Direct Calling

Overview

This guide demonstrates how to start call in to an Android application. Before you begin, we strongly recommend you read the calling setup guide.

Generate Call Token

Before start call session you have to generate call token. You need to call this method for call token:

Java

String sessionId = "" // Random or available in call obecjt in case of default calling
String userAuthToken = CometChat.getUserAuthToken() // Logged in user auth token

CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, userAuthToken, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<GenerateToken>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(GenerateToken generateToken) {

    }

    @Override
    public void onError(com.cometchat.pro.rtc.exceptions.CometChatException e) {

    }
});

Kotlin

val sessionId = "" // Random or available in call obecjt in case of default calling
val userAuthToken = CometChat.getUserAuthToken() // Logged in user auth token

CometChatCalls.generateToken(
    sessionId,
    userAuthToken,
    object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<GenerateToken>() {
        override fun onSuccess(generateToken: GenerateToken) {
            
        }

        override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
           
        }
    }
)

Parameter	Description
sessionId	The unique random session ID. In case you are using default call then session ID is available in the Call object.
userAuthToken	The use auth token is logged in user auth tooken which you can get by calling CometChat Chat SDK method CometChat.getUserAuthToken()

Error Code	Error Message
INVALID_ARGUMENT_EXCEPTION	If you pass invalid param to a function or you don't pass the required params. example: Authtoken and session are required, Invalid callToken passed, please verify.

On success of generate token method you will get call token. To access it from GenerateToken object "generateToken.getToken()"

Start Call Session

The most important class that will be used in the implementation is the CallSettings class. This class allows you to set the various parameters for the call/conference. In order to set the various parameters of the CallSettings class, you need to use the CallSettingsBuilder class. Below are the various options available with the CallSettings class.

CallSettingsBuilder class takes the 2 mandatory parameters as a part of the constructor:

1. Context of the application
2. An object of the RelativeLayout. The calling UI will be loaded in this relative layout provided.

The other mandatory parameter is the sessionId for the call/conference. You can use the setSessionId() method of the CallSettingsBuilder to set the session Id of the call.

A basic example of how to start a call:

Java

RelativeLayout videoContainer;
Context activityContext = this; // Your activity reference
String callToken = "" // Received on generate token onSuccess

CallSettings callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder(activityContext, videoContainer)
    .setDefaultLayoutEnable(true)
    .setIsAudioOnly(false)
    .setEventListener(new CometChatCallsEventsListener() {
        @Override
        public void onCallEnded() {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallEnded");
        }

        @Override
        public void onCallEndButtonPressed() {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallEndButtonPressed");
        }

        @Override
        public void onUserJoined(RTCUser user) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserJoined: " + user.getName());
        }

        @Override
        public void onUserLeft(RTCUser user) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserLeft: " + user.getName());
        }

        @Override
        public void onUserListChanged(ArrayList<RTCUser> users) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserListChanged: " + users.toString());
        }

        @Override
        public void onAudioModeChanged(ArrayList<AudioMode> devices) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onAudioModeChanged: " + devices.toString());
        }

        @Override
        public void onCallSwitchedToVideo(CallSwitchRequestInfo callSwitchRequestInfo) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallSwitchedToVideo: " + callSwitchRequestInfo.toString());
        }

        @Override
        public void onUserMuted(RTCMutedUser muteObj) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserMuted: " + muteObj.getMuted() + " muted by " + muteObj.getMutedBy());
        }

        @Override
        public void onRecordingToggled(RTCRecordingInfo recordingInfo) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onRecordingToggled: " + recordingInfo.getUser().getName() + " started recording");
        }

        @Override
        public void onError(com.cometchat.pro.rtc.exceptions.CometChatException ce) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onError: " + ce);
        }
    })
    .build();


CometChatCalls.startSession(callToken, callSettings, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(String s) {
        Log.e(TAG, "onSuccess" + s);
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(com.cometchat.pro.rtc.exceptions.CometChatException e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "onError: " + e);
    }
});

