) return;
    await sendReply({ content: text });
    setText("");
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <h3>Thread</h3>
      {replies.map((reply) => (
        <div key={reply.id}>
          <strong>{reply.user?.name}</strong>: {reply.content}
        </div>
      ))}
      {hasMore && <button onClick={loadMore}>Load more</button>}
      <input
        value={text}
        onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)}
        placeholder="Reply..."
      />
      <button onClick={handleReply}>Reply</button>
    </div>
  );
}
Replies are loaded in ascending order (oldest first) and loadMore fetches newer replies. See useMessageThread.

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Using useChatMessages Directly

For more control, use useChatMessages with a parentId to load thread replies: 
import { useChatMessages, useSendMessage } from "@replyke/react-js";

const { messages: replies, loading, hasMore, loadOlder } = useChatMessages({
  conversationId,
  parentId: messageId,   // pass parentId to load thread replies
});

const send = useSendMessage({ conversationId });

// Send a thread reply
await send({
  content: "My reply",
  parentMessageId: messageId,
});

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Showing the Reply Count

The root message object includes a threadReplyCount field. Use it to render a “View thread” button: 
function Message({ message, onOpenThread }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <p>{message.content}</p>
      {message.threadReplyCount > 0 && (
        <button onClick={() => onOpenThread(message.id)}>
          {message.threadReplyCount}{" "}
          {message.threadReplyCount === 1 ? "reply" : "replies"}
        </button>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}
threadReplyCount is kept in sync automatically by ChatProvider when a new reply is sent by any participant.