deriveNickname

Overview

The deriveNickname utility function generates human-readable nicknames from user IDs using the unique-names-generator library. It creates memorable names like “Eclectic Mastodon” or “Brilliant Tiger” that are easier for users to identify and remember than raw user IDs, while maintaining consistency across sessions.

Perfect for: User display names, avatar labels, chat interfaces, user identification, team member lists, and creating friendly user experiences in collaborative applications.

Import

import { utils } from 'react-together'
const { deriveNickname } = utils

Signature

deriveNickname(userId: string): string

Parameters

userId

string

required

The unique user identifier to generate a nickname from. The same userId will always produce the same nickname.

Returns

nickname

string

A human-readable nickname generated from the userId. The nickname consists of an adjective and animal name (e.g., “Brilliant Tiger”, “Calm Eagle”).

Examples

Basic Usage

Generate nicknames for user identification:

import { utils } from 'react-together'

const { deriveNickname } = utils

function generateUserNicknames() {
  const userIds = [
    'user-123-abc',
    'user-456-def',
    'user-789-ghi'
  ]
  
  const nicknames = userIds.map(userId => ({
    userId,
    nickname: deriveNickname(userId)
  }))
  
  console.log(nicknames)
  // Output: [
  //   { userId: 'user-123-abc', nickname: 'Brilliant Tiger' },
  //   { userId: 'user-456-def', nickname: 'Calm Eagle' },
  //   { userId: 'user-789-ghi', nickname: 'Swift Dolphin' }
  // ]
  
  return nicknames
}

User Avatar with Nickname

Create user avatars with generated nicknames:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useConnectedUsers } from 'react-together'

const { deriveNickname, getUserColor } = utils

function UserAvatarWithNickname({ userId }: { userId: string }) {
  const nickname = deriveNickname(userId)
  const backgroundColor = getUserColor(userId)
  const initials = nickname.split(' ').map(word => word[0]).join('')
  
  return (
    <div className="user-avatar-with-nickname">
      <div 
        className="avatar"
        style={{ backgroundColor }}
        title={nickname}
      >
        {initials}
      </div>
      <span className="nickname">{nickname}</span>
    </div>
  )
}

function ConnectedUsersWithNicknames() {
  const connectedUsers = useConnectedUsers()
  
  return (
    <div className="users-list">
      <h3>Connected Users</h3>
      {connectedUsers.map(user => (
        <UserAvatarWithNickname 
          key={user.userId} 
          userId={user.userId} 
        />
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}

Chat Interface with Nicknames

Implement a chat interface using generated nicknames:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useChat } from 'react-together'

const { deriveNickname } = utils

interface ChatMessage {
  id: string
  userId: string
  message: string
  timestamp: Date
}

function ChatWithNicknames() {
  const { messages, sendMessage } = useChat()
  const [newMessage, setNewMessage] = useState('')
  
  const handleSendMessage = () => {
    if (newMessage.trim()) {
      sendMessage(newMessage.trim())
      setNewMessage('')
    }
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="chat-with-nicknames">
      <div className="chat-header">
        <h3>💬 Team Chat</h3>
      </div>
      
      <div className="chat-messages">
        {messages.map(message => {
          const nickname = deriveNickname(message.userId)
          
          return (
            <div key={message.id} className="chat-message">
              <div className="message-header">
                <span className="sender-nickname">{nickname}</span>
                <span className="message-time">
                  {message.timestamp.toLocaleTimeString()}
                </span>
              </div>
              <div className="message-content">
                {message.message}
              </div>
            </div>
          )
        })}
      </div>
      
      <div className="chat-input">
        <input
          type="text"
          value={newMessage}
          onChange={(e) => setNewMessage(e.target.value)}
          onKeyPress={(e) => e.key === 'Enter' && handleSendMessage()}
          placeholder="Type a message..."
        />
        <button onClick={handleSendMessage}>
          Send
        </button>
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

