Reply to a message

This action replies to a specific message in a channel. You can only reply to text and file messages, not admin messages.

Sending reply messages works much like sending regular messages to a channel except replies require an additional parent_message_id property.

HTTP request

POST https://api-{application_id}.sendbird.com/v3/{channel_type}/{channel_url}/messages

Parameters

The following table lists the parameters that this action supports.

Required

Parameter name	Type	Description
channel_type	string	Specifies the type of the channel. Acceptable values are `open_channels` and `group_channels`.
channel_url	string	Specifies the URL of the target channel.

Request body

The following tables list the properties of an HTTP request that this action supports for a text message, file message, multiple file message, and admin message.

List of properties for text message

Properties

Required	Type	Description
message_type	string	Specifies the type of the message. The value of `MESG` represents a text message.
user_id	string	Specifies the user ID of the sender.
message	string	Specifies the content of the message.
parent_message_id	long	Specifies the unique ID of a message to add a reply to.

Optional	Type	Description
custom_type	string	Specifies a custom message type used for message grouping. The length is limited to 128 characters. * Custom types are also used to segment metrics within Sendbird's Advanced analytics, which enables the sub-classification of data views.
data	string	Specifies additional message information. This property serves as a container for a long text of any type of characters which can also be a JSON-formatted string like `{"font-size": "24px"}`. More details on what can be stored in this field are available here.
send_push	boolean	Determines whether to send a push notification of the message to the channel members. This property only applies to group channels. If the value of the application attribute `enable_push_for_replies` is `false`, no push notifications are sent. If the value of the user attribute `enable_push_for_replies` is also `false`, the user doesn't receive any push notifications from replies. (Default: `true`)
push_message_template	string or object	Specifies the content of a push notification customized for the message. This property only applies to group channels. To choose from a push notification content template within your Sendbird application, specify a string value of `default` or `alternative`. To create a new push notification content tailored to the message being sent, use the properties listed below to specify its title and body in a nested object format. * This property overrides the application's default push notification content template or the preference chosen by the user.
push_message_template.title	string	Specifies the title of the custom push notification template. You can customize the title using the variables `sender_name` and `message`, which can be later replaced with corresponding real values when the template is sent out as a notification request to FCM, HMS, or APNs.
push_message_template.body	string	Specifies the body of the custom push notification template. You can customize the body using the variables `sender_name` and `message`, which can be later replaced with corresponding real values when the template is sent out as a notification request to FCM, HMS, or APNs. If not specified, the body by default contains the message content inside the `message` property.
mention_type	string	Specifies the mentioning method that indicates which user gets a notification of the message. Acceptable values are `users` and `channel`. If set to `users`, only the users specified in the `mentioned_user_ids` property below get notified. If set to `channel`, all users in the channel get notified. (Default: `users`)
mentioned_user_ids[]	array of strings	Specifies an array of one or more IDs of the users who get a notification of the message.
mark_as_read	boolean	Determines whether to mark the message as read for the sender. If set to `false`, the sender's `unread_count` and `read_receipt` remain unchanged after the message is sent. (Default: `true`)
sorted_metaarray	array of objects	Specifies an array of JSON objects consisting of key-values items that store additional message information to be used for classification and filtering. Items are saved and returned in the exact order they've been specified. More details on what can be stored in this field are available here.
created_at	long	Specifies the time when the message was sent in Unix milliseconds format. This property can be used when migrating messages from another system to the Sendbird server. If specified, the server sets the time of message creation as the property value.
dedup_id	string	Specifies a unique ID for the message created by another system. In general, this property is used to prevent the same message data from getting inserted when migrating messages from another system to the Sendbird server. If specified, the server performs a duplicate check using the property value.
reply_to_channel	boolean	Determines whether to send the message as a reply to the channel. (Default: `false`)

List of properties for file message

Properties

Required	Type	Description
message_type	string	Specifies the type of the message. The value of `FILE` represents a file message.
user_id	string	Specifies the user ID of the sender.
parent_message_id	long	Specifies the unique ID of a message to add a reply to.
file	string	When sending a single file with a message, specifies the data of the file to upload to the Sendbird server in raw binary format. When sending a request containing a file, change the value of the `content-type` header to `multipart/form-data;boundary={your_unique_boundary_string}` in the request. Refer to the code examples of HTTP multipart request and cURL. * This doesn't allow a converted `base64-encoded` string from a file as its value.
files	array of objects	When sending a single file through its URL or sending multiple files, specifies the data of files to upload to the Sendbird server either in raw binary format or by their location. When sending a request containing files, change the value of the `content-type` header to `multipart/form-data;boundary={your_unique_boundary_string}` in the request. Refer to the code examples of HTTP multipart request and cURL. * This doesn't allow a converted `base64-encoded` string from a file as its value.
~~root_message_id~~	long	*(Deprecated)* Reserved value. This must be the same as `parent_message_id`.
~~url~~	string	*(Deprecated)* Specifies the URL of the file hosted on the server of your own or other third-party companies. If this `url` property is specified, the `file` property is not required.

