Message Formats
MsgBody
Message content is entered in the fields of MsgBody. Tencent Cloud Chat supports multiple message elements in one message, for example, a message can contain both text and emojis. Therefore, MsgBody is defined as an array that can include as many message elements as needed. The name for a message element is TIMMsgElement. For examples of the TIMMsgElements that constitute the MsgBody, see MsgBody Message Content Examples.
The format of TIMMsgElement is defined as follows:
{"MsgType": "","MsgContent": {}}
Field | Type | Description |
MsgType | String | The type of the message element. Currently, these message objects are supported: TIMTextElem (text message), TIMLocationElem (location message), TIMFaceElem (emoji message), TIMCustomElem (custom message), TIMSoundElem (audio message), TIMImageElem (image message), TIMFileElem (file message), and TIMVideoFileElem (video message). |
MsgContent | Object | The content of the message element. Each MsgType has its own MsgContent format. For more information, see below. |
The following table lists the message types (MsgType) that are currently supported:
Value of MsgType | Type |
TIMTextElem | Text |
TIMLocationElem | Geographic location |
TIMFaceElem | Emoji |
TIMCustomElem | Custom. When the receiver is an iOS device and the app is working in the background, this type of message provides fields other than text to APNs. A combined message can contain only one TIMCustomElem custom message element. |
TIMSoundElem | Voice |
TIMImageElem | Image |
TIMFileElem | File |
TIMVideoFileElem | Video |
Caution
Messages of the above types can be sent by server-side integrated RESTful APIs.
TIMMsgElement
Text message element
{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "hello world"}}
Field | Type | Description |
Text | String | Content of the message. When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, messages of this type are displayed as offline push text. |
When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, the
Text
field in the JSON request packet is displayed as offline push text.Location message element
{"MsgType": "TIMLocationElem","MsgContent": {"Desc": "someinfo","Latitude": 29.340656774469956,"Longitude": 116.77497920478824}}
Field | Type | Description |
Desc | String | Description of the location |
Latitude | Number | Latitude |
Longitude | Number | Longitude |
When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, the offline push text is [Location] for the English version.
Emoji message element
{"MsgType": "TIMFaceElem","MsgContent": {"Index": 1,"Data": "content"}}
Field | Type | Description |
Index | Number | Emoji index customized by users |
Data | String | Additional data |
When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, the offline push text is [Face] for the English version.
description
When a message contains only one
TIMCustomElem
custom message element, if both the Desc
and OfflinePushInfo.Desc
fields are not entered, the offline push of the message will not be received, unless the OfflinePushInfo.Desc
field is entered.Custom message element
{"MsgType": "TIMCustomElem","MsgContent": {"Data": "message","Desc": "notification","Ext": "url","Sound": "dingdong.aiff"}}
Field | Type | Description |
Data | String | Custom message data. This field is not delivered as a payload field by APNs, and therefore the data field cannot be obtained in payload. |
Desc | String | Custom message description. When the receiver is an iOS or Android device, and the app is working in the background, the offline push text is displayed.If a custom message is sent with the OfflinePushInfo.Desc field set, the field will be overwritten; therefore, please enter the OfflinePushInfo.Desc field first. Note: When a message contains only one TIMCustomElem custom message element, if both the Desc and OfflinePushInfo.Desc
fields are not entered, the offline push of the message will not be received, unless the OfflinePushInfo.Desc field is entered. |
Ext | String | Extended field. When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, this field is delivered as an Ext key value in APNs request packet payloads. The protocol format of Ext is defined by the business end, the APNs is only responsible for passthrough. |
Sound | String | Custom APNs push ringtone |
When the receiver is an iOS or Android device and the app is working in the background, the