Team Directory

Create a team directory with consistent nicknames:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useConnectedUsers } from 'react-together'
import { useState, useMemo } from 'react'

const { deriveNickname, getUserColor } = utils

interface TeamMember {
  userId: string
  nickname: string
  color: string
  isOnline: boolean
  joinedAt: Date
}

function TeamDirectory() {
  const connectedUsers = useConnectedUsers()
  const [searchTerm, setSearchTerm] = useState('')
  
  const teamMembers = useMemo(() => {
    return connectedUsers.map(user => ({
      userId: user.userId,
      nickname: deriveNickname(user.userId),
      color: getUserColor(user.userId),
      isOnline: true,
      joinedAt: new Date()
    }))
  }, [connectedUsers])
  
  const filteredMembers = useMemo(() => {
    if (!searchTerm) return teamMembers
    return teamMembers.filter(member =>
      member.nickname.toLowerCase().includes(searchTerm.toLowerCase())
    )
  }, [teamMembers, searchTerm])
  
  const alphabeticalMembers = useMemo(() => {
    return [...filteredMembers].sort((a, b) => 
      a.nickname.localeCompare(b.nickname)
    )
  }, [filteredMembers])
  
  return (
    <div className="team-directory">
      <div className="directory-header">
        <h3>👥 Team Directory</h3>
        <div className="team-stats">
          <span>{teamMembers.length} member{teamMembers.length !== 1 ? 's' : ''} online</span>
        </div>
      </div>
      
      <div className="directory-search">
        <input
          type="text"
          value={searchTerm}
          onChange={(e) => setSearchTerm(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Search team members..."
          className="search-input"
        />
      </div>
      
      <div className="directory-list">
        {alphabeticalMembers.map(member => (
          <div key={member.userId} className="team-member-card">
            <div className="member-avatar">
              <div 
                className="avatar-circle"
                style={{ backgroundColor: member.color }}
              >
                {member.nickname.split(' ').map(word => word[0]).join('')}
              </div>
              <div className={`status-indicator ${member.isOnline ? 'online' : 'offline'}`}>
                {member.isOnline ? '🟢' : '🔴'}
              </div>
            </div>
            
            <div className="member-info">
              <h4 className="member-nickname">{member.nickname}</h4>
              <p className="member-id">ID: {member.userId.slice(-8)}</p>
              <p className="member-status">
                {member.isOnline ? 'Online' : 'Offline'}
              </p>
            </div>
            
            <div className="member-actions">
              <button className="action-btn">
                💬 Message
              </button>
              <button className="action-btn">
                📧 Email
              </button>
            </div>
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
      
      {filteredMembers.length === 0 && searchTerm && (
        <div className="no-results">
          <p>No team members found matching "{searchTerm}"</p>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  )
}

Leaderboard with Nicknames

Create a leaderboard using generated nicknames:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useStateTogether } from 'react-together'
import { useMemo } from 'react'

const { deriveNickname, getUserColor } = utils

interface PlayerScore {
  userId: string
  score: number
  lastUpdated: number
}

function GameLeaderboard() {
  const [scores, setScores] = useStateTogether<Record<string, PlayerScore>>('gameScores', {})
  
  const leaderboard = useMemo(() => {
    return Object.values(scores)
      .map(playerScore => ({
        ...playerScore,
        nickname: deriveNickname(playerScore.userId),
        color: getUserColor(playerScore.userId)
      }))
      .sort((a, b) => b.score - a.score)
  }, [scores])
  
  const addTestScore = (userId: string, score: number) => {
    setScores(prev => ({
      ...prev,
      [userId]: {
        userId,
        score,
        lastUpdated: Date.now()
      }
    }))
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="game-leaderboard">
      <div className="leaderboard-header">
        <h3>🏆 Leaderboard</h3>
        <div className="leaderboard-stats">
          {leaderboard.length} player{leaderboard.length !== 1 ? 's' : ''}
        </div>
      </div>
      
      <div className="test-controls">
        <h4>Test Controls</h4>
        <button onClick={() => addTestScore('user-001', Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000))}>
          Add Random Score for User 001
        </button>
        <button onClick={() => addTestScore('user-002', Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000))}>
          Add Random Score for User 002
        </button>
        <button onClick={() => addTestScore('user-003', Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000))}>
          Add Random Score for User 003
        </button>
      </div>
      
      <div className="leaderboard-list">
        {leaderboard.map((player, index) => (
          <div key={player.userId} className="leaderboard-entry">
            <div className="rank">
              <span className="rank-number">#{index + 1}</span>
              {index === 0 && <span className="trophy">🥇</span>}
              {index === 1 && <span className="trophy">🥈</span>}
              {index === 2 && <span className="trophy">🥉</span>}
            </div>
            
