A sample bot that renders several types of cards as attachments, while also showing the generated JSON for each one of these cards at the message's payload, and the C# and NodeJs code required to build them.
The minimum prerequisites to run this sample are:
- The latest update of Visual Studio 2015. You can download the community version here for free.
- The Bot Framework Emulator. To install the Bot Framework Emulator, download it from here. Please refer to this documentation article to know more about the Bot Framework Emulator.
Many messaging channels provide the ability to attach richer objects. The Bot Framework has the ability to render rich cards as attachments. There are several types of cards supported: Hero Card, Thumbnail Card, Receipt Card, Sign-In Card, Animation Card, Video Card and Audio Card. Once the desired Card type is selected, it is mapped into an Attachment data structure. Check out the key code located in the RichCardScorable class where the message.Attachments property of the message activity is assigned with a list of card attachments got from the GetCardAttachments abstract method overriden at each descendant of this class.
protected override async Task PostAsync(IActivity item, bool state, CancellationToken token)
{
await base.PostAsync(item, state, token);
var message = this.BotToUser.MakeMessage();
message.Attachments = this.GetCardAttachments();
var sample = RichCardsSample;
var text = RichCardsText;
// should display carousel?
if (message.Attachments.Count() > 1)
{
message.AttachmentLayout = AttachmentLayoutTypes.Carousel;
sample = CarouselSample;
text = CarouselText;
}
await this.BotToUser.PostAsync(message);
var moreMessage = this.BotToUser.MakeMessage();
moreMessage.Text = $"To know more about {text} check these [C#]({CSharpSamplesRoot + sample}) & [NodeJs]({NodeJsSamplesRoot + sample}) samples. Type **{Constants.JsonTrigger}** to view attachment details; or type **{Constants.CSharpTrigger}** or **{Constants.NodeJsTrigger}** for the source code that generated this card.";
await this.BotToUser.PostAsync(moreMessage);
}The core of the sample is implemented following a variety of the Command pattern by using scorables. For these 'commands' there is defined a base TriggerScorable class which has a Trigger property that allows the invoker knowing if the command should be executed. Within the sample, the key actors of this pattern are mapped to the following:
- Command: Represented by each non-abstract scorable class in the solution having the
Triggervalue overriden. - Receiver: On each command itself, represented by the logic performed at the
PostAsyncmethod override from the scorable base. - Invoker: The bot builder framework scorable evaluation logic that processes a set of scorable instances, evaluates them in order to get the best one, and if it is any dispatchs it.
- Client: The bot builder framework by knowing the registered IScorable<IActivity, double> types, in order to instance them, and provide those instances to the scorable evaluation logic in order to dispatch the best result (which would be the
invoker).
Once a message is received, the Conversation.SendAsync will go through all these registered scorables first, and it will dispatch the corresponding one (if that is the case). Otherwise it will continue to the default RootDialog made root there that provides a helping message to the user. In order to know if the scorable should be dispatched the bot framework interacts with a few methods from the IScorable interface which are: PrepareAsync, HasScore, GetScore, and within our solution these are implemented here at the TriggerScorable class. As you can see, the PrepareAsync method implementation searches if the command's Trigger keyword is contained within the received message text, while the other two methods mentioned above are relying on the state returned by this one in order to notify the bot framework it should proceed with the PostAsync dispatching.
protected override Task<bool> PrepareAsync(IActivity item, CancellationToken token)
{
var message = item.AsMessageActivity();
if (message == null)
{
return Task.FromResult(false);
}
return Task.FromResult(item != null ? message.Text.ToLowerInvariant().Contains(this.Trigger.ToLowerInvariant()) : false);
}All these 'commands' are registered at Global.asax by using reflection to search for all non-abstract TriggerScorable descendants. The trigger list, made by the Trigger of each one of them, defines all the available keywords mapped to commands in the bot.
