> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://anvil.servicetitan.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# ChatLayout – Design

> Chat layouts structure the primary conversation experience.

export const LiveCode = ({children, customHeight, clickToLoad, example, fullWidth, fullHeight, hideCodeInLiveCode, screenshot, screenshotOnly, showCode: showCodeProp}) => {
  const SCREENSHOTS_BASE = "https://servicetitan.github.io/anvil2-docs-live-code/screenshots";
  const STACKBLITZ_BASE = "https://stackblitz.com/github/servicetitan/anvil2-docs-live-code/tree/main/examples";
  const [showCodeBlock, setShowCodeBlock] = useState(showCodeProp ?? false);
  const [isLocalOverride, setIsLocalOverride] = useState(false);
  useEffect(() => {
    const examplePath = `/images/live-code-screenshots-tmp/${example}.png`;
    fetch(examplePath, {
      method: "HEAD"
    }).then(r => {
      if (r.ok) setIsLocalOverride(true);
    }).catch(() => {});
  }, [example]);
  const screenshotBase = isLocalOverride ? "/images/live-code-screenshots-tmp" : SCREENSHOTS_BASE;
  if (screenshotOnly) {
    return <Frame className="flex flex-col">
        <div className="flex dark:hidden" style={{
      justifyContent: "center",
      alignItems: "center",
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: fullHeight ? "284px" : undefined,
      background: "#FFFFFF"
    }}>
          <img srcset={`${screenshotBase}/${example}.png, ${screenshotBase}/${example}-2x.png 2x`} src={`${screenshotBase}/${example}.png`} alt={example} noZoom />
        </div>
        <div className="hidden dark:flex" style={{
      justifyContent: "center",
      alignItems: "center",
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: fullHeight ? "284px" : undefined,
      background: "#141414"
    }}>
          <img srcset={`${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark.png, ${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark-2x.png 2x`} src={`${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark.png`} alt={example} noZoom />
        </div>
      </Frame>;
  }
  if (screenshot) {
    return <Frame className="flex flex-col -mb-2">
        <div className="flex dark:hidden bg-white dark:bg-codeblock border border-gray-950/10 dark:border-white/10 dark:twoslash-dark rounded-2xl overflow-hidden" style={{
      justifyContent: "center",
      alignItems: "center",
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: fullHeight ? "284px" : undefined
    }}>
          <img srcset={`${screenshotBase}/${example}.png, ${screenshotBase}/${example}-2x.png 2x`} src={`${screenshotBase}/${example}.png`} alt={example} noZoom />
        </div>

        <div className="hidden dark:flex bg-white dark:bg-codeblock border border-gray-950/10 dark:border-white/10 dark:twoslash-dark rounded-2xl overflow-hidden" style={{
      background: "#141414",
      justifyContent: "center",
      alignItems: "center",
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: fullHeight ? "284px" : undefined
    }}>
          <img srcset={`${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark.png, ${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark-2x.png 2x`} src={`${screenshotBase}/${example}-dark.png`} alt={example} noZoom />
        </div>

        <div className="flex justify-end items-center text-xs py-2 px-1 gap-4">
          {!showCodeProp ? <button className="inline-flex justify-end items-center text-gray-700 dark:text-gray-50 hover:text-blue-500 dark:hover:text-blue-300 transition-colors group self-end gap-1 cursor-pointer" onClick={() => setShowCodeBlock(!showCodeBlock)} style={{
      appearance: "none"
    }}>
              <Icon icon="code" size="12px" className="group-hover:bg-blue-500 dark:group-hover:bg-blue-300" />
              <span>{showCodeBlock ? "Hide code" : "Show code"}</span>
            </button> : null}

          <a className="inline-flex justify-end items-center hover:text-blue-500 dark:hover:text-blue-300 transition-colors group self-end gap-1" href={`${STACKBLITZ_BASE}/${example}?file=src/App.tsx`} target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">
            <Icon icon="bolt" size="12px" className="group-hover:bg-blue-500 dark:group-hover:bg-blue-300" />
            <span>StackBlitz demo</span>
          </a>
        </div>

