> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cometchat-22654f5b-docs-rn-guide-message-privately.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Edit A Message

> Edit CometChat text and custom messages in Flutter apps and handle real-time or missed edit events.

While editing a message is straightforward, receiving events for edited messages with CometChat has two parts:

1. Adding a listener to receive [real-time message edit events](/sdk/flutter/edit-message#real-time-message-edit-events) when your app is running
2. Calling a method to retrieve [missed message edit events](/sdk/flutter/edit-message#missed-message-edit-events) when your app was not running

## Edit a Message

*In other words, as a sender, how do I edit a message?*

In order to edit a message, you can use the `editMessage()` method. This method takes an object of the `BaseMessage` class. At the moment, you are only allowed to edit `TextMessage` and `CustomMessage`. Thus, the `BaseMessage` object must either be a Text or a Custom Message.

### Add/Update Tags

While editing a message, you can update the tags associated with the Message. You can use the `setTags()` method to do so. The tags added while editing a message will replace the tags set when the message was sent.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dart">
    ```dart theme={null}
    List<String> tags = [];
    tags.add("pinned");
    textMessage.tags = tags; 
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Once the message object is ready, you can use the `editMessage()` method and pass the message object to it.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dart">
    ```dart theme={null}
    TextMessage updatedMessage = TextMessage(
                            text: updatedText,
                            receiverUid: receiverID,
                            receiverType: receiverType,
                            type: type);

    updatedMessage.id = message.id;

    await CometChat.editMessage(updatedMessage, 
      onSuccess: (BaseMessage message){
      	debugPrint("Message Edited successfully: $message");
      }, onError: (CometChatException e){
      	debugPrint("Message Edited failed with exception: ${e.message}");
      }
    );
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

The object of the edited message will be returned in the `onSuccess()`callback method of the listener. The message object will contain the `editedAt` field set with the timestamp of the time the message was edited. This will help you identify if the message was edited while iterating through the list of messages. The `editedBy` field is also set to the `UID` of the user who edited the message.

By default, CometChat allows certain roles to edit a message.

| User Role       | Conversation Type       | Edit Capabilities         |
| --------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Message Sender  | One-on-one Conversation | Messages they've sent     |
| Message Sender  | Group Conversation      | Messages they've sent     |
| Group Owner     | Group Conversation      | All messages in the group |
| Group Moderator | Group Conversation      | All messages in the group |

## Real-time Message Edit Events

*In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when someone has edited their message when my app is running?*

In order to receive real-time events for message being edited, you need to override the `onMessageEdited()` method of the `MessageListener` class.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Dart">
    ```dart theme={null}
    class Class_Name  with MessageListener {

    //CometChat.addMessageListener("listenerId", this);
    @override
    void onMessageEdited(BaseMessage message) {
      // TODO: implement onMessageEdited
    }


    } 
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Missed Message Edit Events

*In other words, as a recipient, how do I know when someone edited their message when my app was not running?*

When you retrieve the list of previous messages, for the message that was edited, the `editedAt` and the `editedBy` fields will be set. Also, for example, if the total number of messages for a conversation is 100, and the message with message ID 50 was edited. Now the message with ID 50 will have the `editedAt` and the `editedBy` fields set whenever it is pulled from the history. Also, the 101st message will be an `Action` message informing you that the message with ID 50 has been edited..

For the message edited event, in the `Action` object received, the following fields can help you get the relevant information-

1. `action` - `edited`
2. `actionOn` - Updated message object with the edited details.
3. `actionBy` - User object containing the details of the user who has edited the message.
4. `actionFor` - User/group object having the details of the receiver to which the message was sent.

<Note>
  In order to edit a message, you need to be either the sender of the message or the admin/moderator of the group in which the message was sent.
</Note>