Send response to all clients except sender

Javascriptnode.jssocket.io

Javascript Problem Overview


To send something to all clients, you use:

io.sockets.emit('response', data);

To receive from clients, you use:

socket.on('cursor', function(data) {
  ...
});

How can I combine the two so that when recieving a message on the server from a client, I send that message to all users except the one sending the message?

socket.on('cursor', function(data) {
  io.sockets.emit('response', data);
});

Do I have to hack it around by sending the client-id with the message and then checking on the client-side or is there an easier way?

Javascript Solutions


Solution 1 - Javascript

Here is my list (updated for 1.0):

// sending to sender-client only
socket.emit('message', "this is a test");

// sending to all clients, include sender
io.emit('message', "this is a test");

// sending to all clients except sender
socket.broadcast.emit('message', "this is a test");

// sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel) except sender
socket.broadcast.to('game').emit('message', 'nice game');

// sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel), include sender
io.in('game').emit('message', 'cool game');

// sending to sender client, only if they are in 'game' room(channel)
socket.to('game').emit('message', 'enjoy the game');

// sending to all clients in namespace 'myNamespace', include sender
io.of('myNamespace').emit('message', 'gg');

// sending to individual socketid
socket.broadcast.to(socketid).emit('message', 'for your eyes only');

// list socketid
for (var socketid in io.sockets.sockets) {}
 OR
Object.keys(io.sockets.sockets).forEach((socketid) => {});

Solution 2 - Javascript

From the @LearnRPG answer but with 1.0:

 // send to current request socket client
 socket.emit('message', "this is a test");

 // sending to all clients, include sender
 io.sockets.emit('message', "this is a test"); //still works
 //or
 io.emit('message', 'this is a test');

 // sending to all clients except sender
 socket.broadcast.emit('message', "this is a test");

 // sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel) except sender
 socket.broadcast.to('game').emit('message', 'nice game');

 // sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel), include sender
 // docs says "simply use to or in when broadcasting or emitting"
 io.in('game').emit('message', 'cool game');

 // sending to individual socketid, socketid is like a room
 socket.broadcast.to(socketid).emit('message', 'for your eyes only');

To answer @Crashalot comment, socketid comes from:

var io = require('socket.io')(server);
io.on('connection', function(socket) { console.log(socket.id); })

Solution 3 - Javascript

Here is a more complete answer about what has changed from 0.9.x to 1.x.

 // send to current request socket client
 socket.emit('message', "this is a test");// Hasn't changed

 // sending to all clients, include sender
 io.sockets.emit('message', "this is a test"); // Old way, still compatible
 io.emit('message', 'this is a test');// New way, works only in 1.x

 // sending to all clients except sender
 socket.broadcast.emit('message', "this is a test");// Hasn't changed

 // sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel) except sender
 socket.broadcast.to('game').emit('message', 'nice game');// Hasn't changed

 // sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel), include sender
 io.sockets.in('game').emit('message', 'cool game');// Old way, DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE
 io.in('game').emit('message', 'cool game');// New way
 io.to('game').emit('message', 'cool game');// New way, "in" or "to" are the exact same: "And then simply use to or in (they are the same) when broadcasting or emitting:" from http://socket.io/docs/rooms-and-namespaces/

 // sending to individual socketid, socketid is like a room
 io.sockets.socket(socketid).emit('message', 'for your eyes only');// Old way, DOES NOT WORK ANYMORE
 socket.broadcast.to(socketid).emit('message', 'for your eyes only');// New way

I wanted to edit the post of @soyuka but my edit was rejected by peer-review.

Solution 4 - Javascript

Emit cheatsheet

io.on('connect', onConnect);

function onConnect(socket){

  // sending to the client
  socket.emit('hello', 'can you hear me?', 1, 2, 'abc');

  // sending to all clients except sender
  socket.broadcast.emit('broadcast', 'hello friends!');

  // sending to all clients in 'game' room except sender
  socket.to('game').emit('nice game', "let's play a game");

  // sending to all clients in 'game1' and/or in 'game2' room, except sender
  socket.to('game1').to('game2').emit('nice game', "let's play a game (too)");

  // sending to all clients in 'game' room, including sender
  io.in('game').emit('big-announcement', 'the game will start soon');

  // sending to all clients in namespace 'myNamespace', including sender
  io.of('myNamespace').emit('bigger-announcement', 'the tournament will start soon');

  // sending to individual socketid (private message)
  socket.to(<socketid>).emit('hey', 'I just met you');

  // sending with acknowledgement
  socket.emit('question', 'do you think so?', function (answer) {});

  // sending without compression
  socket.compress(false).emit('uncompressed', "that's rough");

  // sending a message that might be dropped if the client is not ready to receive messages
  socket.volatile.emit('maybe', 'do you really need it?');

  // sending to all clients on this node (when using multiple nodes)
  io.local.emit('hi', 'my lovely babies');

};

Solution 5 - Javascript

broadcast.emit sends the msg to all other clients (except for the sender)

socket.on('cursor', function(data) {
  socket.broadcast.emit('msg', data);
});