        <div className="grid transition-[grid-template-rows] duration-300 ease-in-out overflow-auto overflow-y-hidden overflow-x-auto" style={showCodeBlock ? {
      gridTemplateRows: "1fr"
    } : {
      gridTemplateRows: "0fr"
    }}>
          <div style={{
      minHeight: 0,
      overflowX: "auto",
      overflowY: "hidden",
      marginBlockStart: "-1.25rem",
      marginBlockEnd: "-1.5rem"
    }}>
            {children}
          </div>
        </div>
      </Frame>;
  } else {
    return <div style={{
      display: "flex",
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: customHeight ? customHeight : "316px",
      resize: "vertical",
      overflow: "auto"
    }}>
        <iframe title={example} style={{
      flex: 1,
      width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
      minHeight: customHeight ? customHeight : "316px"
    }} src={`${STACKBLITZ_BASE}/${example}?embed=1&hideNavigation=1&hideExplorer=1&terminalHeight=0&file=src/App.tsx${clickToLoad ? "&ctl=1" : ""}${hideCodeInLiveCode ? "&view=preview" : ""}`} allow="accelerometer; ambient-light-sensor; camera; encrypted-media; geolocation; gyroscope; hid; microphone; midi; payment; usb; vr; xr-spatial-tracking" sandbox="allow-forms allow-modals allow-popups allow-presentation allow-same-origin allow-scripts" />
      </div>;
  }
};

export const CodePreviewPlaceholder = ({double, fullWidth}) => {
  const single = <div style={{
    width: fullWidth ? "100%" : "50%",
    borderRadius: "1rem",
    display: "flex",
    padding: "1rem",
    flexDirection: "column",
    gap: "0.5rem",
    height: "10rem",
    marginBlockEnd: "1rem"
  }} className="border-width-default border-color-subdued">
      <div className="bg-strong border-radius-large" style={{
    width: "100%",
    flexGrow: "1"
  }} />
      <div className="bg-strong border-radius-large" style={{
    width: "100%",
    flexGrow: "1"
  }} />
    </div>;
  return double ? <div style={{
    display: "flex",
    gap: "1rem"
  }}>
      {single}
      {single}
    </div> : single;
};

<LiveCode example="carto-chat-layout" screenshot fullWidth>
  ```tsx lines theme={null}
  import { useState } from "react";
  import {
    ChatLayout,
    PromptBar,
    UserMessage,
  } from "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit";

  function App() {
    const [value, setValue] = useState("");

    return (
      <div
        style={{
          height: 420,
          border: "1px solid #e0e0e0",
          borderRadius: 8,
          overflow: "hidden",
        }}
      >
        <ChatLayout
          conversation={
            <UserMessage
              content="Hey — can you help with this invoice?"
              timestamp={new Date(2026, 3, 1, 16, 40)}
            />
          }
          prompt={
            <PromptBar
              value={value}
              onChange={setValue}
              placeholder="Ask anything…"
            />
          }
        />
      </div>
    );
  }

  export default App;
  ```
</LiveCode>

## Options

ChatLayout is configuration-first: `conversation` and `prompt` are typed props, not composed children, and both are optional.

### Conversation slot

<LiveCode example="carto-chat-layout-slots" screenshot fullWidth>
  ```tsx lines theme={null}
  import { type ReactNode, useState } from "react";
  import {
    CartoTheme,
    ChatLayout,
    PromptBar,
    UserMessage,
  } from "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit";
  import "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit/styles.css";

  function Frame({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
    return (
      <div
        style={{
          width: 320,
          height: 300,
          border: "1px solid #e0e0e0",
          borderRadius: 8,
          overflow: "hidden",
        }}
      >
        {children}
      </div>
    );
  }

  function App() {
    const [value, setValue] = useState("");
    const prompt = (
      <PromptBar value={value} onChange={setValue} placeholder="Ask anything…" />
    );
    const conversation = (
      <UserMessage
        content="Hey — can you help with this invoice?"
        timestamp={new Date(2026, 3, 1, 16, 40)}
      />
    );

    return (
      <CartoTheme>
        <div style={{ display: "flex", gap: 16 }}>
          <Frame>
            <ChatLayout conversation={conversation} prompt={prompt} />
          </Frame>
          <Frame>
            <ChatLayout conversation={conversation} />
          </Frame>
          <Frame>
            <ChatLayout prompt={prompt} />
          </Frame>
        </div>
      </CartoTheme>
    );
  }

  export default App;
  ```
</LiveCode>

The three slot configurations side by side: the full column, `conversation` alone (a read-only or archived view, with no composer), and `prompt` alone (an empty landing state, ready for the first message). Either slot can be omitted independently — the other still renders correctly on its own.

