Key Benefit: Powerful message retrieval system that supports filtering by tags, message types, deletion status, and threading with real-time live collections for responsive chat interfaces.

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Feature Overview

The getMessages function provides comprehensive message retrieval capabilities, allowing you to fetch messages from specific subchannels based on various criteria. This function returns a live collection that automatically updates when messages are added, modified, or deleted.

Advanced Filtering

Comprehensive query parameters
  • Filter by tags (including/excluding)
  • Message type filtering
  • Deleted message inclusion
  • Thread-based querying

Real-time Updates

Live collection benefits
  • Automatic data synchronization
  • Real-time message updates
  • Efficient pagination handling
  • Memory-optimized collections

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Implementation Guide

Retrieve messages from a subchannel with optional filteringQuery messages with various filtering options to get exactly the messages you need for your chat interface.

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Required Parameters

ParameterTypeDescription
subChannelIdStringThe ID of the subchannel from which to retrieve messages

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Optional Parameters

ParameterTypeDescription
includingTagsArray<String>Filter messages that contain at least one of the specified tags
excludingTagsArray<String>Exclude messages that contain any of the specified tags
includeDeletedBooleanWhether to include deleted messages in results (default: false)
typeMessageTypeFilter by specific message type (TEXT, IMAGE, FILE, AUDIO, VIDEO, CUSTOM)
sortOptionSortOptionSort order: firstCreated (oldest first) or lastCreated (newest first)

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Code Examples

// Basic message query with tag filtering
let messageQueryOptions = AmityMessageQueryOptions(
    subChannelId: "subChannel-123", 
    includingTags: ["games"], 
    excludingTags: ["staff-only"], 
    sortOption: .lastCreated
)
let messagesCollection = messageRepository.getMessages(options: messageQueryOptions)

// Observe messages with real-time updates
token = messageRepository.getMessages(options: messageQueryOptions).observe({ collection, change, error in
    if let error {
        print("Error: \(error).")
        return
    }
    for message in collection.allObjects() {
        // Handle each message in the collection
    }
})
Sorting Options: Use firstCreated for chronological order (oldest first) or lastCreated for reverse chronological order (newest first, typical for chat interfaces).

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Query Strategies

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Best Practices

Send Messages

Message Creation Learn how to send new messages to channels

Edit & Delete

Message Management Modify and remove messages after sending

Live Collections

Real-time Data Understand live collection patterns and benefits
Implementation Strategy: Start with basic message querying using live collections, then add filtering capabilities as needed. Always implement proper error handling for network issues and invalid parameters to ensure robust chat experiences.