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Quickstart - Get started with commenting in an HTML table using Liveblocks and Next.js

Liveblocks is a realtime collaboration infrastructure for building performant collaborative experiences. Follow the following steps to start adding a commenting experience to your Next.js /app directory application using the hooks from @liveblocks/react and the components from @liveblocks/react-ui.

Quickstart

  1. Install Liveblocks

    Every package should use the same version.

    Terminal
    npm install @liveblocks/client @liveblocks/react @liveblocks/react-ui

  2. Initialize the liveblocks.config.ts file

    We can use this file later to define types for our application.

    Terminal
    npx create-liveblocks-app@latest --init --framework react

  3. Define thread metadata

    Inside the new liveblocks.config.ts file, define the metadata shape for threads. Metadata is used to attach comment threads to table cells.

    liveblocks.config.ts
    declare global {  interface Liveblocks {    ThreadMetadata: {      rowId: string;      columnId: string;    };  }}
    export {};

  4. Import default styles

    The default components come with default styles, you can import them into the root layout of your app or directly into a CSS file with @import.

    app/layout.tsx
    import "@liveblocks/react-ui/styles.css";

  5. Create a Liveblocks room

    Liveblocks uses the concept of rooms, separate virtual spaces where people collaborate, and to create a realtime experience, multiple users must be connected to the same room. When using Next.js’ /app router, we recommend creating your room in a Room.tsx file in the same directory as your current route.

    Set up a Liveblocks client with LiveblocksProvider, join a room with RoomProvider, and use ClientSideSuspense to add a loading spinner to your app.

    app/Room.tsx
    "use client";
    import { ReactNode } from "react";import {  LiveblocksProvider,  RoomProvider,  ClientSideSuspense,} from "@liveblocks/react/suspense";
    export function Room({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {  return (    <LiveblocksProvider publicApiKey={""}>      <RoomProvider id="my-room">        <ClientSideSuspense fallback={<div>Loading…</div>}>          {children}        </ClientSideSuspense>      </RoomProvider>    </LiveblocksProvider>  );}

  6. Add the Liveblocks room to your page

    After creating your room file, it’s time to join it. Import your room into your page.tsx file, and place your collaborative app components inside it.

    app/page.tsx
    import { Room } from "./Room";import { CollaborativeApp } from "./CollaborativeApp";
    export default function Page() {  return (    <Room>      <CollaborativeApp />    </Room>  );}

  7. Use the Liveblocks hooks and components

    Now that we’re connected to a room, we can start using the Liveblocks hooks and components. Add useThreads to get the threads in the room, and insert them into the table cells using FloatingThread and FloatingComposer. Replace the table data with your own.

    app/CollaborativeApp.tsx
    "use client";
    import { useState } from "react";import { useThreads } from "@liveblocks/react/suspense";import {  Comment,  FloatingComposer,  FloatingThread,} from "@liveblocks/react-ui";
    const TABLE_DATA = [  { id: "1", name: "Laptop", price: 1000 },  { id: "2", name: "Phone", price: 500 },  { id: "3", name: "Tablet", price: 300 },];
    const COLUMNS = [  { id: "name", label: "Name" },  { id: "price", label: "Price" },];
    export function CollaborativeApp() {  const { threads } = useThreads();
      const [openCell, setOpenCell] = useState<{    rowId: string;    columnId: string;  } | null>(null);
      return (    <table>      <tbody>        {TABLE_DATA.map((row) => (          <tr key={row.id}>            {COLUMNS.map((column) => {              // Check if there's already a thread for this cell              const thread = threads.find(                ({ metadata }) =>                  metadata.rowId === row.id && metadata.columnId === column.id,              );
                  // When a thread is created, open it by default              const defaultOpen =                openCell !== null &&                openCell.rowId === row.id &&                openCell.columnId === column.id;
                  const metadata = { rowId: row.id, columnId: column.id };
                  return (                <td key={column.id} style={{ padding: 12 }}>                  <div                    style={{                      display: "flex",                      alignItems: "center",                      justifyContent: "space-between",                    }}                  >                    {/* Cell contents */}                    {row[column.id as keyof typeof row]}
                        {/* Show thread if it exists, otherwise show thread composer */}                    {thread ? (                      <FloatingThread                        thread={thread}                        defaultOpen={defaultOpen}                        onOpenChange={(isOpen) => {                          if (!isOpen && defaultOpen) {                            setOpenCell(null);                          }                        }}                        autoFocus                      >                        <Comment.Avatar                          style={{                            marginLeft: 16,                            width: 28,                            height: 28,                            borderRadius: "100%",                            cursor: "pointer",                          }}                          userId={thread.comments[0]?.userId}                        />                      </FloatingThread>                    ) : (                      <FloatingComposer                        metadata={metadata}                        onComposerSubmit={() => setOpenCell(metadata)}                      >                        <button style={{ marginLeft: 16 }}>➕</button>                      </FloatingComposer>                    )}                  </div>                </td>              );            })}          </tr>        ))}      </tbody>    </table>  );}

  8. Next: authenticate and add your users

    Comments is set up and working now inside your table, but each user is anonymous—the next step is to authenticate each user as they connect, and attach their name and avatar to their comments.

    Add your users to Comments

What to read next

Congratulations! You’ve set up the foundation to start building a commenting experience for your Next.js application.

Examples using Next.js