            <div className="player-info">
              <div 
                className="player-avatar"
                style={{ backgroundColor: player.color }}
              >
                {player.nickname.split(' ').map(word => word[0]).join('')}
              </div>
              <div className="player-details">
                <h4 className="player-nickname">{player.nickname}</h4>
                <p className="player-id">ID: {player.userId.slice(-6)}</p>
              </div>
            </div>
            
            <div className="score-info">
              <span className="score-value">{player.score.toLocaleString()}</span>
              <span className="score-label">points</span>
            </div>
            
            <div className="entry-meta">
              <span className="last-updated">
                {new Date(player.lastUpdated).toLocaleString()}
              </span>
            </div>
          </div>
        ))}
      </div>
      
      {leaderboard.length === 0 && (
        <div className="empty-leaderboard">
          <p>🎮 No scores yet!</p>
          <p>Start playing to see the leaderboard.</p>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  )
}

Collaborative Comments System

Build a comments system with nickname-based identification:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useStateTogether, useMyId } from 'react-together'
import { useState } from 'react'

const { deriveNickname, getUserColor } = utils

interface Comment {
  id: string
  userId: string
  content: string
  timestamp: number
  replies: Comment[]
}

function CollaborativeComments() {
  const myId = useMyId()
  const [comments, setComments] = useStateTogether<Comment[]>('comments', [])
  const [newComment, setNewComment] = useState('')
  const [replyingTo, setReplyingTo] = useState<string | null>(null)
  const [replyContent, setReplyContent] = useState('')
  
  const addComment = () => {
    if (!newComment.trim() || !myId) return
    
    const comment: Comment = {
      id: `comment-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 5)}`,
      userId: myId,
      content: newComment.trim(),
      timestamp: Date.now(),
      replies: []
    }
    
    setComments(prev => [...prev, comment])
    setNewComment('')
  }
  
  const addReply = (parentCommentId: string) => {
    if (!replyContent.trim() || !myId) return
    
    const reply: Comment = {
      id: `reply-${Date.now()}-${Math.random().toString(36).substr(2, 5)}`,
      userId: myId,
      content: replyContent.trim(),
      timestamp: Date.now(),
      replies: []
    }
    
    setComments(prev => prev.map(comment => 
      comment.id === parentCommentId
        ? { ...comment, replies: [...comment.replies, reply] }
        : comment
    ))
    
    setReplyContent('')
    setReplyingTo(null)
  }
  
  const renderComment = (comment: Comment, isReply = false) => {
    const nickname = deriveNickname(comment.userId)
    const userColor = getUserColor(comment.userId)
    const isMyComment = myId === comment.userId
    
    return (
      <div key={comment.id} className={`comment ${isReply ? 'reply' : 'top-level'}`}>
        <div className="comment-header">
          <div className="comment-author">
            <div 
              className="author-avatar"
              style={{ backgroundColor: userColor }}
            >
              {nickname.split(' ').map(word => word[0]).join('')}
            </div>
            <span className="author-nickname">
              {nickname}
              {isMyComment && <span className="you-label">(You)</span>}
            </span>
          </div>
          <span className="comment-timestamp">
            {new Date(comment.timestamp).toLocaleString()}
          </span>
        </div>
        
        <div className="comment-content">
          {comment.content}
        </div>
        
        <div className="comment-actions">
          {!isReply && (
            <button 
              onClick={() => setReplyingTo(comment.id)}
              className="reply-btn"
            >
              💬 Reply
            </button>
          )}
        </div>
        
        {replyingTo === comment.id && (
          <div className="reply-form">
            <textarea
              value={replyContent}
              onChange={(e) => setReplyContent(e.target.value)}
              placeholder="Write a reply..."
              rows={3}
            />
            <div className="reply-actions">
              <button onClick={() => addReply(comment.id)}>
                Post Reply
              </button>
              <button onClick={() => setReplyingTo(null)}>
                Cancel
              </button>
            </div>
          </div>
        )}
        