Optional	Type	Description
file_name	string	If the `file` property is used for upload, the `name` response property is always set based on what the input file is called. If the `url` property is used, the file `name` can be set to any string you want using the `file_name` request property. If no `file_name` is supplied, the `name` response property defaults to an empty string.
file_size	int	If the `file` property is used for upload, the `size` response property is always set based on the input file size. If the `url` property is used, the file `size` can be set to be any int you want using the `file_size` request property. If no `file_size` is supplied, the `size` response property defaults to `0`. File size is stored in bytes.
file_type	string	If the `file` property is used for upload, the `type` response property is always set based on the input file type e.g image/jpeg. If the `url` property is used, the file `type` can be set to any string you want using the `file_type` request property. If no `file_type` is supplied, the `type` response property defaults to an empty string.
thumbnails	array of strings or objects	If the `url` property is used for upload, thumbnail images aren't automatically generated by Sendbird. However, you can pass an array of strings or objects of external thumbnail image URLs to store a reference to those images in the Sendbird server.
thumbnail1 thumbnail2 thumbnail3	string	If the `file` property is used for upload and the auto-thumbnail generation feature is enabled, up to three thumbnails can be generated by passing the `thumbnail1`, `thumbnail2`, and `thumbnail3` properties. The value of these properties is a string of the desired height and width in pixels (e.g. `"100,100"`). To see an example of how to make this request, refer to the request body and response samples.
custom_type	string	Specifies a custom message type used for message grouping. The length is limited to 128 characters. * Custom types are also used to segment metrics within Sendbird's Advanced analytics, which enables the sub-classification of data views.
data	string	Specifies additional message information. This property serves as a container for a long text of any type of characters which can also be a JSON-formatted string like `{"fileDescription": "an mp3 of a pop song"}`. More details on what can be stored in this field are available here.
require_auth	boolean	Determines whether to require an authentication key to verify if the file is being properly accessed. Only the user who uploaded the file or users who are in the channel where the file was uploaded should have access. The authentication key managed internally by the Sendbird system is generated every time a user logs in to the Sendbird server and is valid for three days starting from the last login. If set to `false`, Sendbird tries to access a file without any key. To access encrypted files, such as the files in the Sendbird server which are by default encrypted, the property must be set to `true`. (Default: `false`)
send_push	boolean	Determines whether to send a push notification of the message to the channel members. This property only applies to group channels. If the value of the application attribute `enable_push_for_replies` is `false`, no push notifications are sent. If the value of the user attribute `enable_push_for_replies` is also `false`, the user doesn't receive any push notifications from replies. (Default: `true`)
mention_type	string	Specifies the mentioning method that indicates which user gets a notification of the message. Acceptable values are `users` and `channel`. If set to `users`, only the users specified in the `mentioned_user_ids` property below get notified. If set to `channel`, all users in the channel get notified. (Default: `users`)
mentioned_user_ids[]	array of strings	Specifies an array of one or more IDs of the users who get a notification of the message.
mark_as_read	boolean	Determines whether to mark the message as read for the sender. If set to `false`, the sender's `unread_count` and `read_receipt` remain unchanged after the message is sent. (Default: `true`)
sorted_metaarray	array of objects	Specifies an array of JSON objects consisting of key-values items that store additional message information to be used for classification and filtering. Items are saved and returned in the exact order they've been specified. More details on what can be stored in this field are available here.
created_at	long	Specifies the time when the message was sent in Unix milliseconds format. This property can be used when migrating messages from another system to the Sendbird server. If specified, the server sets the time of message creation as the property value.
dedup_id	string	Specifies a unique ID for the message created by another system. In general, this property is used to prevent the same message data from getting inserted when migrating messages from another system to the Sendbird server. If specified, the server performs a duplicate check using the property value.
reply_to_channel	boolean	Determines whether to send the message as a reply to the channel. (Default: `false`)

Response

If successful, this action returns a message resource in the response body.

Status: 200 OK

{
    "message_id": 1972,
    "type": "MESG",
    "is_silent": false,
    "parent_message_id": 1970,
    "custom_type": "Sports",
    "channel_url": "uefa_footballgroup_g_001",
    "user": {
        "user_id": "cindy123",
        "nickname": "Cindy_",
        "profile_url": "",
        "metadata": {}
    },
    "mention_type": "users",
    "mentioned_users": [],
    "is_removed": false,
    "message": "The game starts in an hour.",
    "translations": {},
    "data": "{\"font\":\"arial\"}",
    "created_at": 1590786264170,
    "updated_at": 0,
    "file": {},
    "message_survival_seconds": -1,
    "parent_message_info": {  // This replaces parent_message_text.
        "message": "https://football.com/example-image.jpg",
        "user": {
            "user_id": "user id",
            "nickname": "nickname",
            "profile_url": "url",
            "metadata": {},
            },
        "data": "{\"font\":\"arial\"}",
        "type": "FILE",  // The value can be MESG or FILE.
        "file": {  // This part is included only when the message type is FILE.
            "name": "filename.jpg",
            "type": "image/jpg",
            "url": "https://url",
            "require_auth": "false"
        },
        "ts": 1544421761159
    },
    "is_reply_to_channel": true
}

In the case of an error, an error object is returned. A detailed list of error codes is available here.

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HTTP request Parameters Request body Response