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* Spec MSC3440: Threading (just the base) Other threading MSCs to follow * Spec MSC3856: Threads list API * Spec MSC3715: Add`dir` to `/relations` * changelog * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Patrick Cloke <clokep@users.noreply.github.com> * Update changelogs/client_server/newsfragments/1254.feature Co-authored-by: Patrick Cloke <clokep@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Patrick Cloke <clokep@users.noreply.github.com>
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Add threading via `m.thread` relations, as per [MSC3440](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3440), [MSC3816](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3816), [MSC3856](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3856), and [MSC3715](https://github.com/matrix-org/matrix-spec-proposals/pull/3715). |
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--- | ||
type: module | ||
--- | ||
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### Threading | ||
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{{% added-in v="1.4" %}} | ||
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Threads allow users to visually branch their conversations in a room. Typically mostly used | ||
when a room is discussing multiple topics, threads provide more organisation of communication | ||
that traditional [rich replies](#rich-replies) can't always offer. | ||
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Clients SHOULD render threads differently to regular messages or replies in the timeline, such | ||
as by providing some context to what is going on in the thread but keeping the full conversation | ||
history behind a disclosure. | ||
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Threads are established using a `rel_type` of `m.thread` and reference the *thread root* (the | ||
first event in a thread). It is not possible to create a thread from an event with a `rel_type`, | ||
which includes not being able to nest threads. All conversation in a thread reference the thread | ||
root instead of the most recent message, unlike rich reply chains. | ||
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As a worked example, the following represents a thread and how it'd be formed: | ||
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```json | ||
{ | ||
// irrelevant fields excluded | ||
"type": "m.room.message", | ||
"event_id": "$alice_hello", | ||
"sender": "@alice:example.org", | ||
"content": { | ||
"msgtype": "m.text", | ||
"body": "Hello world! How are you?" | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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```json | ||
{ | ||
// irrelevant fields excluded | ||
"type": "m.room.message", | ||
"event_id": "$bob_hello", | ||
"sender": "@bob:example.org", | ||
"content": { | ||
"m.relates_to": { | ||
"rel_type": "m.thread", | ||
"event_id": "$alice_hello" | ||
}, | ||
"msgtype": "m.text", | ||
"body": "I'm doing okay, thank you! How about yourself?" | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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```json | ||
{ | ||
// irrelevant fields excluded | ||
"type": "m.room.message", | ||
"event_id": "$alice_reply", | ||
"sender": "@alice:example.org", | ||
"content": { | ||
"m.relates_to": { | ||
"rel_type": "m.thread", | ||
"event_id": "$alice_hello" // note: always references the *thread root* | ||
}, | ||
"msgtype": "m.text", | ||
"body": "I'm doing great! Thanks for asking." | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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As shown, any event without a `rel_type` can become a thread root by simply referencing it | ||
using an `m.thread` relationship. | ||
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#### Fallback for unthreaded clients | ||
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Clients which understand how to work with threads should simply do so, however clients which | ||
might not be aware of threads (due to age or scope) might not be able to helpfully represent | ||
the conversation history to its users. | ||
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To work around this, events sent by clients which understand threads include [rich reply](#rich-replies) | ||
metadata to attempt to form a reply chain representation of the conversation. This representation | ||
is not ideal for heavily threaded rooms, but allows for users to have context as to what is | ||
being discussed with respect to other messages in the room. | ||
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This representation is achieved by merging the two relationships and setting a new `is_falling_back` | ||
flag to `true`. | ||
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```json | ||
// within an event's content... | ||
"m.relates_to": { | ||
// The m.thread relationship structure | ||
"rel_type": "m.thread", | ||
"event_id": "$root", | ||
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// The rich reply structure | ||
"m.in_reply_to": { | ||
// The most recent message known to the client in the thread. | ||
// This should be something with a high chance of being rendered by the other client, | ||
// such as an `m.room.message` event. | ||
"event_id": "$target" | ||
}, | ||
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// A flag to denote that this is a thread with reply fallback | ||
