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Version: v3

Default Calling

This section will provide information on how a complete calling workflow can be set up using CometChat. We've built the complete workflow to help your users make calls, receive calls as well as accept/reject calls.

Let us assume Alex to be the call initiator and Bob is the receiver.

  1. Alex initiates the call to Bob using the initiateCall() method.

  2. Bob now has two choices:

    1. Accept the call from Alex using the acceptCall() method.
    2. Reject the call from Alex using the rejectCall() method passing the status as rejected.

  3. In the meantime, Alex has the option to cancel the call he initiated to Bob using the rejectCall() method passing the status as cancelled.

  4. If Bob accepts the call from Alex, both Alex and Bob need to call the startCall() method. Alex in the onOutgoingCallAccepted() method of the CallListener and Bob in the success obtained from the acceptCall() method and both will be connected to each other.

Initiate Call​

The initiateCall() method sends a call request to a user or a group.

var receiverID = "UID";
var callType = CometChat.CALL_TYPE.VIDEO;
var receiverType = CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER;

var call = new CometChat.Call(receiverID, callType, receiverType);

CometChat.initiateCall(call).then(
outGoingCall => {
  console.log("Call initiated successfully:", outGoingCall);
}, error => {
  console.log("Call initialization failed with exception:", error);
}
);

This method takes an object of the Call class. The constructor for Call class takes the following parameters:

ParameterDescription
receiverIDThe UID or GUID of the recipient
receiverTypeThe type of the receiver can be,
1.CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.USER
2.CometChat.RECEIVER_TYPE.GROUP
callTypeThe type of call can be,
1.CometChat.CALL_TYPE.AUDIO
2.CometChat.CALL_TYPE.VIDEO

On successful initialization, a Call object is returned with the details of the call including a unique session ID for the call.

Receive Calls​

Wherever you wish to receive the call events in, you need to register the CallListener listener using the addCallListener() method.

var listnerID = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";
CometChat.addCallListener(
listnerID,
new CometChat.CallListener({
  onIncomingCallReceived: (call) => {
    console.log("Incoming call:", call);
  },
  onOutgoingCallAccepted: (call) => {
    console.log("Outgoing call accepted:", call);
  },
  onOutgoingCallRejected: (call) => {
    console.log("Outgoing call rejected:", call);
  },
  onIncomingCallCancelled: (call) => {
    console.log("Incoming call calcelled:", call);
  }
})
);
ParametrerDescription
listenerIDAn ID that uniquely identifies that listener. We recommend using the activity or fragment name

We recommend you remove the listener once the activity or fragment is not in use.

var listenerID = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChat.removeCallListener(listenerID);

As mentioned in the Overview section, Once the call is initiated, there are three options that can be possible:

  1. The receiver of the call accepts the call.
  2. The receiver of the call rejects the call.
  3. The initiator of the call cancels the call.

Please find below how these three scenarios can be implemented:

Accept the Incoming Call​

Once you have received an incoming call from a user or in any group, to accept the call using the acceptCall() method.

var sessionID = "SESSION_ID";

CometChat.acceptCall(sessionID).then(
call => {
  console.log("Call accepted successfully:", call);
}, error => {
  console.log("Call acceptance failed with error", error);
}
);
ParameterDescription
sessionIDThe unique session ID available in the Call object

Reject the Incoming Call​

To reject the incoming call once it is received using the rejectCall() method.

var sessionID = "SESSION_ID";
var status = CometChat.CALL_STATUS.REJECTED;

CometChat.rejectCall(sessionID, status).then(
call => {
  console.log("Call rejected successfully", call);
}, error => {
  console.log("Call rejection failed with error:", error);
}
);
ParameterDescription
sessionIDThe unique session ID available in the Call object
statusReason for rejection of the call

Here the status needs to be set as CometChat.CALL_STATUS.REJECTED as the call is being rejected by the receiver of the call.

Cancel the Outgoing Call​

In the case where the initiator wishes to cancel the call, use the same above rejectCall() method and just pass the status to the rejectCall() method as CometChat.CALL_STATUS.CANCELLED

Start a Call​

Once the call request is sent and the receiver has accepted the call, both the initiator and the receiver need to call the startCall() method.