The Hero card is a multipurpose card; it primarily hosts a single large image, a button, and a "tap action", along with text content to display on the card. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the HeroCardScorable class for a Hero Card sample.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new HeroCard
{
Title = "BotFramework Hero Card",
Subtitle = "Your bots — wherever your users are talking",
Text = "Build and connect intelligent bots to interact with your users naturally wherever they are, from text/sms to Skype, Slack, Office 365 mail and other popular services.",
Images = new List<CardImage> { new CardImage("https://sec.ch9.ms/ch9/7ff5/e07cfef0-aa3b-40bb-9baa-7c9ef8ff7ff5/buildreactionbotframework_960.jpg") },
Buttons = new List<CardAction> { new CardAction(ActionTypes.OpenUrl, "Get Started", value: "https://docs.microsoft.com/bot-framework") }
}.ToAttachment()
};
}The Thumbnail card is a multipurpose card; it primarily hosts a single small image, a button, and a "tap action", along with text content to display on the card. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the ThumbnailCardScorable class for a Thumbnail Card sample.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new ThumbnailCard
{
Title = "BotFramework Thumbnail Card",
Subtitle = "Your bots — wherever your users are talking",
Text = "Build and connect intelligent bots to interact with your users naturally wherever they are, from text/sms to Skype, Slack, Office 365 mail and other popular services.",
Images = new List<CardImage> { new CardImage("https://sec.ch9.ms/ch9/7ff5/e07cfef0-aa3b-40bb-9baa-7c9ef8ff7ff5/buildreactionbotframework_960.jpg") },
Buttons = new List<CardAction> { new CardAction(ActionTypes.OpenUrl, "Get Started", value: "https://docs.microsoft.com/bot-framework") }
}.ToAttachment()
};
}The receipt card allows the Bot to present a receipt to the user. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the ReceiptCardScorable class for a Receipt Card sample.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new ReceiptCard
{
Title = "John Doe",
Facts = new List<Fact> { new Fact("Order Number", "1234"), new Fact("Payment Method", "VISA 5555-****") },
Items = new List<ReceiptItem>
{
new ReceiptItem("Data Transfer", price: "$ 38.45", quantity: "368", image: new CardImage(url: "https://github.com/amido/azure-vector-icons/raw/master/renders/traffic-manager.png")),
new ReceiptItem("App Service", price: "$ 45.00", quantity: "720", image: new CardImage(url: "https://github.com/amido/azure-vector-icons/raw/master/renders/cloud-service.png")),
},
Tax = "$ 7.50",
Total = "$ 90.95",
Buttons = new List<CardAction>
{
new CardAction(
ActionTypes.OpenUrl,
"More information",
"https://account.windowsazure.com/content/6.10.1.38-.8225.160809-1618/aux-pre/images/offer-icon-freetrial.png",
"https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/")
}
}.ToAttachment()
};
}The Sign-In card is a card representing a request to sign in the user. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the SigninCardScorable class for a Sign-In Card sample.
Note: The sign in card can be used to initiate an authentication flow which is beyond this sample. For a complete authentication flow sample take a look at AuthBot.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new SigninCard
{
Text = "BotFramework Sign-in Card",
Buttons = new List<CardAction> { new CardAction(ActionTypes.Signin, "Sign-in", value: "https://login.microsoftonline.com/") }
}.ToAttachment()
};
}The Animation card is a card that’s capable of playing animated GIFs or short videos. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the AnimationCardScorable class for an Animation Card sample.
private static Attachment GetAnimationCard()
{
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new AnimationCard
{
Title = "Microsoft Bot Framework",
Subtitle = "Animation Card",
Image = new ThumbnailUrl
{
Url = "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/bot-framework/media/how-it-works/architecture-resize.png"
},
Media = new List<MediaUrl>
{
new MediaUrl()
{
Url = "http://i.giphy.com/Ki55RUbOV5njy.gif"
}
}
}.ToAttachment()
};
}Note: At the time of writing this sample, Skype requires the Animation card to have a Thumbnail Url.
The Video card is a card that’s capable of playing videos. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the VideoCardScorable class for a Video Card sample.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new VideoCard
{
Title = "Big Buck Bunny",
Subtitle = "by the Blender Institute",
Text = "Big Buck Bunny (code-named Peach) is a short computer-animated comedy film by the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation. Like the foundation's previous film Elephants Dream, the film was made using Blender, a free software application for animation made by the same foundation. It was released as an open-source film under Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0.",
Image = new ThumbnailUrl
{
Url = "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Big_buck_bunny_poster_big.jpg/220px-Big_buck_bunny_poster_big.jpg"
},
Media = new List<MediaUrl>
{
new MediaUrl()
{
Url = "http://download.blender.org/peach/bigbuckbunny_movies/BigBuckBunny_320x180.mp4"
}
},
Buttons = new List<CardAction>
{
new CardAction()
{
Title = "Learn More",
Type = ActionTypes.OpenUrl,
Value = "https://peach.blender.org/"
}
}
}.ToAttachment()
};
}Note: At the time of writing this sample, Skype requires the Video card to have a Thumbnail Url.
