Retrieve Groups

Fetch, filter, and search groups using the CometChat iOS SDK. Includes pagination, tag-based filtering, joined-only groups, and online member counts.

AI Integration Quick Reference

// Fetch groups list
let request = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30).build()
request.fetchNext(onSuccess: { groups in }, onError: { error in })

// Get specific group details
CometChat.getGroup(GUID: "GUID", onSuccess: { group in }, onError: { error in })

// Fetch only joined groups
let joinedRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30).set(joinedOnly: true).build()

// Get online member count
CometChat.getOnlineGroupMemberCount(["GUID"],
    onSuccess: { countData in }, onError: { error in })

Fetch the list of Group objects the logged-in user can see, get details for a specific group, or check online member counts.

Retrieve List of Groups

Use GroupsRequestBuilder to fetch groups with filtering, searching, and pagination.

Set Limit

Sets the number of groups to fetch per request.

Swift

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30)
    .build()

Set Search Keyword

Filters groups by a search string.

Swift

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(searchKeyword: "abc")
    .set(limit: 30)
    .build()

Joined Only

When true, returns only groups the logged-in user has joined.

Swift

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(joinedOnly: true)
    .set(limit: 30)
    .build()

Set Tags

Filters groups by specified tags.

Swift

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30)
    .set(tags: ["tag1", "tag2"])
    .build()

With Tags

When true, includes tag data in the returned group objects.

Swift

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder()
    .set(limit: 30)
    .withTags(true)
    .build()

After configuring the builder, call build() to get the GroupsRequest object, then call fetchNext() to retrieve groups.

The list only includes public and password-protected groups. Private groups appear only if the user is a member.

Swift

let limit = 30

let groupsRequest = GroupsRequest.GroupsRequestBuilder(limit: limit).build()

groupsRequest.fetchNext(onSuccess: { (groups) in
    for group in groups {
        print("Group: \(group.stringValue())")
    }
}, onError: { (error) in
    print("Error: \(error?.errorDescription)")
})

Objective C

NSInteger limit = 30;

GroupsRequest *groupRequest = [[[GroupsRequestBuilder alloc]initWithLimit:limit] build];

[groupRequest fetchNextOnSuccess:^(NSArray<Group *> * groups) {
    for (Group *group in groups) {
        NSLog(@"Group: %@", [group stringValue]);
    }
} onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"Error: %@", [error errorDescription]);
}];

Retrieve Particular Group Details

Use getGroup() to fetch a specific group’s details by GUID.

Swift

let guid = "cometchat-guid-1"

CometChat.getGroup(GUID: guid, onSuccess: { (group) in
    print("Group: \(group.stringValue())")
}, onError: { (error) in
    print("Error: \(error?.errorDescription)")
})

Objective C

NSString *guid = @"cometchat-guid-1";

[CometChat getGroupWithGUID:guid onSuccess:^(Group * group) {
    NSLog(@"Group: %@", [group stringValue]);
} onError:^(CometChatException * error) {
    NSLog(@"Error: %@", [error errorDescription]);
}];

Parameter	Description
GUID	The GUID of the group to fetch

The method returns a Group object.

Get Online Group Member Count

Use getOnlineGroupMemberCount() to get the number of online members in specified groups.

Swift

let guids = ["cometchat-guid-1", "cometchat-guid-2"]

CometChat.getOnlineGroupMemberCount(guids, onSuccess: { countData in
    // countData: [String: Int] - GUID as key, count as value
    for (guid, count) in countData {
        print("Group \(guid): \(count) online members")
    }
}, onError: { error in
    print("Error: \(error?.errorDescription)")
})

Returns a [String: Int] dictionary with GUIDs as keys and online member counts as values.

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Next Steps

Create Group

Create public, private, or password-protected groups

Retrieve Group Members

Fetch and filter members of a specific group