You need to call this method for two scenarios:

  1. After you accept an incoming call i.e. in the onSuccess() callback of the acceptCall() method.
  2. After the recipient accepts an outgoing call i.e. in the onOutgoingCallAccepted() callback of the CallListener listener.
/**
* You can get the call Object from the success of acceptCall() or from the onOutgoingCallAccepted() callback of the CallListener.
*/
var sessionId = call.sessionId;
var callType = call.type;
var callSettings = new CometChat.CallSettingsBuilder()
  								.setSessionID(sessionId)
  								.enableDefaultLayout(true)
  								.setIsAudioOnlyCall(callType == 'audio' ? true : false)
  								.build();
CometChat.startCall(
callSettings,
document.getElementById("callScreen"),
new CometChat.OngoingCallListener({
  onUserJoined: user => {
    console.log("User joined call:", user);
  },
  onUserLeft: user => {
    console.log("User left call:", user);
  },
  onUserListUpdated: userList => {
  		console.log("user list:", userList);
  },
  onCallEnded: call => {
    console.log("Call ended:", call);
  },
  onError: error => {
    console.log("Error :", error);
  },
  onMediaDeviceListUpdated: deviceList => {
    console.log("Device List:", deviceList);
  },
  onUserMuted: (userMuted, userMutedBy) => {
    // This event will work in JS SDK v3.0.2-beta1 & later.
    console.log("Listener => onUserMuted:", userMuted, userMutedBy);
  },
  onScreenShareStarted: () => {
    // This event will work in JS SDK v3.0.3 & later.
    console.log("Screen sharing started.");
  },
  onScreenShareStopped: () => {
    // This event will work in JS SDK v3.0.3 & later.
    console.log("Screen sharing stopped.");
  },
	onCallSwitchedToVideo: (sessionId, callSwitchInitiatedBy, callSwitchAcceptedBy) => {
    	// This event will work in JS SDK v3.0.8 & later.
      console.log("call switched to video:", {sessionId, callSwitchInitiatedBy, callSwitchAcceptedBy});
  }
})
);
Please Note:

The current startCall() method which takes the sessionId, view, Ongoing Call Listener to load the call view is deprecated and will be replaced in the future versions. It will continue to work on this version but we suggest moving to the new method as shown above using the object of the CallSettings class as the parameter.

ParameterDescription
callSettingsObject of CallSettings class.
callScreenDOM element where you want show the call UI.
OngoingCallListenerCometChat.OngoingCallListener where the real-time events will be received.

The OngoingCallListener listener provides you with the below callback methods:

Callback MethodDescription
onUserJoined(user)This method is called when any other user joins the call. The user details can be obtained from the User object provided.
onUserLeft(user)This method is called when a user leaves the call. The details of the user can be obtained from the provided User object.
onError()This method is called when there is some error in establishing the call.
onCallEnded()This method is called when the call is successfully ended. The call details can be obtained from the Call object provided.
onUserListUpdated(userList)This method is triggered every time a participant joins or leaves the call providing the list of users active in the call.
onMediaDeviceListUpdated(deviceList)This method is triggered if any new audio output source is available or becomes unavailable.
onUserMuted(userMuted, userMutedBy)This method is triggered when a user is muted in the ongoing call.
onScreenShareStarted()This method is triggered when the local user starts sharing a screen.
onScreenShareStopped()This method is triggered when the local user stops sharing a screen.
onCallSwitchedToVideo(sessionId, callSwitchInitiatedBy, callSwitchAcceptedBy)This callback is triggered when an audio call is converted into a video 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 an object of the CallSettings class which you can pass to the startCall() method to start the call.

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

  1. sessionId - The unique session Id for the call/conference session.

