When making a chat application interface, using HTML to build structure is a basic and critical step, which directly affects subsequent styles and interactions. First of all, the chat interface is generally divided into three parts: the top title bar, the message display area, and the input area. It is recommended to use a div to wrap the entire container and subdivate the area, which has a clear structure and is easy to expand. Secondly, each message is recommended to be wrapped with a div or li, including the sender, content, and time, and add incoming or outgoing classes according to the message type for style distinction. Third, the input area should include an input box and a send button, which supports carriage return sending and empty message judgment, and reserve space for automatically expanding the height. In addition, you need to pay attention to the message order, avoid too deep structure nesting, and use semantic tags reasonably to ensure that the HTML structure is concise, orderly and easy to maintain.

When making a chat application interface, using HTML to build structure is the most basic step. Many people think HTML is simple at first, but to really create a clear, easy-to-use and highly extensible chat interface, there are actually many details that need to be paid attention to. In particular, the organization of structure, the arrangement of messages, and the layout of input boxes, all directly affect the subsequent style and interaction.

The basic structure of the chat window

A typical chat interface generally includes three parts: the top title bar, message display area, and input area. In HTML structure, you can wrap the entire chat container with div and then subdiv the area inside.

 <div class="chat-container">
  <div class="chat-header">Chat window</div>
  <div class="chat-messages">
    <!-- The message content will be placed here->
  </div>
  <div class="chat-input">
    <input type="text" placeholder="Input message..." />
    <button>Send</button>
  </div>
</div>

This structure is clear and clear, making it easier to add functions using CSS layout and JS later. For example, chat-messages area can dynamically add messages, and input and button can bind to send events.

HTML structure of message items

Each message usually includes information such as sender, content, time, etc. Structurally, it is recommended to wrap each message item with div or li , which makes it easier to manage and style control in a unified manner.

 <div class="message">
  <div class="message-sender">User A</div>
  <div class="message-content">Hello, how are you doing today? </div>
  <div class="message-time">10:00 AM</div>
</div>

• If it is a message sent by the other party, you can add an incoming class
• Add outgoing class to the message you send
• In this way, the left and right alignment, background color, etc. can be set in CSS respectively

A common practice is to dynamically generate different class names according to the message type, so as to facilitate style distinction.

Structure and interaction of input areas

The input area generally includes an input box and a "send" button. Sometimes a "Upload File" button or emoticon icon is added.

 <div class="chat-input">
  <input type="text" id="message-input" placeholder="Input message..." />
  <button id="send-button">Send</button>
</div>

• The input box should support carriage return sending, and you can use JS to listen for keydown events.
• The button click must also be bound to the sending logic
• When the input content is empty, you can add a judgment to avoid sending empty messages.

In addition, the input box height can be set to automatically expand to improve the user experience. Although this function requires the cooperation of JS or CSS, it is best to reserve space and id in the HTML structure to facilitate subsequent processing.

Frequently Asked Questions and Notes

• Message order : New messages should be placed at the bottom. You can use JS to set scrollTop to automatically scroll to the bottom.
• Empty message processing : Do not send when the input box is empty to avoid blank messages on the interface
• Don't nest too deeply : too many levels will affect performance and will not be convenient for maintenance.
• Use of semantic tags : Although div are easy to use, appropriate use of section , article and other tags can make the structure clearer

HTML is the basis of the chat interface. If the structure is well matched, the subsequent styles and interactions will be smoother. In fact, it is not complicated, but some details are easy to ignore, such as the layout structure of the message and the interactive processing of the input box, which will affect the overall experience. Basically that's it. Only by combining CSS and JS can you really run a chat application.

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