@helpway/react-native

Helpway in-app support for React Native and Expo.

There is no floating chat bubble. Your app opens the messenger from its own "Help" or "Contact support" entry, and it slides up as a sheet. This works in Expo Go: the only native module is react-native-webview, which Expo ships.

Install

npx expo install react-native-webview
npm install @helpway/react-native

Use

import { HelpwayProvider, useHelpway, useHelpwayUnread } from "@helpway/react-native";

export default function App() {
  const user = useCurrentUser(); // yours
  return (
    <HelpwayProvider
      publicKey="pk_live_..."
      user={user ? { externalId: user.id, email: user.email, name: user.name } : null}
      onError={(reason) => console.warn("Helpway:", reason)}
    >
      <Navigation />
    </HelpwayProvider>
  );
}

function HelpRow() {
  const helpway = useHelpway();
  const unread = useHelpwayUnread(); // null until known
  return (
    <Pressable onPress={helpway.present}>
      <Text>Help{unread ? ` (${unread})` : ""}</Text>
    </Pressable>
  );
}

| Call | Opens | |---|---| | present() | the messenger's home | | presentComposer(text?) | a new conversation, with text already typed | | presentConversation(id) | one conversation, e.g. from a notification | | dismiss() | closes the sheet |

A badge before the first open

Pass storage and the SDK keeps this app's visitor on the device. It then asks for the unread count on its own: at launch, and whenever the app comes back to the foreground. useHelpwayUnread() is then correct before anyone has tapped Help.

npx expo install @react-native-async-storage/async-storage

import AsyncStorage from "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage";

<HelpwayProvider publicKey="pk_live_..." storage={AsyncStorage}>

Without storage, the count is null until the sheet has been opened once. null means "not known". Draw no badge for it rather than a 0 that may not be true.

Props

| Prop | | |---|---| | publicKey | Your workspace's public key (pk_live_…), from Settings → API keys | | user | Whoever is signed in, or null when nobody is | | storage | Optional. Anything with async getItem / setItem / removeItem, such as AsyncStorage | | locale | Optional. Pin a language, e.g. "tr", instead of the messenger's own detection | | colorScheme | Optional. "light" or "dark" instead of following the phone | | onError | Called when the messenger can't open or reports a problem |

Who the user is

Pass user whenever someone is signed in, and null when nobody is. When it changes (a logout, or a different login), the SDK forgets the previous person. The next open then starts a fresh visitor, so the next person on the phone never sees the last one's conversations. If that reset can't be done (you're offline), the sheet closes and onError gets called. It does not open for the wrong person.

What this version does not do yet (#268)

• Push notifications for replies that arrive while the app is closed.
• Text: the SDK shows none of its own. Failures go to onError, in your words and your language.