Desc
field is delivered as push text, the Ext
field is delivered as an Ext
key value in APNs request packet payloads, and the Data
field is not delivered as a payload field by APNs. Note that a combined message can contain only one TIMCustomElem custom message element.Voice message element
Caution
To send a voice message through the server-side RESTful API, you need to enter the
Url
, UUID
, and Download_Flag
fields. Make sure that the voice can be downloaded via the Url
and the UUID
is a globally unique string value, usually the MD5 value of the voice file. The message recipient can obtain the specified UUID
through V2TIMSoundElem.getUUID()
and the app can use the UUID
to identify the voice. Download_Flag
must be set to 2
.4.X or later versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send voice message elements in the following format:
{"MsgType": "TIMSoundElem","MsgContent": {"Url": "https://1234-5678187359-1253735226.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/abc123/c9be9d32c05bfb77b3edafa4312c6c7d","UUID": "1053D4B3D61040894AC3DE44CDF28B3EC7EB7C0F","Size": 62351,"Second": 1,"Download_Flag": 2}}
Field | Type | Description |
Url | String | Voice download URL, through which the voice content can be downloaded directly. |
UUID | String | Unique identifier of the voice, key value used by the client to index the voice |
Size | Number | Voice data size, in bytes. |
Second | Number | Voice duration, in seconds. |
Download_Flag | Number | Flag of the voice download method. Currently, the value of Download_Flag must be 2 , which means that the voice content can be downloaded from the URL specified by the Url field. |
Note
2.X and 3.X versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send voice message elements in the following format:
{"MsgType": "TIMSoundElem","MsgContent": {"UUID": "305c0201", //Unique identifier of the voice in String type. This is the key value the client uses to index the voice. The voice cannot be downloaded through this field. To obtain the voice, upgrade the Chat SDK to version 4.X."Size": 62351, //Voice data size in bytes, in Number type."Second": 1 //Voice duration in seconds, in Number type.}}
Image message element
Caution
To send an image message through the server-side RESTful API, you need to enter the
URL
, UUID
, Width
, and Height
fields. Make sure that the image can be downloaded via the URL
so that you can obtain the basic image information and process the image. Width
and Height
are the width and height (unit: pixels) of the image. UUID
must be set to a globally unique string value, usually the MD5 value of the image. The message recipient can obtain the V2TIMImage
object by calling V2TIMImageElem.getImageList()
and then get the specified UUID
by calling V2TIMImage.getUUID()
. The app can use the UUID
to identify the image.{"MsgType": "TIMImageElem","MsgContent": {"UUID": "1853095_D61040894AC3DE44CDFFFB3EC7EB720F","ImageFormat": 1,"ImageInfoArray": [{"Type": 1, //Original image"Size": 1853095,"Width": 2448,"Height": 3264,"URL": "http://xxx/3200490432214177468_144115198371610486_D61040894AC3DE44CDFFFB3EC7EB720F/0"},{"Type": 2, //Large image"Size": 2565240,"Width": 0,"Height": 0,"URL": "http://xxx/3200490432214177468_144115198371610486_D61040894AC3DE44CDFFFB3EC7EB720F/720"},{"Type": 3, //Thumbnail"Size": 12535,"Width": 0,"Height": 0,"URL": "http://xxx/3200490432214177468_144115198371610486_D61040894AC3DE44CDFFFB3EC7EB720F/198"}]}}
Field | Type | Description |
UUID | String | Unique identifier of the image, key value used by the client to index the image |
ImageFormat | Number | Image format. JPG = 1, GIF = 2, PNG = 3, BMP = 4, Others = 255. |
ImageInfoArray | Array | Download information of the original image, thumbnail, or large image. |
Type | Number | Image type. 1: original image, 2: large image, 3: thumbnail. |
Size | Number | Size of image data in bytes. |
Width | Number | Image width in pixels |
Height | Number | Image height in pixels |
URL | String | Download URL of the image. |
File message element
Caution
To send a file message through the server-side RESTful API, you need to enter the
Url
, UUID
, and Download_Flag
fields. Make sure that the file can be downloaded via the Url
and the UUID
is a globally unique string value, usually the MD5 value of the file. The message recipient can obtain the specified UUID
