Adapters

Access or replace the RecyclerView Adapter to control how list items are rendered and manage list data directly.

List-based components like CometChatConversations use a RecyclerView.Adapter to bind data to list items. You can access the default adapter to manipulate data, or replace it entirely with a custom implementation.

Accessing the Adapter

Kotlin

val conversations = CometChatConversations(context)
val adapter: ConversationsAdapter = conversations.getConversationsAdapter()

Java

CometChatConversations conversations = new CometChatConversations(context);
ConversationsAdapter adapter = conversations.getConversationsAdapter();

Replacing the Adapter

Use setAdapter to replace the default adapter with a custom implementation:

Kotlin

val customAdapter = ConversationsAdapter(context)
// Configure your custom adapter...
conversations.setAdapter(customAdapter)

Java

ConversationsAdapter customAdapter = new ConversationsAdapter(context);
// Configure your custom adapter...
conversations.setAdapter(customAdapter);

Data Manipulation API

The adapter provides methods to programmatically manage the list data:

Method	Description
setList(List<Conversation>)	Replace the entire list
addList(List<Conversation>)	Append conversations to the end
add(Conversation)	Add a single conversation to the end
add(int position, Conversation)	Insert a conversation at a specific position
remove(int position)	Remove a conversation by position
remove(Conversation)	Remove a specific conversation
clear()	Remove all conversations
updateConversation(Conversation)	Update an existing conversation in place
getConversationsList()	Get the current list of conversations

Kotlin

val adapter = conversations.getConversationsAdapter()

// Get the current list
val currentList = adapter.getConversationsList()

// Add a conversation at the top
adapter.add(0, newConversation)

// Remove a conversation
adapter.remove(conversation)

// Replace the entire list
adapter.setList(filteredConversations)

Java

ConversationsAdapter adapter = conversations.getConversationsAdapter();

// Get the current list
List<Conversation> currentList = adapter.getConversationsList();

// Add a conversation at the top
adapter.add(0, newConversation);

// Remove a conversation
adapter.remove(conversation);

// Replace the entire list
adapter.setList(filteredConversations);

View Slots on the Adapter

The adapter exposes the same view slot setters as the View layer. When you set a view slot on the View (e.g., conversations.setSubtitleView(...)), it delegates to the adapter internally. You can also set view slots directly on the adapter:

Adapter Method	Equivalent View Method
adapter.setLeadingView(...)	conversations.setLeadingView(...)
adapter.setTitleView(...)	conversations.setTitleView(...)
adapter.setSubtitleView(...)	conversations.setSubtitleView(...)
adapter.setTrailingView(...)	conversations.setTrailingView(...)
adapter.setItemView(...)	conversations.setItemView(...)

Setting view slots directly on the adapter is useful when you’ve replaced the adapter with setAdapter and need to configure it before attaching.

Adapter Style Propagation

The adapter has its own style setter methods. These are typically called internally by the View layer, but you can use them directly when working with a custom adapter:

Method	Applies To
setConversationsAvatarStyle(@StyleRes int)	Avatar style for list items
setConversationsBadgeStyle(@StyleRes int)	Unread badge style
setConversationsReceiptStyle(@StyleRes int)	Message receipt icon style
setConversationsDateStyle(@StyleRes int)	Date/time label style
setConversationsTypingIndicatorStyle(@StyleRes int)	Typing indicator style
setConversationsStatusIndicatorStyle(@StyleRes int)	Online/offline status indicator style

Related

• View Slots — Learn the ViewHolderListener pattern used by adapter view slots.
• ViewModel & Data — Manage data at the ViewModel level instead of the adapter.
• Customization Overview — See all customization categories.