The Audio card is a card that’s capable of playing an audio file. Check out the GetCardAttachments method in the AudioCardScorable class for an Audio Card sample.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new AudioCard
{
Title = "I am your father",
Subtitle = "Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back",
Text = "The Empire Strikes Back (also known as Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back) is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan wrote the screenplay, with George Lucas writing the film's story and serving as executive producer. The second installment in the original Star Wars trilogy, it was produced by Gary Kurtz for Lucasfilm Ltd. and stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew and Frank Oz.",
Image = new ThumbnailUrl
{
Url = "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3c/SW_-_Empire_Strikes_Back.jpg"
},
Media = new List<MediaUrl>
{
new MediaUrl()
{
Url = "http://www.wavlist.com/movies/004/father.wav"
}
},
Buttons = new List<CardAction>
{
new CardAction()
{
Title = "Read More",
Type = ActionTypes.OpenUrl,
Value = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Empire_Strikes_Back"
}
}
}.ToAttachment()
};
}Note: At the time of writing this sample, Skype requires the Audio card to have a Thumbnail Url.
You can send multiple rich card attachments in a single message. On most channels they will be sent as a list of rich cards, but some channels (like Skype and Facebook) can render them as a carousel of rich cards. The IMessageActivity.AttachmentLayout property allows you to control how the rich cards will be rendered. Check out the key code located in the RichCardScorable class where the attachments layout is changed to the Carousel mode (ie. if more than 1 attachment are found at the returned list, the AttachmentLayoutTypes.Carousel value is being set) using the attachments returned by GetCardAttachments override at CarouselCardsScorable.
protected override IList<Attachment> GetCardAttachments()
{
return new List<Attachment>
{
new HeroCard
{
Title = "BotFramework Hero Card",
Subtitle = "Your bots — wherever your users are talking",
Text = "Build and connect intelligent bots to interact with your users naturally wherever they are, from text/sms to Skype, Slack, Office 365 mail and other popular services.",
Images = new List<CardImage> { new CardImage("https://sec.ch9.ms/ch9/7ff5/e07cfef0-aa3b-40bb-9baa-7c9ef8ff7ff5/buildreactionbotframework_960.jpg") },
Buttons = new List<CardAction> { new CardAction(ActionTypes.OpenUrl, "Get Started", value: "https://docs.microsoft.com/bot-framework") }
}.ToAttachment(),
new ThumbnailCard
{
Title = "BotFramework Thumbnail Card",
Subtitle = "Your bots — wherever your users are talking",
Text = "Build and connect intelligent bots to interact with your users naturally wherever they are, from text/sms to Skype, Slack, Office 365 mail and other popular services.",
Images = new List<CardImage> { new CardImage("https://sec.ch9.ms/ch9/7ff5/e07cfef0-aa3b-40bb-9baa-7c9ef8ff7ff5/buildreactionbotframework_960.jpg") },
Buttons = new List<CardAction> { new CardAction(ActionTypes.OpenUrl, "Get Started", value: "https://docs.microsoft.com/bot-framework") }
}.ToAttachment(),
new AnimationCard
{
Title = "Microsoft Bot Framework",
Subtitle = "Animation Card",
Image = new ThumbnailUrl
{
Url = "https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/bot-framework/media/how-it-works/architecture-resize.png"
},
Media = new List<MediaUrl>
{
new MediaUrl()
{
Url = "http://i.giphy.com/Ki55RUbOV5njy.gif"
}
}
}.ToAttachment(),
new VideoCard
{
Title = "Big Buck Bunny",
Subtitle = "by the Blender Institute",
Text = "Big Buck Bunny (code-named Peach) is a short computer-animated comedy film by the Blender Institute, part of the Blender Foundation. Like the foundation's previous film Elephants Dream, the film was made using Blender, a free software application for animation made by the same foundation. It was released as an open-source film under Creative Commons License Attribution 3.0.",
Image = new ThumbnailUrl
{
Url = "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c5/Big_buck_bunny_poster_big.jpg/220px-Big_buck_bunny_poster_big.jpg"
},
Media = new List<MediaUrl>
{
new MediaUrl()
{
Url = "http://download.blender.org/peach/bigbuckbunny_movies/BigBuckBunny_320x180.mp4"
}
},
Buttons = new List<CardAction>
{
new CardAction()
{
Title = "Learn More",
Type = ActionTypes.OpenUrl,
Value = "https://peach.blender.org/"
}
}
}.ToAttachment()
};
}There are three commands that allows you to see information related with the lastest card sample shown. From showing the code in C# or NodeJs on how to build that card, to showing the JSON payload within the message returned to the channel containing the serialized form of the card as an attachment.