        {comment.replies.length > 0 && (
          <div className="comment-replies">
            {comment.replies.map(reply => renderComment(reply, true))}
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
    )
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="collaborative-comments">
      <div className="comments-header">
        <h3>💬 Comments ({comments.length})</h3>
      </div>
      
      <div className="add-comment">
        <h4>Add Comment</h4>
        <textarea
          value={newComment}
          onChange={(e) => setNewComment(e.target.value)}
          placeholder="Share your thoughts..."
          rows={3}
        />
        <button onClick={addComment} disabled={!newComment.trim()}>
          Post Comment
        </button>
      </div>
      
      <div className="comments-list">
        {comments.map(comment => renderComment(comment))}
      </div>
      
      {comments.length === 0 && (
        <div className="empty-comments">
          <p>💭 No comments yet</p>
          <p>Be the first to share your thoughts!</p>
        </div>
      )}
    </div>
  )
}

User Mention System

Implement user mentions with nickname autocomplete:

import { utils } from 'react-together'
import { useConnectedUsers } from 'react-together'
import { useState, useMemo } from 'react'

const { deriveNickname } = utils

function UserMentionInput() {
  const connectedUsers = useConnectedUsers()
  const [inputValue, setInputValue] = useState('')
  const [mentionQuery, setMentionQuery] = useState('')
  const [showSuggestions, setShowSuggestions] = useState(false)
  const [cursorPosition, setCursorPosition] = useState(0)
  
  const userNicknames = useMemo(() => {
    return connectedUsers.map(user => ({
      userId: user.userId,
      nickname: deriveNickname(user.userId)
    }))
  }, [connectedUsers])
  
  const mentionSuggestions = useMemo(() => {
    if (!mentionQuery) return []
    return userNicknames.filter(user =>
      user.nickname.toLowerCase().includes(mentionQuery.toLowerCase())
    ).slice(0, 5)
  }, [userNicknames, mentionQuery])
  
  const handleInputChange = (e: React.ChangeEvent<HTMLTextAreaElement>) => {
    const value = e.target.value
    const cursor = e.target.selectionStart
    
    setInputValue(value)
    setCursorPosition(cursor)
    
    // Check for mention trigger (@)
    const beforeCursor = value.slice(0, cursor)
    const mentionMatch = beforeCursor.match(/@(\w*)$/)
    
    if (mentionMatch) {
      setMentionQuery(mentionMatch[1])
      setShowSuggestions(true)
    } else {
      setMentionQuery('')
      setShowSuggestions(false)
    }
  }
  
  const insertMention = (nickname: string) => {
    const beforeCursor = inputValue.slice(0, cursorPosition)
    const afterCursor = inputValue.slice(cursorPosition)
    const beforeMention = beforeCursor.replace(/@\w*$/, '')
    
    const newValue = `${beforeMention}@${nickname} ${afterCursor}`
    setInputValue(newValue)
    setShowSuggestions(false)
    setMentionQuery('')
  }
  
  return (
    <div className="user-mention-input">
      <div className="input-container">
        <textarea
          value={inputValue}
          onChange={handleInputChange}
          placeholder="Type @ to mention users..."
          rows={4}
        />
        
        {showSuggestions && mentionSuggestions.length > 0 && (
          <div className="mention-suggestions">
            <div className="suggestions-header">
              <span>💭 Mention someone</span>
            </div>
            {mentionSuggestions.map(user => (
              <div
                key={user.userId}
                className="mention-suggestion"
                onClick={() => insertMention(user.nickname)}
              >
                <div className="suggestion-avatar">
                  {user.nickname.split(' ').map(word => word[0]).join('')}
                </div>
                <div className="suggestion-info">
                  <span className="suggestion-nickname">{user.nickname}</span>
                  <span className="suggestion-id">{user.userId.slice(-6)}</span>
                </div>
              </div>
            ))}
          </div>
        )}
      </div>
      
      <div className="input-actions">
        <button disabled={!inputValue.trim()}>
          Send Message
        </button>
      </div>
      
      <div className="available-users">
        <h4>Available Users ({userNicknames.length})</h4>
        <div className="users-list">
          {userNicknames.map(user => (
            <span 
              key={user.userId}
              className="user-tag"
              onClick={() => insertMention(user.nickname)}
            >
              @{user.nickname}
            </span>
          ))}
        </div>
      </div>
    </div>
  )
}