Kotlin

val videoContainer: RelativeLayout
val callToken: String = "" // Received on generate token onSuccess

val callSettings: CallSettings = CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder(this, videoContainer)
    .setDefaultLayoutEnable(true)
    .setIsAudioOnly(false)
    .setEventListener(object : CometChatCallsEventsListener {
        override fun onCallEnded() {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallEnded")
        }

        override fun onCallEndButtonPressed() {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallEndButtonPressed")
        }

        override fun onUserJoined(user: RTCUser) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserJoined: " + user.name)
        }

        override fun onUserLeft(user: RTCUser) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserLeft: " + user.name)
        }

        override fun onUserListChanged(users: ArrayList<RTCUser?>) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserListChanged: $users")
        }

        override fun onAudioModeChanged(devices: ArrayList<AudioMode?>) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onAudioModeChanged: $devices")
        }

        override fun onCallSwitchedToVideo(callSwitchRequestInfo: CallSwitchRequestInfo) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onCallSwitchedToVideo: $callSwitchRequestInfo")
        }

        override fun onUserMuted(muteObj: RTCMutedUser) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onUserMuted: " + muteObj.muted + " muted by " + muteObj.mutedBy)
        }

        override fun onRecordingToggled(recordingInfo: RTCRecordingInfo) {
            Log.e(
                TAG,
                "onRecordingToggled: " + recordingInfo.user.name + " started recording"
            )
        }

        override fun onError(ce: CometChatException) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onError: $ce")
        }
    })
    .build()


CometChatCalls.startSession(
    callToken,
    callSettings,
    object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
        override fun onSuccess(s: String) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onSuccess: $s")
        }

        override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
            Log.e(TAG, "onError: $e")
        }
    }
)

The setIsAudioOnly() method allows you to set if the call is supposed to be an audio call or an audio-video call. If set to true, the call will be an audio-only call else when set to false the call will be an audio-video call. The default will is false, so if not set, the call will be an audio-video call.

Parameter	Description
activityContext	The activity that you want to show the calling view in.
videoContainer	An object of the relativeLayout class in which CometChatCalls can load the calling views

Error Code	Error Messages
INVALID_PROP_EXCEPTION	If you pass an invalid prop to a functional component or you don't pass the required prop. example: Component requires valid call settings
API_ERROR	If there is some error thrown by the API server For example unauthorized
UNKNOWN_API_ERROR	If there is some API error but it didn't come from the server. For example, if the internet is not available and API is called.
AUTH_ERR_TOKEN_INVALID_SIGNATURE	if Token is invalid

The CometChatCallsEventsListener listener provides you with the below callback methods:

Callback Method	Description
onCallEnded()	This method is called when the call is successfully ended. The call details can be obtained from the Call object provided.
onCallEndButtonPressed()	This method is called when the user press end call button.
onUserJoined(user: RTCUser)	This method is called when any other user joins the call. The user details can be obtained from the User object provided.
onUserLeft(user: RTCUser)	This method is called when a user leaves the call. The details of the user can be obtained from the provided User object.
onUserListChanged(users: ArrayList<RTCUser?>)	This method is triggered every time a participant joins or leaves the call providing the list of users active in the call
onAudioModeChanged(devices: ArrayList<AudioMode?>)	This callback is triggered if any new audio output source is available or becomes unavailable.
onCallSwitchedToVideo(callSwitchRequestInfo: CallSwitchRequestInfo)	This callback is triggered when an audio call is converted into a video call.
onUserMuted(muteObj: RTCMutedUser)	This method is triggered when a user is muted in the ongoing call.
onRecordingToggled(recordingInfo: RTCRecordingInfo)	This method is triggered when a recording start/stop.
onError(ce: CometChatException)	This method is called when there is some error in establishing the call.

Settings

The CallSettings class is the most important class when it comes to the implementation of the Calling feature. This is the class that allows you to customize the overall calling experience. The properties for the call/conference can be set using the CallSettingsBuilder class. This will eventually give you and object of the CallSettings class which you can pass to the startSession() method to start the call.

The mandatory parameters that are required to be present for any call/conference to work are:

1. Context - context of the activity/application
2. RelativeLayout - A RelativeLayout object in which the calling UI is loaded.

The options available for customization of calls are:

