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# MSMessageTemplateLayout

A template-based layout for custom messages.

```
class MSMessageTemplateLayout
```

## Overview

The [`MSMessageTemplateLayout`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout) describes how an [`MSMessage`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessage) object is presented in the transcript. The message template includes the Message extension’s icon, an image, video, or audio file, and a number of text elements (title, subtitle, caption, subcaption, trailing caption, and trailing subcaption). These elements are laid out as shown in [Figure 1](/documentation/messages/msmessagetemplatelayout#1965603).

![](images/com.apple.messages/media-1965603@2x.png)

To use the template:

1. Instantiate a new `MSMessageTemplateLayout` object.
2. Assign values to the properties representing the desired visual elements.
   You can leave unwanted elements set to `nil`. The system sizes the message balloon to fit the provided content.
3. Assign the `MSMessageTemplateLayout` object to the [`MSMessage`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessage) object’s [`layout`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessage/layout) property.

Do not subclass the `MSMessageTemplateLayout` class.

## Topics

### Assigning Visual Elements

[`image`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/image)

An image used to represent the message in the transcript.

[`mediaFileURL`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/mediaFileURL)

A media file used to represent the message in the transcript.

[`imageTitle`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/imageTitle)

The title for the image or media file.

[`imageSubtitle`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/imageSubtitle)

The subtitle for the image or media file.

[`caption`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/caption)

A left-aligned caption for the message bubble.

[`subcaption`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/subcaption)

A left-aligned subcaption for the message bubble.

[`trailingCaption`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/trailingCaption)

A right-aligned caption for the message bubble.

[`trailingSubcaption`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageTemplateLayout/trailingSubcaption)

A right-aligned subcaption for the message bubble.

## Relationships

### Conforms To

[`Hashable`](/documentation/Swift/Hashable)

[`Equatable`](/documentation/Swift/Equatable)

[`CVarArg`](/documentation/Swift/CVarArg)

[`CustomDebugStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomDebugStringConvertible)

[`NSObjectProtocol`](/documentation/ObjectiveC/NSObjectProtocol)

[`NSCopying`](/documentation/Foundation/NSCopying)

[`CustomStringConvertible`](/documentation/Swift/CustomStringConvertible)

### Inherits From

[`MSMessageLayout`](/documentation/Messages/MSMessageLayout)

---

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