Interaction Guides

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Interaction Guides

Estimated reading time: 4 min

In this article

Create Interaction and Response

Choose interaction type
- Located in the bottom right, press and choose the interaction type
Fill out interaction template
- Located at top
- Select office the interaction is addressing
- Slot Types that are predefined will be look like {Date}
- Select Slot Values from the drop-downMultiple slot values can be chosen to narrow the interaction to a subset of values
- Interaction will not be acknowledged by the skill until approved, check the box
- Ability to specify if the interaction should be cached and for how long
  
  Slots filled within the template give Alexa & Google context to search for information

Data Field

This data field will be found throughout the different components

List|Left-Hand Side|Right-Hand Side|Name – Collection or list of Items; ex. News or Events have multiple items to iterate through
- Path – Specifies how to interpret the text; considered input
  - e.g. connectors.data is the list
- Function – Interpret input as a function to be called, some functions may take arguments.
- String – Interpret input as String
- Number – Interpret input as a Number

Fill out Flow – Interaction Flows
1. Components – Located in left menu under ComponentsTo fill out components in the flow, mouse over. The left button, pencil icon, is to edit; the right button, x icon, is to delete the component. To connect components click the initial component anchor and click the next connecting component anchor. To remove a connecting line, RIGHT-CLICK the starting anchor and press DELETE.

Response
- - Voice Message – Spoken message for a response
  - Card Title – Header for the message on devices with a screen
  - Display Message – Message to be shown on devices with a screen
  - Image URL – Image shown on devices with a screen, the sizes are for varying device screen sizes
    - Small Image – recommended size: 720 width x 480 height
    - Large Image – recommended size: 1200 width x 800 height
  - Accessibility Text – Description of the image (For Screen Readers)
  - Display Templates – Defaults to a basic card template If display card template is selected, it will enable/disable certain fields.
  - Background Image URL – The image that will be used as the background. The right button will open the link in a new tab to display image
  - Accessibility Text
  - Directives – Playing video, audio, or third party services such as Spotify
    - Play Spotify
      - Playlist – URL
    - Play Video
      - URL
      - Title
      - Subtitle – Support system subtitle
    - Play Audio
      - URL
      - Title
      - Subtitle
      - Image URL
      - Background Image URL
      - Pause Response – Response for when directive is paused
      - Resume Response – Response for when directive is resumed
      - TTL After Pause – Time to Live; how long before the directive is cleared and can’t be resumed
- Link Account – Third Party Account Linking
  - Voice Message – Prompt message for third party account linking
- Loop
  - Use Context.item for reference internally in a step
  - List – Data Field
  - Prompt for Next – Response for next item if there is more items. Ex.) “Would you like to hear the next item?”
  - Card Title
  - Voice Message
  - Display Message
  - Image URL
  - Directives
- Yes/No
  - Yes
  - No
  - ??? – Other response
- Check Intent
  - Intent Drop down – Allows manager to make path decisions for an interaction. Can add several different intents and have a response if the user spoke one of the specified intents, or not.
- Check Variable
  - Left-Hand Side – Data Field
  - Evaluation
  - Right-Hand Side – Data Field if applicable based on evaluation
- Add Variables – Create inputs to be used in functions and responses
  - Name – Data Field
- Save Settings – Similar to Add Variables
  - Name – Data Field
  - Setting Values – create visitor_settings for users for later use. There is a name, the input, and the input type.
- Connectors
  - c1 – The name of the connector to be used in {{connectors.c1}}
  - Connector Info – fill out the requirements for the connector
- Data – Located in the left menu as the right tab under Data, right of Components. Items are drag-n-droppable for components, these can be use to create queries, and add to the responses of the interactions.
  - Inputs
    - Slots – Specific for Intent of this interaction
    - Value – Input from users utterance. If user said the particular slot key.
  - Settings – Visitor Settings the tenant created, or saved from the Save Settings Component
  - Connectors – Integration, third party data sources
    - c1 – Specific connector created from the Connector Components
      - First – First item from list
      - Last – Last item from list
      - Length – Length of list
  - Var – variables created from Add Variables Component
  - Function
    - Array
      - random – picks a random item from the Array
      - chunk –
      - compact –
      - concat –
      - difference –
      - differenceWith –
      - drop –
      - dropRight –
      - dropRightWhile –
      - dropWhile –
      - fill –
      - findIndex –
      - findLastIndex
      - flatten
      - flattenDeep
      - flattenDepth
      - fromPairs
      - head
      - indexOf
      - initial
      - intersection
      - intersectionBy
      - intersectionWith
      - join
      - last
      - lastIndexOf
      - nth
      - pull
      - pullAll
      - pullAllBy
      - pullAllWith
      - pullAt
      - remove
      - reverse
      - slice
      - sortedIndex
      - sortedIndexBy
      - sortedIndexOf
      - sortedLastIndex
      - sortedLastIndexBy
      - sortedLastIndexOf
      - sortedUniq
      - sortedUniqBy
      - tail
      - take
      - takeRight
      - takeRightWhile
      - takeWhile
      - union
      - unionBy
      - unionWith
      - uniq
      - uniqBy
      - uniqWith
      - unzip
      - unzipWith
      - without
      - xor
      - xorBy
      - xorWith
      - zip
      - zipObject
      - zipObjectDeep
      - zipWith
    - Collection
      - countBy
      - every
      - filter
      - find
      - findLast
      - flatMap
      - flatMapDeep
      - flatMapDepth
      - forEach
      - forEachRight
      - groupBy
      - includes
      - invokeMap
      - keyBy
      - map
      - orderBy
      - partition
      - reduce
      - reduceRight
      - reject
      - sample
      - sampleSize
      - shuffle
      - size
      - some
      - sortBy
    - Date
      - dateGet – gets the data from a specified variable
      - dateSet – sets specified date to a variable
      - now – return current date
    - Function
      - after
      - ary
      - before
      - bind
      - bindKey
      - curry
      - curryRight
      - debounce
      - defer
      - delay
      - flip
      - memoize
      - negate
      - once
      - overArgs
      - partial
      - partialRight
      - rearg
      - rest
      - spread
      - throttle
      - unary
      - wrap
    - Geospatial
      - getZipcode – retrieve a zip code metadata
    - Number
      - add
      - mod – returns the modulus
      - number – returns variable or value as number
    - Lang
      - castArray
      - clone
      - cloneDeep
      - cloneDeepWith
      - cloneWith
      - conformsTo
      - eq
      - gt
      - gte
      - isArguments
      - isArray
      - isArrayBuffer
      - isArrayLike
      - isArrayLikeObject
      - isBoolean
      - isBuffer
      - isDate
      - isElement
      - isEmpty
      - isEqual
      - isEqualWith
      - isError
      - isFinite
      - isFunction
      - isInteger
      - isLength
      - isMap
      - isMatch
      - isMatchWith
      - isNaN
      - isNull
      - isNumber
      - isObject
      - isObjectLike
      - isPlainObject
      - isRegExp
      - isSafeInteger
      - isSet
      - isString
      - isSymbol
      - isTypedArray
      - isUndefined
      - isWeakMap
      - isWeakSet
      - lt
      - lte
      - toArray
      - toFinite
      - toInteger
      - toLength
      - toNumber
      - toPlainObject
      - toSafeInteger
      - toString
    - Math
      - add
      - ceil
      - divide
      - floor
      - max
      - maxBy
      - mean
      - meanBy
      - min
      - minBy
      - multiple
      - round
      - subtract
      - sum
      - sumBy
    - Object
      - assign
      - assignIn
      - assignInWith
      - assignWith
      - at
      - create
      - defaults
      - defaultsDeep
      - findKey
      - findLastKey
      - forIn
      - forInRight
      - forOwn
      - forOwnRight
      - functions
      - functionsIn
      - get
      - has
      - hasIn
      - invert
      - invertBy
      - invoke
      - keys
      - keysIn
      - mapKeys
      - mapValues
      - merge
      - mergeWith
      - omit
      - omitBy
      - pick
      - pickBy
      - result
      - set
      - setWith
      - toPairs
      - toPairsIn
      - transform
      - unset
      - update
      - updateWith
      - values
      - valuesIn
    - String
      - camelCase
      - capitalize
      - deburr
      - endsWith
      - escape
      - escapeRegExp
      - kebabCase
      - lowerCase
      - lowerFirst
      - pad
      - padEnd
      - padStart
      - parseInt
      - repeat
      - replace
      - snakeCase
      - split
      - startCase
      - startsWith
      - template
      - toLower
      - toUpper
      - trim
      - trimEnd
      - trimStart
      - truncate
      - unescape
      - upperCase
      - upperFirst
      - words
    - Util
      - attempt
      - bindAll
      - cond
      - conforms
      - constant
      - defaultTo
      - flow
      - flowRight
      - identity
      - iteratee
      - matches
      - matchesProperty
      - method
      - methodOf
      - mixin
      - nthArg
      - over
      - overEvery
      - overSome
      - property
      - propertyOf
      - range
      - rangeRight
      - stubArray
      - stubFalse
      - stubObject
      - stubString
      - stubTrue
      - times
      - toPath
      - uniqueId