by calling V2TIMFileElem.getUUID()
and the app can use the UUID
to identify the file. Download_Flag
must be set to 2
.4.X or later versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send file message elements in the following format:
{"MsgType": "TIMFileElem","MsgContent": {"Url": "https://7492-5678539059-1253735326.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/abc123/49be9d32c0fbfba7b31dafa4312c6c7d","UUID": "1053D4B3D61040894AC3DE44CDF28B3EC7EB7C0F","FileSize": 1773552,"FileName": "file:///private/var/Application/tmp/trim.B75D5F9B-1426-4913-8845-90DD46797FCD.MOV","Download_Flag": 2}}
Field | Type | Description |
Url | String | Download URL of the file, through which the file can be downloaded directly. |
UUID | String | Unique identifier of the file, key value used by the client to index the file |
FileSize | Number | Size of file data in bytes. |
fileName | String | File name. |
Download_Flag | Number | Flag of the file download method. Currently, the value of Download_Flag must be 2, which means that the file can be downloaded from the URL specified by the Url field. |
Note
2.X and 3.X versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send file message elements in the following format:
{"MsgType": "TIMFileElem","MsgContent": {"UUID": "305c02010", //Unique identifier of the file in String type. This is the key value the client uses to index the file. The file cannot be downloaded through this field. To obtain the file, upgrade the Chat SDK to version 4.X."FileSize": 1773552, //The size of file data in bytes, in Number type."FileName": "file:///private/var/Application/tmp/trim.B75D5F9B-1426-4913-8845-90DD46797FCD.MOV" //The file name in String type.}}
Video message element
Caution:
To send a video message through the server-side RESTful API, you need to enter the `VideoUrl`, `VideoUUID`, `ThumbUrl`, `ThumbUUID`, `ThumbWidth`, `ThumbHeight`, `VideoDownloadFlag`, and `ThumbDownloadFlag` fields. Make sure that the video and video thumbnail can be downloaded via the `VideoUrl` and `ThumbUrl` respectively. `VideoUUID` and `ThumbUUID` must be globally unique string values, usually the MD5 values of the video and video thumbnail. The message recipient can obtain the specified `VideoUUID` and `ThumbUUID` by calling `V2TIMVideoElem.getVideoUUID()` and `V2TIMVideoElem.getSnapshotUUID()` respectively. The app can use the `VideoUUID` to identify the video. `VideoDownloadFlag` and `ThumbDownloadFlag` must be set to `2`.
4.X or later versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send video message elements in the following format:
{ "MsgType": "TIMVideoFileElem", "MsgContent": { "VideoUrl": "https://0345-1400187352-1256635546.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/abcd/f7c6ad3c50af7d83e23efe0a208b90c9", "VideoUUID": "5da38ba89d6521011e1f6f3fd6692e35", "VideoSize": 1194603, "VideoSecond": 5, "VideoFormat": "mp4", "VideoDownloadFlag":2, "ThumbUrl": "https://0345-1400187352-1256635546.cos.ap-shanghai.myqcloud.com/abcd/a6c170c9c599280cb06e0523d7a1f37b", "ThumbUUID": "6edaffedef5150684510cf97957b7bc8", "ThumbSize": 13907, "ThumbWidth": 720, "ThumbHeight": 1280, "ThumbFormat": "JPG", "ThumbDownloadFlag":2 } }
Field | Type | Description |
VideoUrl | String | Download URL of the video, through which the video can be downloaded directly. |
VideoUUID | String | Unique identifier of the video, key value used by the client to index the video. |
VideoSize | Number | Size of video data, in bytes. |
VideoSecond | Number | Video duration, in seconds. For web clients, this field cannot be obtained and the value `0` is used. |
VideoFormat | String | Video format, for example, MP4. |
VideoDownloadFlag | Number | Flag of the video download method. Currently, the value of `VideoDownloadFlag` must be 2, which means that the video can be downloaded from the URL specified by the `VideoUrl` field. |
ThumbUrl | String | Download URL of the video thumbnail, through which the video thumbnail can be downloaded directly. |
ThumbUUID | String | Unique identifier of the video thumbnail, key value used by the client to index the video thumbnail |
ThumbSize | Number | Size of thumbnail data, in bytes. |
ThumbWidth | Number | Thumbnail width in pixels |
ThumbHeight | Number | Thumbnail height in pixels |
ThumbFormat | String | Video thumbnail format, such as JPG or BMP. |
