I need to build a chat interface similar to Gmail’s messaging feature. You know how when you minimize a chat in Gmail, it becomes a small box that stays fixed in the bottom right corner? That’s exactly what I want to create.
The main requirements are:
When minimized, it should stick to the corner of the screen
It needs to stay in place even when users scroll up or down
I’m working with Java and the Wicket framework
I’m not sure what this type of UI component is called officially. What should I search for to find tutorials or examples? Also, if anyone has experience implementing this kind of floating chat widget, I’d really appreciate some guidance on the approach.
Built something just like this two years back with Wicket. You’re looking for a “modal dialog” or “floating panel” - basically a persistent floating component. Use ModalWindow with custom CSS (position: fixed and z-index) to anchor it bottom right. The tricky bit is handling state transitions when users minimize/maximize it. I used AjaxLink components for the minimize/maximize buttons and stored chat state in the session. Don’t forget to handle browser resize events or you’ll get cut-off widgets on smaller screens. The scrolling behavior happens automatically with fixed positioning, so that’ll work once your CSS is dialed in.
You’re talking about a “persistent floating widget” or “docked chat panel”. I built this exact thing in a customer service app using Wicket last year. The trick is combining Wicket’s WebMarkupContainer with proper CSS positioning and AJAX state management. Create a container for your chat interface and use position: fixed with specific bottom and right coordinates. For minimize/expand, I used AjaxEventBehavior to handle clicks and toggle the container’s markup visibility. The tricky part was keeping chat history and connection state when users minimize/expand - I stored active conversations in Wicket’s session and reconnected WebSocket handlers as needed. Definitely test on different screen sizes since fixed positioning can get weird on mobile.
use Wicket’s Panel component - it’s perfect for this. wrap your chat in a Panel and style it with position: fixed; bottom: 20px; right: 20px. for minimize/expand, add ajax behaviors that toggle the chat content visibility while keeping the header shown. I’ve built this before and it works great once you nail the CSS.