Update a message

This guide explains how to use the patch method on the Message resource of the Google Chat API to update a text or card message in a space. Update a message to change message attributes, such as what it says, or the content of a card. You can also prepend a text message to a card message, or append a card to a text message.

Chat API also supports the update method, but we strongly recommend calling the patch method because it uses a PATCH HTTP request while update uses a PUT HTTP request. To learn more, see the AIP-134's PATCH and PUT section.

In the Chat API, a Chat message is represented by the Message resource. While Chat users can only send messages that contain text, Chat apps can use many other messaging features, including displaying static or interactive user interfaces, collecting information from users, and delivering messages privately. To learn more about messaging features available for the Chat API, see the Google Chat messages overview.

Prerequisites

Python

  • Python 3.6 or greater
  • The pip package management tool
  • The latest Google client libraries. To install or update them, run the following command in your command-line interface: 
    pip3 install --upgrade google-api-python-client google-auth-oauthlib

Update a text message, or prepend a text message to a card message, with user authentication

To update a text message with user authentication, pass the following in your request:

  • The chat.messages authorization scope.
  • The name of the message to update.
  • updateMask='text'
  • A body that specifies the updated message.

If the updated message is a card message, then the text message prepends to the card message (which continues to display).

Here's how to update a text message, or prepend a text message to a card message with user authentication:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_update_text_message_user.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_update_text_message_user.py:

    from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

# Define your app's authorization scopes.
# When modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json, if it exists.
SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages"]

def main():
    '''
    Authenticates with Chat API via user credentials,
    then updates a message.
    '''

    # Authenticate with Google Workspace
    # and get user authorization.
    flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
                      'client_secrets.json', SCOPES)
    creds = flow.run_local_server()

    # Build a service endpoint for Chat API.
    chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=creds)

    # Update a Chat message.
    result = chat.spaces().messages().patch(

      # The message to update, and the updated message.
      #
      # Replace SPACE with a space name.
      # Obtain the space name from the spaces resource of Chat API,
      # or from a space's URL.
      #
      # Replace MESSAGE with a message name.
      # Obtain the message name from the response body returned
      # after creating a message asynchronously with Chat REST API.
      name='spaces/SPACE/messages/MESSAGE',
      updateMask='text',
      body={'text': 'Updated message!'}

    ).execute()

    # Prints details about the updated message.
    print(result)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

  3. In the code, replace the following:

    • SPACE: a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.
    • MESSAGE: a message name, which you can obtain from the response body returned after creating a message asynchronously with the Chat API, or with the custom name assigned to the message at creation.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_update_text_message_user.py

Update a text message, or prepend a text message to a card message, with app authentication

To update a text message with app authentication, pass the following in your request:

  • The chat.bot authorization scope.
  • The name of the message to update.
  • updateMask='text'
  • A body that specifies the updated message.

If the updated message is a card message, then the text message prepends to the card message (which continues to display).

Here's how to update a text message to a text message, or prepend a text message to a card message with app authentication:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_update_text_message_app.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_update_text_message_app.py:

    from google.oauth2 import service_account
from apiclient.discovery import build

# Specify required scopes.
SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.bot']

# Specify service account details.
CREDENTIALS = (
    service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file('credentials.json')
    .with_scopes(SCOPES)
)

# Build the URI and authenticate with the service account.
chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=CREDENTIALS)

# Update a Chat message.
result = chat.spaces().messages().patch(

  # The message to update, and the updated message.
  #
  # Replace SPACE with a space name.
  # Obtain the space name from the spaces resource of Chat API,
  # or from a space's URL.
  #
  # Replace MESSAGE with a message name.
  # Obtain the message name from the response body returned
  # after creating a message asynchronously with Chat REST API.
  name='spaces/SPACE/messages/MESSAGE',
  updateMask='text',
  body={'text': 'Updated message!'}

).execute()

# Print Chat API's response in your command line interface.
print(result)

  3. In the code, replace the following:

    • SPACE: a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.
    • MESSAGE: a message name, which you can obtain from the response body returned after creating a message asynchronously with the Chat API, or with the custom name assigned to the message at creation.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_update_text_message_app.py

Update a card message, or append a card message to a text message

To update a card message, pass the following in your request:

  • The chat.bot authorization scope. Updating a card message requires app authentication.
  • The name of the message to update.
  • updateMask='cardsV2'
  • A body that specifies the updated message.

If the updated message is a text message, then a card appends to the text message (which continues to display). If the updated message is itself a card, then the displayed card is updated.