Setting	Description
setDefaultLayoutEnable(boolean value)	If set to true enables the default layout for handling the call operations. If set to false it hides the button layout and just displays the Call View Default value = true
setIsAudioOnly(boolean value)	If set to true call is supposed to be an audio call if set to false call is supposed to be a video call Default Value = false
showEndCallButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the EndCallButton in Button Layout. if set to false it hides the EndCallButton in Button Layout Default value = true
showSwitchCameraButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the SwitchCameraButton in Button Layout. if set to false it hides the SwitchCameraButton in Button Layout Default value = true
showMuteAudioButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the MuteAudioButton in Button Layout. if set to false it hides the MuteAudioButton in Button Layout Default value = true
showPauseVideoButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the PauseVideoButton in Button Layout. if set to false it hides the PauseVideoButton in Button Layout Default value = true
showAudioModeButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the AudioModeButton in Button Layout. if set to false it hides the AudioModeButton in Button Layout Default value = true
setMode(boolean value)	CometChat provides 3 options for the calling UI. 1. CallSettings.MODE_DEFAULT 2. CallSettings.MODE_SPOTLIGHT 3. CallSettings.MODE_SINGLE Default value = CallSettings.MODE_DEFAULT
startWithAudioMuted(boolean value)	This ensures the call is started with the audio muted if set to true Default value = false
startWithVideoMuted(boolean value)	This ensures the call is started with the video muted if set to true Default value = false
setDefaultAudioMode(boolean value)	This method can be used if you wish to start the call with a specific audio mode. The available options are 1. CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_SPEAKER = "SPEAKER" 2. CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_EARPIECE = "EARPIECE" 3. CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_BLUETOOTH = "BLUETOOTH" 4. CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_HEADPHONES = "HEADPHONES"
showSwitchToVideoCallButton(boolean value)	This method shows/hides the switch to video call button. If set to true it will display the switch to video call button. If set to false it will hide the switch to video call button. Default value = true
showRecordingButton(boolean value)	If set to true it displays the Recording Button if set to false it hides the Recording Button Default value = false
autoRecordOnCallStart(boolean value)	If set to true it start recording automatically once call is connected Default value = false
setAvatarMode(boolean value)	This method sets the mode of avatar. The avatar mode can be one of the below constants: 1. CallSettings.AVATAR_MODE_CIRCLE 2. CallSettings.AVATAR_MODE_SQUARE 3. _CallSettings._AVATAR_MODE_FULLSCREEN Default value = CallSettings.AVATAR_MODE_CIRCLE
setMainVideoContainerSetting(videoSettings)	This method can be used to customize the main video container. You can read more about this here.
enableVideoTileDrag(boolean value)	This method can be used to enable/disable video tile drag functionality in Spotlight mode. Default value = true
enableVideoTileClick(boolean value)	This method can be used to enable/disable video tile click functionality in Spotlight mode. Default value = true
setEventListener(new CometChatCallsEventsListener())	The CometChatCallsEventsListener listener provides you callbacks

In case you wish to achieve a completely customised UI for the Calling experience, you can do so by embedding default android buttons to the screen as per your requirement and then use the below methods to achieve different functionalities for the embedded buttons.

For the use case where you wish to align your own custom buttons and not use the default layout provided by CometChat you can embed the buttons in your layout and use the below methods to perform the corresponding operations:

Switch Camera

You can call switchCamera() Method to toggle between camera sources.

Java

CometChatCalls.switchCamera();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.switchCamera()

Mute Audio

You can call muteAudio() Method to mute your Audio Stream to the end-user.

Java

CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true);

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true)

if set to true the audio Stream is muted and if set tofalse the audio Stream is transmitted.

Pause Video

You can call pauseVideo() Method to pause Video Stream to the end-user.

Java

CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true);

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true)

if set to true the video Stream is muted and if set tofalse video Stream is transmitted.

Set Audio Mode

You can call setAudioMode() to set the output of the audio stream.

Java

String audioMode = CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_EARPIECE;
CometChatCalls.setAudioMode(audioMode);

Kotlin

val audioMode = CometChatConstants.AUDIO_MODE_EARPIECE
CometChatCalls.setAudioMode(audioMode)

The audio mode string can have either one of the below 4 values:

• AUDIO_MODE_SPEAKER = "SPEAKER"
• AUDIO_MODE_EARPIECE = "EARPIECE"
• AUDIO_MODE_BLUETOOTH = "BLUETOOTH"
• AUDIO_MODE_HEADPHONES= "HEADPHONES"

Enter PIP Mode

If you are using a PIP (Picture-In-Picture) mode in your app and you want to render calling view in PIP then you can call enterPIPMode() method.

Java

CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.enterPIPMode()

Exit PIP Mode

You can call exitPIPMode() to enter in PIP mode.

Java

CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.exitPIPMode()

Switch to Video Call

You can call switchToVideoCall() to switch from audio call to video call

Java

CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall()

Start Recording

You can call startRecording() to start the recording

Java

CometChatCalls.startRecording();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.startRecording()

Stop Recording

You can call stopRecording() to stop the recording

Java

CometChatCalls.stopRecording();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.stopRecording()

End Call

You can call CometChatCalls.endSession() to end the call

Java

CometChatCalls.endSession();

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.endSession()