Embedded Chat: A staple in excellent customer service

An easy-to-use, full-stack component (React.js + backend behaviors) for embedding Rocket.Chat into your web app.

EmbeddedChat is a full-stack React component designed to integrate Rocket.Chat into your web app. It is fully configurable, extensible, and flexible, offering various preconfigured designs, multiple login options, and more. The component is tightly integrated with the Rocket.Chat server using the Rocket.Chat SDK, and its entire UI is built using custom components.

Installation and Usage

Installation and usage documentation could be found here EmbeddedChat installation and usage

Development

Local Setup

To develop and test EmbeddedChat, you need a local instance of the Rocket.Chat server. Follow the guide in the Rocket.Chat Developer Docs for setting up a Rocket.Chat development environment.

Ensure that the "Enable CORS" option is turned on in your Rocket.Chat server. You can find it under Administration > Settings > General > REST API > Enable CORS. This setting must be enabled to access the app's functionality.

Prerequisites

• Node.js: Version 16.19.0 is required. Use Node Version Manager (NVM) for easy switching between Node.js versions.

  To install and use the correct Node.js version, execute the following commands with the specific version number:

  nvm install <version>
  nvm use <version>

  Replace <version> with the required Node.js version

• Yarn Workspaces: Ensure Yarn workspaces are enabled. If not, run:

  corepack enable

Install Dependencies

Install all necessary dependencies by navigating to the root directory of EmbeddedChat and running:

yarn

Build Packages

After installing dependencies, build the packages (auth, api, and react) by running the following command in the root directory:

yarn build

Starting Storybook for React

Navigate to the react package directory and start Storybook with the following commands:

cd packages/react
yarn storybook

Storybook should now be operational. Experiment with EmbeddedChat and its components, observing real-time changes in Storybook.

Custom Rocket Chat Server Configuration

By default, Storybook connects to http://localhost:3000. To use a different Rocket Chat server:

Create a .env file in the packages/react directory.

Set the STORYBOOK_RC_HOST variable:

STORYBOOK_RC_HOST=<your-custom-url>

Alternatively, run this command in the packages/react directory:

STORYBOOK_RC_HOST=<your-custom-url> yarn storybook

Package Development Overview

The project uses a monorepo structure with three key packages: react, auth, and api. Each package fulfills a vital role in the application:

React Package Development

The react package serves as the main frontend component, having all UI elements and views. It interfaces with the auth and api packages to manage interactions with the Rocket.Chat server, including API calls and authentication.

To develop and test changes in the react package:

1. Navigate to the directory of the react package:

cd packages/react

2. Start Storybook to view live changes:

yarn storybook

Auth Package Development

To develop and test changes in the auth package:

1. Navigate to the auth package directory:

   cd packages/auth

2. Start the development server:

   yarn dev

API Package Development

For development in the api package:

1. Navigate to the api package directory:

   cd packages/api

2. Start the development server:

   yarn dev

Development Workflow Notes:

• The react package relies on the api package. After making changes to the api, rebuild it using yarn build in packages/api, and then restart the React project.

• Similarly, the api package depends on the auth package. After making changes to auth, rebuild it using yarn build in packages/auth, and then restart the api development environment.

This structured approach facilitates cohesive development and integration across all components of the application.

Conclusion

This environment offers a complete setup for developing and testing the EmbeddedChat component, alongside its api and auth packages. Feel free to explore and enhance the capabilities of EmbeddedChat!

Contributors