Here's how to update a message to a card message:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_update_card_message.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_update_card_message.py:

    from google.oauth2 import service_account
from apiclient.discovery import build

# Specify required scopes.
SCOPES = ['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.bot']

# Specify service account details.
CREDENTIALS = (
    service_account.Credentials.from_service_account_file('credentials.json')
    .with_scopes(SCOPES)
)

# Build the URI and authenticate with the service account.
chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=CREDENTIALS)

# Update a Chat message.
result = chat.spaces().messages().patch(

  # The message to update, and the updated message.
  #
  # Replace SPACE with a space name.
  # Obtain the space name from the spaces resource of Chat API,
  # or from a space's URL.
  #
  # Replace MESSAGE with a message name.
  # Obtain the message name from the response body returned
  # after creating a message asynchronously with Chat REST API.
  name='spaces/SPACE/messages/MESSAGE',
  updateMask='cardsV2',
  body=
  {
    'cardsV2': [{
      'cardId': 'updateCardMessage',
      'card': {
        'header': {
          'title': 'An Updated Card Message!',
          'subtitle': 'Updated with Chat REST API',
          'imageUrl': 'https://developers.google.com/chat/images/chat-product-icon.png',
          'imageType': 'CIRCLE'
        },
        'sections': [
          {
            'widgets': [
              {
                'buttonList': {
                  'buttons': [
                    {
                      'text': 'Read the docs!',
                      'onClick': {
                        'openLink': {
                          'url': 'https://developers.google.com/chat'
                        }
                      }
                    }
                  ]
                }
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    }]
  }

).execute()

# Print Chat API's response in your command line interface.
print(result)

  3. In the code, replace the following:

    • SPACE: a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.

    • MESSAGE: a message name, which you can obtain from the response body returned after creating a message asynchronously with the Chat API, or with the custom name assigned to the message at creation.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_update_card_message.py

The Chat API returns an instance of Message that details the message that's updated.

Update a message with multiple field paths simultaneously

When a message is updated, you can update multiple message field paths at the time. For example, in an update message request, you can specify a change to the text and cardsv2 field paths at the same time, which updates both the message's text and card. If the message includes only text and no card, a card is added to the message. For more information about the supported field paths, see updateMask parameters.

To update both the text and card of a message with user authentication, pass the following in your request:

  • The chat.messages authorization scope.
  • The name of the message to update.

  • An updateMask that specifies the message field paths to update, separated by commas: updateMask='text', 'cardsV2'.

  • A body that specifies the updated message, including all updated field paths.

Here's how to update the text and cardsV2 field paths in a message with user authentication:

Python

  1. In your working directory, create a file named chat_update_text_message_user.py.

  2. Include the following code in chat_update_text_message_user.py:

    from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
from googleapiclient.discovery import build

# Define your app's authorization scopes.
# When modifying these scopes, delete the file token.json, if it exists.
SCOPES = ["https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages"]

def main():
    '''
    Authenticates with Chat API via user credentials,
    then updates a message.
    '''

    # Authenticate with Google Workspace
    # and get user authorization.
    flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(
                      'client_secrets.json', SCOPES)
    creds = flow.run_local_server()

    # Build a service endpoint for Chat API.
    chat = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=creds)

    # Update a Chat message.
    result = chat.spaces().messages().patch(

      # The message to update, and the updated message.
      #
      # Replace SPACE with a space name.
      # Obtain the space name from the spaces resource of Chat API,
      # or from a space's URL.
      #
      # Replace MESSAGE with a message name.
      # Obtain the message name from the response body returned
      # after creating a message asynchronously with Chat REST API.
      name='spaces/SPACE/messages/MESSAGE',
      updateMask='text,cardsV2',
      body=
      {'text': 'Updated message!',
            'cardsV2': [{
              'cardId': 'updateCardMessage',
              'card': {
                'header': {
                  'title': 'An Updated Card Message!',
                  'subtitle': 'Updated with Chat REST API',
                  'imageUrl': 'https://developers.google.com/chat/images/chat-product-icon.png',
                  'imageType': 'CIRCLE'
                },
                'sections': [
                  {
                    'widgets': [
                      {
                        'buttonList': {
                          'buttons': [
                            {
                              'text': 'Read the docs!',
                              'onClick': {
                                'openLink': {
                                  'url': 'https://developers.google.com/chat'
                                }
                              }
                            }
                          ]
                        }
                      }
                    ]
                  }
                ]
              }
            }]
      }

    ).execute()

    # Prints details about the updated message.
    print(result)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

  3. In the code, replace the following:

    • SPACE: a space name, which you can obtain from the spaces.list method in the Chat API, or from a space's URL.
    • MESSAGE: a message name, which you can obtain from the response body returned after creating a message asynchronously with the Chat API, or with the custom name assigned to the message at creation.

  4. In your working directory, build and run the sample:

    python3 chat_update_text_message_user.py