ThumbDownloadFlag | Number | Flag of the video thumbnail download method. Currently, the value of `ThumbDownloadFlag` must be 2, which means that the video thumbnail can be downloaded from the URL specified by the `ThumbUrl` field. |
Note:
2.X and 3.X versions of Chat SDK (for Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows) send video message elements in the following format:
{"MsgType": "TIMVideoFileElem","MsgContent": {"VideoUUID": "1400123456_dramon_34ca36be7dd214dc50a49238ef80a6b5",//Unique identifier of the video in String type. This is the key value the client uses to index the video. The video cannot be downloaded through this field. To obtain the video, upgrade the Chat SDK to version 4.X."VideoSize": 1194603, //Size of video data in bytes, in Number type."VideoSecond": 5, //Video duration in seconds, in Number type."VideoFormat": "mp4", //Video format in String type, for example, MP4."ThumbUUID": "1400123456_dramon_893f5a7a4872676ae142c08acd49c18a",//Unique identifier of the video thumbnail in String type. This is the key value the client uses to index the video thumbnail. The video thumbnail cannot be downloaded through this field. To obtain the video thumbnail, upgrade the Chat SDK to version 4.X."ThumbSize": 13907, //Size of thumbnail data in bytes, in Number type."ThumbWidth": 720, //Thumbnail width in Number type."ThumbHeight": 1280, //Thumbnail height in Number type."ThumbFormat": "JPG" //Video thumbnail format in String type, such as JPG or BMP.}}
Elements of a combined message
Caution
Only native SDK 5.2.210 or later and web SDK 2.10.1 or later support the sending and receiving of combined messages.
{"MsgType": "TIMRelayElem","MsgContent": {"Title": "Group chat history","MsgNum": 2,"CompatibleText": "The SDK version does not support combined messages. Please upgrade to the latest version.","AbstractList": ["A: What do you think of this?","B: I think it's great."],"MsgList": [{"From_Account": "A","GroupId": "group1","MsgSeq": 85,"MsgRandom": 3998651049,"MsgTimeStamp": 1664437702,"MsgBody": [{"MsgContent": {"Text": " What do you think of this?"},"MsgType": "TIMTextElem"}]},{"From_Account": "B","GroupId": "group1","MsgSeq": 86,"MsgRandom": 965790,"MsgTimeStamp": 1664437703,"MsgBody": [{"MsgContent": {"Text": "I think it's great."},"MsgType": "TIMTextElem"}]}]}}
Field | Type | Description |
Title | String | Title of the combined message. |
MsgNum | Integer | Number of messages combined/forwarded. |
CompatibleText | String | Compatible text. When an SDK of an earlier version that does not support combined messages receives a combined message, the Chat backend converts the message into compatible text and delivers it. |
AbstractList | Array | Digest list of a combined message, in string array format. |
MsgList | Array | Message list. This field is available only when the total length of the combined messages is less than or equal to 12 KB, in which case the JsonMsgKey field is unavailable. |
JsonMsgKey | String | Key of the combined message list. This field is available only when the total length of the combined messages is greater than 12 KB, in which case the MsgList field is unavailable. |
The structure of each message in
MsgList
is as follows:Field | Type | Description |
From_Account | String | UserID of the message sender. This field is available when the combined message is a one-to-one or group message. |
To_Account | String | UserID of the message recipient. This field is available only when the combined message is a one-to-one message. |
GroupId | String | Group ID. This field is available only when the combined message is a group message. |
MsgSeq | Integer | Sequence number of the message (a 32-bit unsigned integer). |
MsgRandom | Integer | Random number of the message (a 32-bit unsigned integer). |
MsgTimeStamp | Integer | Message timestamp, in seconds. |
MsgBody | Array | Message body. For details on formats, see Message Formats. (Note: a message can contain multiple message elements, in which case MsgBody is an array.) |
CloudCustomData | String | Custom message data. It is saved in the cloud and will be sent to the peer end. Such data can be pulled after the app is uninstalled and reinstalled. |
MsgBody Examples
Single text element message
A single message contains only one text message element. The text content is hello world.