Nickname Generation

The function uses the unique-names-generator library to create consistent, memorable nicknames:

Pattern: [Adjective] [Animal]

Examples:

"user-123" → "Brilliant Tiger"
"user-456" → "Calm Eagle"
"user-789" → "Swift Dolphin"

Characteristics:

Deterministic: Same userId always produces the same nickname
Human-friendly: Easy to read and remember
Diverse: Large combination space for uniqueness
Safe: Family-friendly adjectives and animals

Consistency Guarantee

The same user ID will always generate the same nickname:

const userId = "user-123-abc"

// These will always be identical
const nickname1 = deriveNickname(userId) // "Brilliant Tiger"
const nickname2 = deriveNickname(userId) // "Brilliant Tiger"
const nickname3 = deriveNickname(userId) // "Brilliant Tiger"

console.log(nickname1 === nickname2 === nickname3) // true

Best Practices

User Interface

// ✅ Good - Show both nickname and ID when needed
const nickname = deriveNickname(userId)
return (
  <div className="user-display">
    <span className="nickname">{nickname}</span>
    <span className="user-id">({userId.slice(-6)})</span>
  </div>
)

Performance

// ✅ Good - Memoize nickname generation
const nickname = useMemo(() => deriveNickname(userId), [userId])

// ✅ Good - Cache nicknames for frequent use
const userNicknames = useMemo(() => 
  users.map(user => ({
    ...user,
    nickname: deriveNickname(user.userId)
  })), [users]
)

Accessibility

// ✅ Good - Use nicknames as accessible labels
<div 
  className="user-avatar"
  aria-label={`Avatar for ${deriveNickname(userId)}`}
  title={deriveNickname(userId)}
>
  {initials}
</div>

Common Use Cases

User Identification: Replace cryptic user IDs with friendly names
Chat Interfaces: Show readable names in conversation
Team Directories: Create browsable user lists
Avatar Labels: Provide memorable user identification
Leaderboards: Display player names in games and competitions
Comment Systems: Identify comment authors clearly

getUserColor - Generate consistent colors for users
getSessionNameFromUrl - Extract session information
getJoinUrl - Create shareable session URLs

useConnectedUsers - Get list of users to generate nicknames for
useMyId - Get current user ID for nickname generation
useNicknames - Manage user-set nicknames with fallback to generated ones

TypeScript Support

The function is fully typed for better development experience:

import { utils } from 'react-together'

const { deriveNickname } = utils

// TypeScript will enforce correct parameter types
const nickname: string = deriveNickname('user-123-abc')

// Type-safe user interface
interface UserWithNickname {
  userId: string
  nickname: string
}

const createUserWithNickname = (userId: string): UserWithNickname => ({
  userId,
  nickname: deriveNickname(userId)
})

Getting Started

Core Hooks

Connection & Session Hooks

Communication Hooks

Utility Hooks

Components

Utilities

Overview

Import

Signature

Parameters

Returns

Examples

Basic Usage

User Avatar with Nickname

Chat Interface with Nicknames

Team Directory

Leaderboard with Nicknames

Collaborative Comments System

User Mention System

Nickname Generation

Consistency Guarantee

Best Practices

User Interface

Performance

Accessibility

Common Use Cases

TypeScript Support

Getting Started

Core Hooks

Connection & Session Hooks

Communication Hooks

Utility Hooks

Components

Utilities

​Overview

​Import

​Signature

​Parameters

​Returns

​Examples

​Basic Usage

​User Avatar with Nickname

​Chat Interface with Nicknames

​Team Directory

​Leaderboard with Nicknames

​Collaborative Comments System

​User Mention System

​Nickname Generation

​Consistency Guarantee

​Best Practices

​User Interface

​Performance

​Accessibility

​Common Use Cases

​Related Utilities

​Related Hooks

​TypeScript Support

Overview

Import

Signature

Parameters

Returns

Examples

Basic Usage

User Avatar with Nickname

Chat Interface with Nicknames

Team Directory

Leaderboard with Nicknames

Collaborative Comments System

User Mention System

Nickname Generation

Consistency Guarantee

Best Practices

User Interface

Performance

Accessibility

Common Use Cases

Related Utilities

Related Hooks

TypeScript Support