Communication & Messaging

Classgrid's Communication system is built around a RAG-powered AI chat assistant (chat.routes.js, 863 lines) that serves as the primary student-facing interface. The AI assistant has deep integration with 13 real-time data sources across the platform. Additionally, the platform supports real-time classroom chat, group messaging, threaded conversations, org-wide announcements, forums, and push notifications through dedicated route files.

AI Chat Assistant (Module 24 — RAG Engine)

API: POST /api/chat/stream (Server-Sent Events)
API: POST /api/chat/ (Standard request/response with file upload)
Roles: Any authenticated user

The AI chat uses Classgrid AI (model: classgrid-v3) with a comprehensive RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) engine that pulls real-time context from 13 data sources.

RAG Data Sources

Request Format

{
  "message": "What topics should I focus on for the exam?",
  "mode": "chat",
  "classroomId": "<MongoDB ObjectId>",
  "userName": "Rahul Sharma",
  "userPrn": "2024001",
  "userRole": "Student",
  "userDept": "Computer Science",
  "userOrg": "XYZ Engineering College",
  "userId": "<MongoDB ObjectId>",
  "isFirstMessage": true,
  "history": "[{\"text\":\"...\",\"role\":\"user\"},{\"text\":\"...\",\"role\":\"assistant\"}]"
}

New User Onboarding

When isFirstMessage: true and the user has zero enrolled classrooms, the AI automatically:

1. Greets them by name: "Hi Rahul!"
2. Explains how to join a classroom (10-digit code from teacher)
3. Explains auto-linking to organization
4. Lists available features (notes, quizzes, announcements, viva)
5. Mentions the Classgrid Honor Code

Streaming Response

POST /api/chat/stream returns Server-Sent Events:

Content-Type: text/event-stream
Cache-Control: no-cache
Connection: keep-alive

data: {"content": "Based on your past paper analysis..."}
data: {"content": " the most repeated topics are..."}
data: [DONE]

Classroom Context API

API: GET /api/chat/classroom-context/:classroomId
Roles: Any user

Returns recent classroom activity as structured JSON for the assistant's welcome screen:

{
  "classroom": { "name": "FY BSc Div A", "subject": "Physics" },
  "announcements": [...],
  "materials": [...],
  "quizzes": [...]
}

Real-Time Chat System

The platform has multiple chat route files for different contexts:

Classroom Chat

• File: classroom_chat.routes.js
• Scope: Messages within a specific classroom between teacher and students
• Storage: Supabase

Organization Chat

• File: org_chat.routes.js
• Scope: Org-wide communication channels

Group Chat

• File: group_chat.routes.js (59KB)
• Scope: Custom groups within the organization
• Features: Group creation, member management, message history

Threaded Conversations

• File: thread_chat.routes.js (123KB — largest route file)
• Scope: Reply threads on messages
• Features: Nested replies, thread resolution, pagination

Direct Messaging

• File: messaging.routes.js
• Scope: 1:1 direct messages between users

Notifications System

In-App Notifications

Model: Notification (MongoDB)

Fields:

• recipient — ObjectId reference to User
• type — assignment, result, attendance, library, quick_leave, system, request_approved, request_rejected
• title — notification title with emoji
• message — notification body
• link — deep link to relevant page
• relatedId — reference to the related entity
• emailSent — boolean tracking if email was dispatched
• emailSentAt — timestamp of email dispatch

Push Notifications

Service: push.service.js + firebase.service.js
Route: push.routes.js

Uses Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) for native push notifications to mobile and desktop.

Central Notification Service

Service: notification.service.js

Two main functions used across all modules:

1. dispatchNotification() — sends to a single recipient

   JS

   await dispatchNotification({
     recipientId: "userId",
     type: "result",
     title: "✅ Assignment Graded",
     message: "Your assignment has been graded: 85 points.",
     link: "/assignments",
     relatedId: "submissionId"
   });

2. bulkDispatchNotification() — sends to multiple recipients

   JS

   await bulkDispatchNotification({
     recipientIds: ["userId1", "userId2", ...],
     type: "assignment",
     title: "📚 New Assignment",
     message: "A new assignment has been posted.",
     link: "/assignments",
     sendPush: true
   });

Scheduled Notifications

Model: ScheduledNotification

Supports scheduling notifications for future delivery (e.g., exam reminders, fee due reminders).

Organization Announcements

Model: OrganizationAnnouncement (MongoDB)

Fields:

• organization_id — scoped to org
• title, content — announcement text
• type — general, holiday, event, notice
• status — draft, published
• target_type — all or specific targets
• target_classrooms — array of classroom ObjectIds
• sent_at — publication timestamp

Used by:

• Admin dashboard for org-wide communication
• RAG engine (Source #6) — feeds into AI chat context as academic calendar events

Forums

Models: ForumPost, ForumComment (MongoDB)

Community discussion boards within the organization. Features:

• Post creation with rich text
• Threaded comments on posts
• Accessible via forum.routes.js

Notification Types Across the Platform

Key Models