new-ipc-channel

name	new-ipc-channel
description	Scaffold a new IPC channel with proper TypeScript types

New IPC Channel

Add a new type-safe IPC channel to the Rocket.Chat Electron app. This scaffolds the channel definition, main process handler, and renderer invoke call.

Arguments (required)

• name: Channel name using domain/action format (e.g., downloads/clear-all, notifications/dismiss)
• args: TypeScript argument types (e.g., (itemId: string) or () for no args)
• return: TypeScript return type (e.g., void, boolean, { success: boolean })

Steps

1. Add Channel Type Definition

Edit src/ipc/channels.ts and add the new channel to the ChannelToArgsMap type:

type ChannelToArgsMap = {
  // ... existing channels ...
  '<name>': (<args>) => <return>;
};

Add any needed imports at the top of the file if the types reference domain-specific types.

2. Add Main Process Handler

Identify the correct main process file based on the channel domain:

• downloads/* → src/downloads/main.ts
• notifications/* → src/notifications/main.ts
• servers/* → src/servers/main.ts
• video-call-window/* → src/videoCallWindow/main.ts
• outlook-calendar/* → src/outlookCalendar/main.ts
• document-viewer/* → src/documentViewer/main.ts

Add the handler using the existing pattern in that file. Look at sibling handlers for the correct pattern - they use ipcMain.handle or the project's handle wrapper from src/ipc/main.ts.

3. Add Renderer Invoke (if needed)

If this channel is called from the renderer process, add the invoke call in the appropriate renderer file or in src/ipc/renderer.ts following the existing pattern.

4. Verify

Run type checking to ensure the new channel compiles:

npx tsc --noEmit

Pattern Reference

The IPC system uses a centralized type map (ChannelToArgsMap) that enforces type safety between main and renderer processes. The Channel and Handler types are derived from this map:

export type Channel = keyof ChannelToArgsMap;
export type Handler<N extends Channel> = ChannelToArgsMap[N];

All 71+ existing channels follow the 'domain/action' naming convention.