Manage user availability for Chat apps

This guide explains how to use the Google Chat API to manage a user's availability status and custom status.

To read and update the availability of a Chat user, your app must authenticate with user authentication. Only the authenticated user's availability can be accessed or modified.

Prerequisites

Node.js

Python

Java

Apps Script

Get a user's availability

To read the availability of a Google Chat user, pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.users.availability.readonly or chat.users.availability authorization scope.
  • Call the GetAvailability method.
  • Pass the name of the availability resource to retrieve. The name must be formatted as users/{user}/availability. The user's email address or the me alias can be used to refer to the caller. For example, users/me/availability.

Here's how to get a user's availability:

Node.js

const { ChatServiceClient } = require('@google-apps/chat').v1;

// Instantiates a client
const chatServiceClient = new ChatServiceClient();

async function getAvailability() {
  const request = {
    // The name of the availability resource to retrieve.
    // Format: users/{user}/availability
    // The 'me' alias can be used to refer to the calling user.
    name: 'users/me/availability',
  };

  try {
    const response = await chatServiceClient.getAvailability(request);
    console.log(response);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error retrieving availability:', err);
  }
}

getAvailability();

Python

from google.apps import chat_v1 as google_chat

def get_availability():
    # Instantiates a client
    client = google_chat.ChatServiceClient()

    # Prepare request
    request = google_chat.GetAvailabilityRequest(
        # Format: users/{user}/availability
        # The 'me' alias refers to the calling user.
        name="users/me/availability",
    )

    # Call the API
    try:
        response = client.get_availability(request=request)
        print(response)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error retrieving availability: {e}")

get_availability()

Java

import com.google.chat.v1.Availability;
import com.google.chat.v1.ChatServiceClient;
import com.google.chat.v1.GetAvailabilityRequest;

public class GetAvailability {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    // Instantiates a client
    try (ChatServiceClient chatServiceClient = ChatServiceClient.create()) {
      GetAvailabilityRequest request = GetAvailabilityRequest.newBuilder()
          // Format: users/{user}/availability
          // The 'me' alias refers to the calling user.
          .setName("users/me/availability")
          .build();

      Availability response = chatServiceClient.getAvailability(request);
      System.out.println(response);
    }
  }
}

Apps Script

/**
 * Retrieves the calling user's availability details.
 */
function getUserAvailability() {
  const name = 'users/me/availability';
  try {
    const availability = Chat.Users.Availability.get(name);
    console.log(availability);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Failed to get availability: ' + err.message);
  }
}

The Chat API returns an instance of Availability detailing the user's presence state and custom status.

Update custom status

To update a user's custom status, pass the following in your request:

  • Specify the chat.users.availability authorization scope.
  • Call the UpdateAvailability method.
  • Pass the Availability resource, specifying the new customStatus details.
  • Set the update_mask parameter to include the custom_status field.

Here's how to update a user's custom status:

Node.js

const { ChatServiceClient } = require('@google-apps/chat').v1;

// Instantiates a client
const chatServiceClient = new ChatServiceClient();

async function updateCustomStatus() {
  const request = {
    // The Availability resource to update.
    availability: {
      name: 'users/me/availability',
      customStatus: {
        text: 'In a meeting',
        emoji: {
          unicode: '📅'
        }
      }
    },
    // The fields to update. Must contain 'custom_status'.
    updateMask: {
      paths: ['custom_status']
    }
  };

  try {
    const response = await chatServiceClient.updateAvailability(request);
    console.log(response);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error updating status:', err);
  }
}

updateCustomStatus();

Python

from google.apps import chat_v1 as google_chat
from google.protobuf import field_mask_pb2

def update_custom_status():
    # Instantiates a client
    client = google_chat.ChatServiceClient()

    # Define custom status and emoji
    custom_status = google_chat.CustomStatus(
        text="In a meeting",
        emoji=google_chat.Emoji(unicode="📅")
    )

    # Initialize availability object
    availability = google_chat.Availability(
        name="users/me/availability",
        custom_status=custom_status
    )

    # Specify update mask
    update_mask = field_mask_pb2.FieldMask(paths=["custom_status"])

    # Prepare request
    request = google_chat.UpdateAvailabilityRequest(
        availability=availability,
        update_mask=update_mask
    )

    # Call the API
    try:
        response = client.update_availability(request=request)
        print(response)
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"Error updating status: {e}")

update_custom_status()

Java

import com.google.chat.v1.Availability;
import com.google.chat.v1.ChatServiceClient;
import com.google.chat.v1.CustomStatus;
import com.google.chat.v1.Emoji;
import com.google.chat.v1.UpdateAvailabilityRequest;
import com.google.protobuf.FieldMask;

public class UpdateCustomStatus {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    // Instantiates a client
    try (ChatServiceClient chatServiceClient = ChatServiceClient.create()) {
      CustomStatus customStatus = CustomStatus.newBuilder()
          .setText("In a meeting")
          .setEmoji(Emoji.newBuilder().setUnicode("📅"))
          .build();

      Availability availability = Availability.newBuilder()
          .setName("users/me/availability")
          .setCustomStatus(customStatus)
          .build();

      FieldMask updateMask = FieldMask.newBuilder()
          .addPaths("custom_status")
          .build();

      UpdateAvailabilityRequest request = UpdateAvailabilityRequest.newBuilder()
          .setAvailability(availability)
          .setUpdateMask(updateMask)
          .build();

      Availability response = chatServiceClient.updateAvailability(request);
      System.out.println(response);
    }
  }
}

Apps Script

/**
 * Updates the calling user's custom status message.
 */
function updateCustomStatus() {
  const name = 'users/me/availability';
  const availability = {
    customStatus: {
      text: 'In a meeting',
      emoji: {
        unicode: '📅'
      }
    }
  };
  const updateMask = 'custom_status';

  try {
    const response = Chat.Users.Availability.patch(availability, name, {
      updateMask: updateMask
    });
    console.log(response);
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Failed to update status: ' + err.message);
  }
}

The Chat API updates and returns an instance of Availability with the new custom status.

To clear a user's custom status, update availability and omit customStatus details.

Update presence state

Depending on the target presence state, you can update a user's availability by calling one of the following custom methods:

  • Active: Call the MarkAsActive method to set the presence to active. Optional expiration values (ttl or expireTime) can be provided.
  • Away: Call the MarkAsAway method to set the presence to away.
  • Do not disturb: Call the MarkAsDoNotDisturb method to silence notifications.

For details, including field descriptions and query templates, view each method's reference guide.

Identify availability changes from an event

Your Chat app can subscribe to google.workspace.chat.availability.v1.updated events to get notifications when a user's availability changes. When an availability update happens, the app receives an event with a payload containing the Availability resource.