A conversation object contains information about a channel-like thing in Slack. It might be a public channel, a private channel, a direct message, a multi-person direct message, or a huddle. You'll find all of these objects throughout the Conversations API.
An example response for the conversations.info method is as follows:
{
"ok": true,
"channel": {
"id": "C123456",
"name": "general",
"is_channel": true,
"is_group": false,
"is_im": false,
"is_mpim": false,
"is_private": false,
"created": 1449252889,
"is_archived": false,
"is_general": true,
"unlinked": 0,
"name_normalized": "general",
"is_shared": false,
"is_frozen": false,
"is_org_shared": false,
"is_pending_ext_shared": false,
"pending_shared": [],
"context_team_id": "T12345ABCDE",
"updated": 1689965803820,
"parent_conversation": null,
"creator": "W123456",
"is_ext_shared": false,
"shared_team_ids": ["T12345ABCDE"],
"pending_connected_team_ids": [],
"is_member": true,
"topic": {
"value": "For public discussion of generalities",
"creator": "W123456",
"last_set": 1449709364
},
"purpose": {
"value": "This part of the workspace is for fun. Make fun here.",
"creator": "W123456",
"last_set": 1449709364
},
"previous_names": [ "specifics", "abstractions", "etc" ],
}
}
An example response for the conversations.history method is as follows:
{
"ok": true,
"messages": [
{
"type": "message",
"text": "",
"user": "USLACKBOT",
"channel": "C12345ABCDE",
"room": {
"id": "R12345ABCDE",
"name": "",
"media_server": "",
"created_by": "U12345ABCDE",
"date_start": 1689964161,
"date_end": 0,
"participants": [],
"participant_history": ["U12345ABCDE"],
"participants_camera_on": [],
"participants_camera_off": [],
"participants_screenshare_on": [],
"participants_screenshare_off": [],
"canvas_thread_ts": "1689964161.419229",
"thread_root_ts": "1689964161.419229",
"channels": ["C12345ABCDE"],
"is_dm_call": false,
"was_rejected": false,
"was_missed": false,
"was_accepted": false,
"has_ended": false,
"background_id": "GRADIENT_03",
"canvas_background": "GRADIENT_03",
"is_prewarmed": false,
"is_scheduled": false,
"attached_file_ids": [],
"media_backend_type": "free_willy",
"display_id": "",
"external_unique_id": "12345abc-123a-123b-123c-12345abcde7",
"app_id": "A00",
"call_family": "huddle",
"pending_invitees": {}
},
"no_notifications": true,
"permalink": "https://example.com",
"subtype": "huddle_thread",
"ts": "1689964161.419229",
"blocks": [
{
"type": "rich_text",
"block_id": "aBcDe",
"elements": [
{
"type": "rich_text_section",
"elements": [
{
"type": "text",
"text": "A huddle started"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"team": "T12345ABCDE"
},
// ...
}
| Property | Description |
|---|---|
is_archived |
Indicates a conversation is archived, frozen in time. |
is_channel |
Indicates whether a conversation is a channel. Private channels created before March 2021 (with IDs that begin with G) will return false, and is_group will be true instead. Use is_private to determine whether a channel is private or public. |
is_ext_shared |
Indicates whether a conversation is part of a Shared Channel with a remote organization. Your app should make sure the data it shares in such a channel is appropriate for both workspaces. is_shared will also be true. |
is_general |
Means the channel is the workspace's "general" discussion channel (even if it may not be named #general). That might be important to your app because almost every user is a member. |
is_group |
Means the channel is a private channel created before March 2021. is_private will also be true. |
is_im |
Means the conversation is a direct message between two distinguished individuals or a user and a bot. is_private will also be true. |
is_member |
Indicates whether the user, bot user or Slack app associated with the token making the API call is itself a member of the conversation. |
is_mpim |
Represents an unnamed private conversation between multiple users. is_private will also be true. |
is_org_shared |
Indicates whether this shared channel is shared between Enterprise Grid workspaces within the same organization. It's a little different from (externally) Shared Channels, yet is_shared will be true. |
is_pending_ext_shared |
Means the conversation is ready to become an is_ext_shared channel, but needs some kind of approval or sign off first. Best to treat it as if it were a shared channel, even if it traverses only one workspace. |
is_private |
Means the conversation is privileged between two or more members. Ensure that you meet their privacy expectations. |
is_read_only |
Means the conversation can't be written to by the user performing the API call. |
is_shared |
Means the conversation is in some way shared between multiple workspaces. Look for is_ext_shared and is_org_shared to learn which kind it is, and if that matters, act accordingly. |
is_thread_only |
Means the conversation can't be written to by the user performing the API call, except to reply to messages in the channel. |
num_members |
The number of members in the conversation. num_members may not make an appearance in the response for conversation types like DMs, where the number of members is constant. |
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
name |
String | Indicates the name of the channel-like thing, without a leading hash sign. Don't get too attached to that name; it may change β instead, when working with channel-like things, focus on their IDs, their type, and the team/workspace they belong to. |
creator |
String | The ID of the member that created this conversation. |
created |
Int | Timestamp of when the conversation was created. |
conversation_host_id |
String | Appears on shared channel objects and indicates the "host" of the shared channel. The value may contain a workspace's ID (beginning with T) or an Enterprise Grid organization's ID (beginning with E). |
topic |
String | Provides information about the channel topic. |
purpose |
String | Provides information about the channel purpose. |
updated |
Int | The timestamp, in milliseconds, when the channel settings were updated β for example, the "topic" or "description" of the channel changed. |
Some API methods; for example, conversations.join, can include extra state information for channels when the calling user is a member:
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
last_read |
Int | The timestamp for the last message the calling user has read in this channel. |
unread_count |
Int | A full count of visible messages that the calling user has yet to read. |
unread_count_display |
Int | A count of messages that the calling user has yet to read that matter to them (excludes things like join/leave messages). |
latest |
String | The latest message in the channel. |
These channel objects are not the same object type as those for private channels created before March 2021, which are considered group objects.