2. Save | Save & Close | Cancel

Edit Interaction

Double click desired Interaction
Once changes are made, Click Save or Save and Close

Delete Interaction

Double click desired Interaction
Click delete button in the bottom left corner
- A toast will appear to verify the manager would like to delete Interaction

Handlebars Template Engine

Handlebars helps users create custom handlebars helpers. These helpers evaluate values within the braces and interchanges the corresponding value.

In handlebars, objects are like menu items with sub-menus. The sub-menus may have more sub-menus. Those are called keys, keys always have values whether that’s another object or sub-menu, or an item.

Example:

## inputs is the key, and AccountSecondaryCategory is the value.
## AccountSecondaryCategory also is a key that has a value of `value`
## keys have values that can be keys
Data
    inputs
        AccountSecondaryCategory
            value
        AccountCategory
            value
    connectors
        c1
            first
            last
            length
    settings
        account_number
        city
        zipcode

## Programmatically and with values
Data: {
    inputs: {
        AccountSecondaryCategory: {
            value: 'annual'
        },
        AccountCategory: {
            value: 'property
        }
    },
    connectors: {
        c1: {
            first: [2000, 200, 100, 25],
            last: ['LastExample']
            length: 3
        }
    },
    settings: {
        account_number: 001234,
        city: 'Denver'
    }
}

To access the items through handlebars:

`The {{inputs.AccountSecondaryCategory.value}} {{inputs.AccountCategory.value}} value is ${{connectors.c1.first.0}}.` will be evaluated as:

'The annual property value is $2000.'

`{{settings.account_number}}` is evaluated as `001234`

Handlebars:

{{inputs.TruckNumber.value}} :: returns the inputs TruckNumber value from the Data
{{connectors.c1.0.value}} :: returns the c1 connectors zeroth position item with the key 'value'

Handlebars Partials & Helpers

Handlebars Reference

Handlebars Beginners Guide

Tests

To test, click on the Test button in the top left of the interaction.

When you have a test record, click the lightning bolt. This will take a moment to run the test and then will pop up a window with the response. The lightning bolts here look like the connectors from creating one in the Flow Editor.

Click on each bubble inside the Test Response Window, and it’ll show whether there will an error or the response of the created interaction. If there is an error there will be a little triangle with an exclamation. The response will also have the little yellow triangle flag.