The options available for customization of calls are:

SettingDescription
enableDefaultLayout(defaultLayout: boolean)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
showEndCallButton(showEndCallButton: boolean)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
showPauseVideoButton(showPauseVideoButton: boolean)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
showMuteAudioButton(showMuteAudioButton: boolean)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
showScreenShareButton(showScreenShareButton: boolean)If set to true it displays the ShareScreenButton in Button Layout.
if set to false it hides the ShareScreenButton in Button Layout.
Default value = true
showModeButton(showModeButton: boolean)If set to true it displays the ShowModeButton in Button Layout.
if set to false it hides the ShowModeButton in Button Layout.
Default value = true
setIsAudioOnlyCall(audioOnly: boolean)If set to true, the call will be strictly an audio call. If ser to false, the call will be an audio-video call.
Default value = false
setMode(mode: string)CometChat provides 4 options for the calling UI.
1. CometChat.CALL_MODE.DEFAULT
2. CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT
3. CometChat.CALL_MODE.SINGLE
4. CometChat.CALL_MODE.GRID
Default value = CometChat.CALL_MODE.DEFAULT
startWithAudioMuted(audioMuted: boolean)This ensures the call is started with the audio muted if set to true.
Default value = false
startWithVideoMuted(videoMuted: boolean)This ensures the call is started with the video paused if set to true.
Default value = false
setCustomCSS(customCSS: string)This will apply the given CSS on the Calling UI.
For example:
let customCSS = ".main-container{border: 1px solid yellow}";
setCustomCSS(customCSS)
You can read more about custom CSS here.
forceLegacyUI(useLegacyUI: boolean)This ensures that the legacy UI is used.


Default value = true
showSwitchToVideoCallButton(switchCall: boolean)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
setMainVideoContainerSetting(containerSettings: MainVideoContainerSetting)This method can be used to customize the main video container. You can read more about this here.

In case you wish to achieve a completely customized 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:

Mute Audio​

You can call the muteAudio(mute: boolean) method to mute/unmute your audio stream.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.muteAudio(true);

If set to true the audio stream will be muted and if set to false the audio stream will be unmuted.

Pause Video​

You can call the pauseVideo(pause: boolean) method to pause/unpause video stream.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.pauseVideo(true);

If set to true the video stream will be paused and if set to false the video stream will be unpaused.

Start Screen Share​

You can call startScreenShare() to start the screen share.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.startScreenShare();

Stop Screen Share​

You can call stopScreenShare() to stop the screen share.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.stopScreenShare();

Set Mode​

You can use the setMode(mode: string) method to set the mode.

let mode = CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT;
let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.setMode(mode);

Get Audio Input Devices​

You can use the getAudioInputDevices() method to get all the available audio input devices.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
let audioInputDevices = callController.getAudioInputDevices();

Get Audio Output Devices​

You can use the getAudioOutputDevices() method to get all the available audio output devices.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
let audioOutputDevices = callController.getAudioOutputDevices();

Get Video Input Devices​

You can use the getVideoInputDevices() method to get all the available video input devices.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
let videoInputDevices = callController.getVideoInputDevices();

Set Audio Input Device​

You can use the setAudioInputDevice(deviceId) method to set the active audio input device.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.setAudioInputDevice(deviceId);

Set Audio Output Device​

You can use the setAudioOutputDevice(deviceId) method to set the active audio output device.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.setAudioOutputDevice(deviceId);

Set Video Input Device​

You can use the setVideoInputDevice(deviceId) method to set the active video input device.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.setVideoInputDevice(deviceId);

Switch To Video Call​

You can use the switchToVideoCall() method to switch from audio call to video call.

let callController = CometChat.CallController.getInstance();
callController.switchToVideoCall();

End Call​

You can use the CometChat.endCall() method of the CometChat class to end the call.

CometChat.endCall("SESSION_ID_FOR_THE_CALL").then(
  call => {
  	console.log('call ended', call);
  }, error => {
  	console.log('error', error);
  }
);

Active Call​

CometChat provides a method to get the details of the call that is currently active. The CometChat.getActiveCall() will return an object of the Call class containing the details of the ongoing call. If there is no ongoing call this method will return null.

let activeCall = CometChat.getActiveCall();
Important

The getActiveCall() method will only return the details of the active call for the ongoing session in which the call has been started. If the app is restarted, the data will be lost.

Call Participant Count​

In order to get the number of participants in any call, you can use the getCallParticipantCount() method. This method takes the session id for the call and returns the number of participants that are active in the call.

let sessionId = "CALL_SESSION_ID";
let callType = "DEFAULT";

CometChat.getCallParticipantCount(sessionId, callType).then(
  count => {
  	console.log("Participants count =", count);
  }, error => {
  	console.log("Some error occurred =", error);
  }
);