light-chat-flow

Overview:

The light chat flow was created with the idea of having a chat bot that can work with any plataform in any application.

Features:

• You can use it in the CLI, in a API or anything you want, doesn't matter where. Seriously, it doesn't!
• Create a chat flow easily, full customizable with lots of options for the user to choose.
• You don't need to setup a connection or anything, just import it and create the flow.

How to use it:

1. Creating a flow

• First, you'll need to instantiate a new Flow(), passing as parameter a object with two values:
  • defaultStateId: is the default, obviously, and first state that the bot will start.
  • defaultMatchFunction: is the function that will get the response e validate it so that the chat can go a way or other.

   const flow = new Flow({
        defaultStateId: "start",
        defaultMatchFunction: labelEqualsTextOrNumber
    });
  

2. Creating the first state

• You'll need to create a object of type NewFlowStateParams, and set the defaultState properties:
  • id: a unique key for the state.
  • message: the message the bot will send to the user.
  • catchMessage: if the user send a invalid response, this will be sent and restart the state.
  • createStateCallback: a funtion that will receive the state and here you will create you other states, so the chat can continue.

  const newFlowStateParams: NewFlowStateParams = {
       id: "start",
       message: "Hi, this is the Messenger Bot.",
       catchMessage: "Sorry, didn't understand you!",
       createStateCallback: (newState) => { }
  }
  

3. Creating multiple branches

• In the createStateCallback property, you'll create a function that receive a newState, and with it you can create multiple states.

  • Create a const, give it the name of the state, and then, use the newState param to call the branch function, that receives the message it will send to the user.
  • Right after that, call a state function which you'll pass a new state object, and it will return a State;

• Now, that you have your branch and state created, you can use it to create other branch for possible response of the user;

  • Each of the new states that you create with you const, you can make'em a const also, and continue to add more to your message flow.
  • Your consts will be options that the user will have to choose, so that he'll follow that branch, until it's over.

  const newFlowStateParams: NewFlowStateParams = {
      id: "start",
      message: "Hi, this is the Messenger Bot.",
      catchMessage: "Sorry, didn't understand you!",
      createStateCallback: (newState) => {
          const state1 = newState.branch("This one")
              .state({
                  id: "state1",
                  message: "I'm glad you're a gentleman!",
                  catchMessage: "Didn't understood you friend!",
                  matchFunction: labelEqualsTextOrNumber
              });
  
                  state1.branch("How are you?")
                      .state({
                          id: "state11",
                          message: "gooooooooooooood!! bye",
                          catchMessage: "Didn't catch it, try again!",
                          matchFunction: labelEqualsTextOrNumber
                      });
  
                      state1.branch("What if...")
                          .state({
                              id: "state12",
                              message: "some message",
                              catchMessage: "some catch message",
                              matchFunction: labelEqualsTextOrNumber
                          });
  
                      state1.branch("Another branch!")
                          .state({
                              id: "state13",
                              message: "some message",
                              catchMessage: "some catch message",
                              matchFunction: labelEqualsTextOrNumber
                          });
  }};
  

• To let you know:

  • Each choice the user make, will be saved in a string that will have the state id separate by a |, will be like this: "id1 | id4 | id5";
  • You can, then, if the flow get error at any point, you'll know where it happen.