{"MsgBody": [{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "hello world"}}]}
Combined messages
The following single message contains two text message elements and one emoji message element, in the sequence of text + emoji + text.
{"MsgBody": [{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "hello"}},{"MsgType": "TIMFaceElem","MsgContent": {"Index": 1,"Data": "content"}},{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "world"}}]}
Caution
A combined message can contain only one
TIMCustomElem
custom message element, and an unlimited number of other message elements.Description of Custom Message Data CloudCustomData
Each message can carry custom data
CloudCustomData
.CloudCustomData
is saved in the cloud together with the MsgBody
of the message. It will be sent to the opposite end and can still be pulled after the program is uninstalled and reinstalled.The following example shows the formats of
CloudCustomData
and MsgBody
:{"MsgBody": [{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "hello"}}],"CloudCustomData": "your cloud custom data"}
Message Formats for Apple Push Notification Service (APNs)
Push notification display format on the client
Account without a nickname
For an account without a nickname, APNs displays only text content: push text for one-to-one chat messages, and (group name): push text for group messages.
Account with a nickname
For an account with a nickname, APNs displays nickname: push text for one-to-one chat messages, and nickname (group name): push text for group messages.
Display format of combined messages
For combined messages, the text displayed shows the push text of each message element in sequence. The following example shows a one-to-one chat message with an account nickname set, and the push text is helloworld. Note that the text contains no spaces. The backend connects message elements in sequence without adding any extra characters. If spaces or other characters need to be added between different message elements, the caller should take control.
{"MsgBody": [{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "hello"}},{"MsgType": "TIMCustomElem","MsgContent": {"Data": "message","Desc": "world","Ext": "https://www.example.com","Sound": "dingdong.aiff"}}]}
The following table summarizes the push text of different message elements.
Value of MsgType | Type | Push Text of the Message Element |
TIMTextElem | Text | Text field. |
TIMLocationElem | Location | Offline push text is [Location] for the English version. |
TIMFaceElem | Emoji | Offline push text is [Face] for the English version. |
TIMCustomElem | Custom | Desc field. |
RESTful APIs for nickname and group name settings
RESTful API for setting the account nickname: Setting the Profile.
RESTful API for setting the group name: Modifying Basic Group Information.
Advanced apps
Customizing push sounds and extended fields delivered by APNs
Use TIMCustomElem to customize message elements. In the
Sound
field, enter the file name of the custom audio. In the Ext
field, enter the delivered extended field, which can be obtained from the Ext
field in the APNs payload.{"To_Account": "lumotuwe5","MsgRandom": 121212,"MsgBody": [{"MsgType": "TIMCustomElem","MsgContent": {"Data": "other information","Desc": "hello","Ext": "www.qq.com","Sound": "dingdong.aiff"}},{"MsgType": "TIMTextElem","MsgContent": {"Text": "world"}}]}
The received APNs JSON payload is displayed as follows on the client:
{"aps": {"alert": "Nickname:helloworld", //Push text of each message element is connected in sequence"badge": 5,"sound": "dingdong.aiff" //Corresponds to the `Sound` field in `TIMCustomElem`},"ext": "www.qq.com" //Corresponds to the `Ext` field in `TIMCustomElem`}
OfflinePushInfo
OfflinePushInfo
is a JSON object dedicated for configuring offline push. It allows you to configure whether to disable push, push text description content, and push passthrough strings for a message. With OfflinePushInfo
, you can easily set offline push information, eliminating the need to encapsulate through TIMCustomElem
.Caution
If
OfflinePushInfo
has been filled in, the offline push settings in TIMCustomElem
are ignored. Currently, OfflinePushInfo
can work with APNs and the push services of various Android device brands, including Mi, Huawei, Meizu, OPPO, and vivo.The following example shows the format of