These commands are the following:
- JSON: shows the JSON serialized payload for the latest card sample shown (implemented by ShowJsonScorable).
- C#: shows the C# code to build the latest card sample shown (implemented by ShowCSharpScorable).
- Node: shows the NodeJs code to build the latest card sample shown (implemented by ShowNodeJsScorable).
As you have might seen all these commands inherit from a base ShowPrivateDataScorable class which has logic to get stored information within the bot-user conversation private data. There, the logic at the PostAsync override uses the abstract DataKey property value to retrieve the proper information regarding the instance of the command implementation it is executing.
protected override async Task PostAsync(IActivity item, bool state, CancellationToken token)
{
var data = default(string);
this.BotData.PrivateConversationData.TryGetValue(this.DataKey, out data);
var reply = this.BotToUser.MakeMessage();
reply.Text = string.IsNullOrWhiteSpace(data) ? this.NotAvailableMessage : string.Format(CodeTemplate, data);
await this.BotToUser.PostAsync(reply);
}In order to obtain the information required by each one of these commands, the sample is storing relevant information within the bot-user private conversation data, and to fulfill this action there are two different things implemented:
- An abstract command named ExtractCodeScorable that should be inherited by commands showing samples and have C# & NodeJs code associated to the generation of these (samples). As you can see within its implementation the
SaveCodeprivate method is storing the respective command's code at the conversation private data. - An
IActivityLoggerimplementation that, once registered at the bot framework conversation pipeline, will intercept all input/output activities the bot processes. This interface is implemented by the ActivityLogger class which is storing the JSON payload from the attachments of the bot's responses when displaying cards.
Within the sample there is included a chatting page that allows you to execute all the commands detailed above. This page embedds a web chat control and requires you to configure the following web.config settings for the bot as it uses direct line back channel to interact with it:
<appSettings>
<!-- TODO: update these with public/registered BotId, Microsoft App Id and your Microsoft App Password-->
<add key="BotId" value="Bot" />
<add key="MicrosoftAppId" value="" />
<add key="MicrosoftAppPassword" value="" />
<add key="DirectLineSecret" value="" />
</appSettings>At that view you will see the following while interacting with the bot running different commands from the sample.
| Card sample | JSON | C# | NodeJs |
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To get more information about how to get started in Bot Builder for .NET and Attachments please review the following resources:
- Bot Builder for .NET
- Message Attachments Property
- Add media attachments to messages
- Add rich card attachments to messages
- Cards and buttons on Microsoft Teams
Limitations
The functionality provided by the Bot Framework Activity can be used across many channels. Moreover, some special channel features can be unleashed using the ChannelData property.The Bot Framework does its best to support the reuse of your Bot in as many channels as you want. However, due to the very nature of some of these channels, some features are not fully portable.
The Hero card and Thumbnail card used in this sample are fully supported in the following channels:
- Skype
- Telegram
- DirectLine
- WebChat
- Slack
- GroupMe
They are also supported, with some limitations, in the following channel:
- Kik
On the other hand, they are not supported and the sample won't work as expected in the following channel:
- SMS
The Receipt card and Sign-in card used in this sample are fully supported in the following channels:
- Skype
- Telegram
- DirectLine
- WebChat
- Slack
- GroupMe
They are also supported, with some limitations, in the following channel:
- Kik
On the other hand, they are not supported and the sample won't work as expected in the following channel:
- SMS
- Microsoft Teams
The Animation card, Video card and Audio card used in this sample are fully supported in the following channels:
- Skype
- WebChat
They are also supported, with some limitations, in the following channel:
- Slack (Only Animation card is supported)
- GroupMe
- Telegram (Only Animation and Audio cards are supported)
On the other hand, they are not supported and the sample won't work as expected in the following channel:
- Microsoft Teams
- Kik
- SMS