"is_falling_back": true | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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For `m.room.message` events represented this way, no [reply fallback](#fallbacks-for-rich-replies) | ||
is specified. This allows thread-aware clients to discard the `m.in_reply_to` object entirely | ||
when `is_falling_back` is `true`. | ||
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{{% boxes/note %}} | ||
Clients which are acutely aware of threads (they do not render threads, but are otherwise | ||
aware of the feature existing in the spec) can treat rich replies to an event with a `rel_type` | ||
of `m.thread` as a threaded reply, for conversation continuity on the threaded client's side. | ||
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To do this, copy the `event_id` (thread root) from the event being replied to, add the | ||
`m.in_reply_to` metadata, and add `is_falling_back: true` to `m.relates_to`. | ||
{{% /boxes/note %}} | ||
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#### Replies within threads | ||
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In the [fallback for unthreaded clients](#fallback-for-unthreaded-clients) section, a new | ||
`is_falling_back` flag is added to `m.relates_to`. This flag defaults to `false` when not | ||
provided, which also allows a threaded message to contain a reply itself. | ||
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Aside from `is_falling_back` being `false` (or not specified), the fallback for unthreaded | ||
clients is used to create a reply within a thread: clients should render the event accordingly. | ||
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#### Server behaviour | ||
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##### Validation of `m.thread` relationships | ||
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Servers SHOULD reject client requests which attempt to start a thread off an event with a | ||
`rel_type`. If the client attempts to target an event which already has an `m.thread`, | ||
`m.reference`, or any other `rel_type` then it should receive a HTTP 400 error response | ||
with appropriate error message, as per the [standard error response](#standard-error-response) | ||
structure. | ||
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{{% boxes/note %}} | ||
A specific error code is not currently available for this case: servers should use `M_UNKNOWN` | ||
alongside the HTTP 400 status code. | ||
{{% /boxes/note %}} | ||
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##### Server-side aggregation of `m.thread` relationships | ||
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Given threads always reference the thread root, an event can have multiple "child" events which | ||
then form the thread itself. These events should be [aggregated](#aggregations) by the server. | ||
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The aggregation for threads includes some information about the user's participation in the thread, | ||
the approximate number of events in the thread (as known to the server), and the most recent event | ||
in the thread (topologically). This is then bundled into the event as `m.thread`: | ||
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```json | ||
{ | ||
"event_id": "$root_event", | ||
// irrelevant fields not shown | ||
"unsigned": { | ||
"m.relations": { | ||
"m.thread": { | ||
"latest_event": { | ||
// A serialized copy of the latest event in the thread. | ||
// Some fields are not shown here for brevity. | ||
"event_id": "$message", | ||
"sender": "@alice:example.org", | ||
"room_id": "!room:example.org", | ||
"type": "m.room.message", | ||
"content": { | ||
"msgtype": "m.text", | ||
"body": "Woo! Threads!" | ||
} | ||
}, | ||
"count": 7, | ||
"current_user_participated": true | ||
} | ||
} | ||
} | ||
} | ||
``` | ||
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`latest_event` is the most recent event (topologically to the server) in the thread sent by an | ||
un-[ignored user](#ignoring-users). | ||
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Note that any bundled aggregations on `latest_event` should also be present. The server should be | ||
careful to avoid loops, though loops are not currently possible due to `m.thread` not being possible | ||
to target an event with a `rel_type` already. | ||
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`count` is simply the number of events using `m.thread` as a `rel_type` pointing to the target event. | ||
It does not include events sent by [ignored users](#ignoring-users). | ||
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`current_user_participated` is `true` when the authenticated user is either: | ||
1. The `sender` of the event receiving the bundle (they sent the thread root). | ||
2. The `sender` of an event which references the thread root with a `rel_type` of `m.thread`. | ||
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#### Querying threads in a room | ||
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Clients looking to get all the events in a thread can use | ||
[`GET /relations/{threadRootId}/m.thread`](#get_matrixclientv1roomsroomidrelationseventidreltype), | ||
however getting all threads in a room is done through a dedicated API: | ||
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{{% http-api spec="client-server" api="threads_list" %}} |
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