OfflinePushInfo
:{// ..."MsgBody": [...] //Same with `MsgBody` in this case"OfflinePushInfo": {"PushFlag": 0,"Title":"This is the push title","Desc": "This is the offline push content","Ext": "Passthrough content","AndroidInfo": {"Sound": "android.mp3","OPPOChannelID": "test_OPPO_channel_id","VIVOClassification": 1},"ApnsInfo": {"Sound": "apns.mp3","BadgeMode": 1,"Title":"apns title","SubTitle":"apns subtitle","Image":"www.image.com","MutableContent": 1}}}
The preceding fields are described as follows:
Field | Type | Required | Description |
PushFlag | Integer | Optional | 0: enable push, 1: disable offline push. |
Title | String | Optional | Offline push title. This field is applicable to both iOS and Android. |
Desc | String | Optional | The offline push content. This field overwrites the offline push display text of the TIMMsgElement elements mentioned above.If the message sent has only one TIMCustomElem element, this Desc field will overwrite the Desc field in the TIMCustomElem. If neither of the Desc fields is filled in, the offline push notification for the message will not be received. |
Ext | String | Optional | Passthrough content of offline push. To make sure the offline push of all Android vendors are attainable, this field must be in JSON format. |
AndroidInfo.Sound | String | Optional | Path to the offline push sound file in Android. |
AndroidInfo.HuaWeiChannelID | String | Optional | Notification channel field for Huawei phones with EMUI 10.0 or later. When this field is not empty, it will overwrite the ChannelID value configured in the console; otherwise, it will not. |
AndroidInfo.XiaoMiChannelID | String | Optional | Notification type (Channel) adaptation field for Mi phones with MIUI 10 or later. When this field is not empty, it will overwrite the ChannelID value configured in the console; otherwise, it will not. |
AndroidInfo.OPPOChannelID | String | Optional | NotificationChannel notification adaptation field for OPPO phones with Android 8.0 or later. When this field is not empty, it will overwrite the ChannelID value configured in the console; otherwise, it will not. |
AndroidInfo.GoogleChannelID | String | Optional | Notification channel field for Google mobile phones with Android 8.0 or later. This field is supported by the new Google push API (certificate file upload API) but not the old API (server key entering API). |
AndroidInfo.VIVOClassification | Integer | Optional | Push message classification for vivo phones. Valid values: 0: operation message; 1: system message (default value). |
AndroidInfo.HuaWeiImportance | String | Optional | Push notification message classification for Huawei phones. Valid values: LOW, NORMAL (default value). |
AndroidInfo.ExtAsHuaweiIntentParam | Integer | Optional | After Huawei Push is configured to Open specified in-app page in the console, "1" indicates to use the passthrough content Ext as the Intent parameter, while "0" (default value) indicates to use the passthrough content Ext as the Action parameter. For the differences between the two parameters, see Guides. |
AndroidInfo.HuaWeiCategory | String | Optional | Message type identifier for Huawei phones. When this field is not empty, it will overwrite the category value configured in the console; otherwise, it will not. For more information, see the category description here. |
ApnsInfo.BadgeMode | Integer | Optional | The default value or 0 indicates that counting is required. 1 indicates that counting is not required for this message, in which case the number in the upper-right icon does not increase. |
ApnsInfo.Title | String | Optional | Title of an APNs push message. The top-level title is replaced when this field is filled in. |
ApnsInfo.SubTitle | String | Optional | Subtitle of an APNs push message. |
ApnsInfo.Image | String | Optional | Image URL carried by APNs. When the client obtains this field, it displays the image in a pop-up window by downloading the image through the URL. |
ApnsInfo.MutableContent | Integer | Optional | Valid values: 1: enable the push extension of iOS 10 or later; 0 (default value). |
Caution
The maximum data packet size supported by APNs is 4 KB. Therefore, we recommend that the total size of the
Desc
and Ext
fields does not exceed 3 KB.