Solution 6 - Javascript

For namespaces within rooms looping the list of clients in a room (similar to Nav's answer) is one of only two approaches I've found that will work. The other is to use exclude. E.G.

socket.on('message',function(data) {
    io.of( 'namespace' ).in( data.roomID ).except( socket.id ).emit('message',data);
}

Solution 7 - Javascript

Other cases

io.of('/chat').on('connection', function (socket) {
    //sending to all clients in 'room' and you
    io.of('/chat').in('room').emit('message', "data");
};

Solution 8 - Javascript

Updated the list for further documentation.

socket.emit('message', "this is a test"); //sending to sender-client only
socket.broadcast.emit('message', "this is a test"); //sending to all clients except sender
socket.broadcast.to('game').emit('message', 'nice game'); //sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel) except sender
socket.to('game').emit('message', 'enjoy the game'); //sending to sender client, only if they are in 'game' room(channel)
socket.broadcast.to(socketid).emit('message', 'for your eyes only'); //sending to individual socketid
io.emit('message', "this is a test"); //sending to all clients, include sender
io.in('game').emit('message', 'cool game'); //sending to all clients in 'game' room(channel), include sender
io.of('myNamespace').emit('message', 'gg'); //sending to all clients in namespace 'myNamespace', include sender
socket.emit(); //send to all connected clients
socket.broadcast.emit(); //send to all connected clients except the one that sent the message
socket.on(); //event listener, can be called on client to execute on server
io.sockets.socket(); //for emiting to specific clients
io.sockets.emit(); //send to all connected clients (same as socket.emit)
io.sockets.on() ; //initial connection from a client.

Hope this helps.

Solution 9 - Javascript

Server-side all valid emit events list in V4.x

io.on("connection", (socket) => {

// basic emit
socket.emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in the current namespace except the sender
socket.broadcast.emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in room1 except the sender
socket.to("room1").emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in room1 and/or room2 except the sender
socket.to(["room1", "room2"]).emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in room1
io.in("room1").emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in room1 and/or room2 except those in room3
io.to(["room1", "room2"]).except("room3").emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in namespace "myNamespace"
io.of("myNamespace").emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients in room1 in namespace "myNamespace"
io.of("myNamespace").to("room1").emit(/* ... */);

// to individual socketid (private message)
io.to(socketId).emit(/* ... */);

// to all clients on this node (when using multiple nodes)
io.local.emit(/* ... */);

// to all connected clients
io.emit(/* ... */);

// WARNING: `socket.to(socket.id).emit()` will NOT work, as it will send to everyone in the room
// named `socket.id` but the sender. Please use the classic `socket.emit()` instead.

// with acknowledgement
socket.emit("question", (answer) => {
    // ...
});

// without compression
socket.compress(false).emit(/* ... */);

// a message that might be dropped if the low-level transport is not writable
socket.volatile.emit(/* ... */);

});

Client-side

// basic emit
    socket.emit(/* ... */);

// with acknowledgement
    socket.emit("question", (answer) => {
        // ...
    });

// without compression
    socket.compress(false).emit(/* ... */);

// a message that might be dropped if the low-level transport is not writable
    socket.volatile.emit(/* ... */);

archived link to source => http://archive.today/2021.06.22-023900/https://socket.io/docs/v4/emit-cheatsheet/index.html

Solution 10 - Javascript

Updated for Socket.io v4.0.0+

To emit to all clients except sender in v4, you use:

socket.broadcast.emit(/* ... */);

Example Usage

io.on("connection", (socket) => {
   socket.on("message", (message) => {
      //sends "newMessage" to all sockets except sender
      socket.broadcast.emit("newMessage", message)
   })
})

Solution 11 - Javascript

use this coding

io.sockets.on('connection', function (socket) {

	socket.on('mousemove', function (data) {
		
		socket.broadcast.emit('moving', data);
	});

this socket.broadcast.emit() will emit everthing in the function except to the server which is emitting

Solution 12 - Javascript

I am using namespaces and rooms - I found

socket.broadcast.to('room1').emit('event', 'hi');

to work where

namespace.broadcast.to('room1').emit('event', 'hi');

did not

(should anyone else face that problem)

Attributions

All content for this solution is sourced from the original question on Stackoverflow.

The content on this page is licensed under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0) license.

Content TypeOriginal AuthorOriginal Content on Stackoverflow
QuestionswitzView Question on Stackoverflow
Solution 1 - JavascriptLearnRPGView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 2 - JavascriptsoyukaView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 3 - JavascriptVadorequestView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 4 - JavascriptPrasanna BrabourameView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 5 - JavascriptKhaled JoudaView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 6 - JavascriptrunspiredView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 7 - JavascriptKim Thien DungView Answer on Stackoverflow
Solution 8 - JavascriptKent AguilarView Answer on Stackoverflow
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Solution 10 - JavascriptCoder Gautam YTView Answer on Stackoverflow
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