### Prompt slot

The `prompt` composer is typically a [PromptBar](/docs/kits/ai-kit/components/prompt-bar/design), rendered below `conversation` and pinned to the bottom of the region regardless of how much transcript precedes it.

## Behavior

The transcript manages its own scroll position so a growing conversation never fights the reader.

### Stick to Bottom

<LiveCode example="carto-chat-layout-stick-to-bottom" screenshot fullWidth>
  ```tsx lines theme={null}
  import { useState } from "react";
  import {
    CartoTheme,
    ChatLayout,
    PromptBar,
    UserMessage,
  } from "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit";
  import "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit/styles.css";

  function App() {
    const [value, setValue] = useState("");

    return (
      <CartoTheme>
        <div
          style={{
            height: 420,
            border: "1px solid #e0e0e0",
            borderRadius: 8,
            overflow: "hidden",
          }}
        >
          <ChatLayout
            conversation={
              <>
                {Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) => (
                  <UserMessage
                    key={i}
                    content={`Message ${i + 1} in a transcript long enough to overflow the frame.`}
                    timestamp={new Date(2026, 3, 1, 16, 40 + i)}
                  />
                ))}
              </>
            }
            prompt={
              <PromptBar
                value={value}
                onChange={setValue}
                placeholder="Ask anything…"
              />
            }
          />
        </div>
      </CartoTheme>
    );
  }

  export default App;
  ```
</LiveCode>

The transcript sticks to the bottom on its own as messages arrive. The moment the user scrolls up to read history, it stops auto-scrolling — so incoming content never yanks them back down — and re-engages the lock once they scroll back to the bottom.

### Scroll to Latest

<LiveCode example="carto-chat-layout-scroll-to-latest" screenshot fullWidth>
  ```tsx lines theme={null}
  import { useState } from "react";
  import {
    CartoTheme,
    ChatLayout,
    PromptBar,
    UserMessage,
  } from "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit";
  import "@servicetitan/carto-react-kit/styles.css";

  function App() {
    const [value, setValue] = useState("");

    return (
      <CartoTheme>
        <div
          style={{
            height: 420,
            border: "1px solid #e0e0e0",
            borderRadius: 8,
            overflow: "hidden",
          }}
        >
          <ChatLayout
            conversation={
              <>
                {Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, i) => (
                  <UserMessage
                    key={i}
                    content={`Message ${i + 1} in a transcript long enough to overflow the frame.`}
                    timestamp={new Date(2026, 3, 1, 16, 40 + i)}
                  />
                ))}
              </>
            }
            prompt={
              <PromptBar
                value={value}
                onChange={setValue}
                placeholder="Ask anything…"
              />
            }
          />
        </div>
      </CartoTheme>
    );
  }

  export default App;
  ```
</LiveCode>

A floating "scroll to latest" button appears whenever the user has scrolled away from the bottom. Pressing it scrolls smoothly back to the latest content and re-engages the stick-to-bottom lock. Force the same scroll programmatically — e.g. right after the user sends a message — via `controlRef`'s `scrollToBottom()`.

## Keyboard Interaction

Users can scroll the transcript using standard keyboard controls.

| Key                   | Description                            |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Tab                   | Moves focus into the transcript region |
| Arrow Up / Arrow Down | Scrolls the focused transcript         |
| Page Up / Page Down   | Scrolls the transcript by a page       |

## Patterns that use this component

* [Agentic Experience Shell](/docs/kits/ai-kit/patterns/agentic-experience-shell) — Defines the conversation region