How can I build a one to one (private) chat application in react native using fire-base as a back-end? - firebase

Question

I want to add a chat feature in my application, but the problem is while working with react-native-gifted-chat and firebase as a backend and its secured rules that gives an error of missing _id and user.
I tried using the firebase database and without using secured rules but the issue is it seems to be like a group chat rather than one to one (private) chat.
async UNSAFE_componentWillMount() {
const name = auth().currentUser.displayName;
const friendName = this.state.friendName;
this.setState({ name: name });
const ref = await database().ref(`chatmessages/`);
// Fetch the data snapshot
const snapshot = await ref.once('value');
console.log(snapshot, "Snapshot")
console.log(ref, "database");
}
componentDidMount() {
this.on(message => {
console.log(this.state.messages, 'old message')
this.setState(previousState => ({
messages: GiftedChat.append(previousState.messages, message),
})
)
});
}
componentWillUnmount() {
this.off();
}
get uid() {
return (auth().currentUser || {}).uid;
}
get ref() {
return database().ref(`chatmessages/`)
// .set();
}
parse = async snapshot => {
const data = snapshot.val();
const userID = auth().currentUser.uid;
const friendID = this.state.friendID;
const validate = data.friend === friendID && data.user._id === userID ||
data.user._id === friendID && data.friend === userID;
console.log(data.user, data.user._id, data.user.name, "MEssage Data")
if (validate) {
const { timestamp: numberStamp, text, user, friend } = await data;
const { key: _id } = snapshot;
console.log(_id, user,'Firebase Message Id')
const timestamp = new Date(numberStamp);
const message = {
_id,
timestamp,
text,
user: data.user,
friend
};
console.log(message, "Gifted")
return message;
}
};
on = callback =>
this.ref
.limitToLast(20)
.on('child_added', snapshot => callback(this.parse(snapshot)));
get timestamp() {
return firebase.database.ServerValue.TIMESTAMP;
}
// send the message to the Backend
send = messages => {
for (let i = 0; i < messages.length; i++) {
const { text, user } = messages[i];
const message = {
text,
user,
friend: this.state.friendID,
timestamp: this.timestamp,
};
this.append(message);
}
};
append = message => this.ref.push(message);
// close the connection to the Backend
off() {
this.ref.off();
}
get user() {
return {
name: auth().currentUser.displayName,
_id: this.uid
};
}
render() {
<GiftedChat
text={this.state.text}
onInputTextChanged={text => this.setState({ text: text })}
messages={this.state.messages}
isAnimated
onSend={messages => this.send(messages)}
user={this.user}
renderActions={this.renderCustomActions}
/>
);
}
}
I want a one to one chat created with firebase and react-native-gifted-chat

Answer 1

It's essentially the same except you limit it to just two people. This article explains more on how to handle one to one chat https://medium.com/#edisondevadoss/react-native-chat-using-firebase-d4c0ef1ab0b5