Create a poll

The polls feature allows group channel members and channel operators to create and send a poll attached to text messages. A poll usually consists of a question and at least one poll option that users can vote on. The functionality provides an easier way to gather feedback from groups of all sizes, collect data from customers, and drive user engagement. You can configure various settings for your poll, including when the poll will close and whether to allow users to add poll options or vote on multiple poll options.

To use polls in your Sendbird application, you must activate the polls feature on Sendbird Dashboard. Go to Settings > Chat > Features and turn on Polls.

Refer to the following limitations when using polls.

• Polls can't be sent in the form of following message types: file messages, admin messages, and scheduled text messages.

• Data on polls isn't included in the result when exporting message data.

• The table below shows the types of channels that support polls. See the channel types section to learn about the differences among various channel types.

Note: The maximum number of options that can be added to a poll differs depending on your Sendbird subscription plan. For further information, contact our sales team.

You can create a poll by creating and passing a PollCreateParams object as an argument to the parameter in the create() method.

val params = PollCreateParams(
        title = "Title",
        optionTexts = listOf("Option 1", "Option 2"),
        data = PollData("Additional data"),
        allowUserSuggestion = false,
        allowMultipleVotes = false,
        closeAt = -1 // If you don't want to specify a closing time, then pass -1.
)

Poll.create(params) { poll, e ->
    if (e != null) {
        // Handle error.
    }

    // After creating a poll, the poll is sent to the channel.
    if (poll != null) {
        val userMessageParams = UserMessageCreateParams("Poll").apply {
            pollId = poll.id
        }
        channel.sendUserMessage(userMessageParams) { message, e ->
            if (e != null) {
                // Handle error.
            }
        }
    }
}

Through PollHandler, the Sendbird server always notifies whether your poll has been successfully created.

fun interface PollHandler {
    fun onResult(poll: Poll?, e: SendbirdException?)
}