https://github.com/ashubham/bot-context
Easy, powerful, functional way to maintain conversational context in chat bots.
https://github.com/ashubham/bot-context
ai bot-core bots chatbots conversational-ui
Last synced: about 2 months ago
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Easy, powerful, functional way to maintain conversational context in chat bots.
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/ashubham/bot-context
- Owner: ashubham
- License: mit
- Created: 2017-03-19T05:05:44.000Z (over 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: master
- Last Pushed: 2017-03-22T06:40:21.000Z (over 8 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-07-22T14:21:10.510Z (3 months ago)
- Topics: ai, bot-core, bots, chatbots, conversational-ui
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage: https://chatbotsmagazine.com/maintaining-context-in-chatbots-2016b6a5b7c6
- Size: 116 KB
- Stars: 47
- Watchers: 7
- Forks: 4
- Open Issues: 4
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README
# bot-context
A easy and powerful way to maintain conversational context in chat bots. Using function closures.
[Blog post](https://medium.com/@ashishshubham/maintaining-context-in-chatbots-2016b6a5b7c6#.z08lc981s)
## Core Concept
Here we introduce a reactive approach to maintaining the context of conversations.
- Whenever the bot sends a message, set(push) a context(callback) on the stack.
- Whenever the bot recieves a message, match the message in FIFO order to
the items on the stack. And call the callback.
The elegant trick here is that when a callback is pushed on the stack,
it captures the closure state of the callback function being pushed.
So when we match the context stack on recieving a message, the closure variables and data
are maintained, allowing time travel!
## Usage
`$ npm i bot-context`
This is a very basic pizza delivery bot, to demonstrate the usage of
bot-context.
```javascript
// The message recieving module.
let context = require('bot-context');
function onMessageRecieved(message, userId) {
let ctx = botContext.getOrCreate(userId);
if(!ctx.isSet()) {
init(userId); // initialize the actions.
}
ctx.match(message, function(err, match, contextCb) {
if(!err) contextCb(userId, match);
});
}
```
The set of actions to send the message:
```javascript
function init(userId) {
let ctx = botContext.getOrCreate(userId);
ctx.set(
/.*/, // The base matcher to match anything.
(match) => getPizzaType(userId));
}
function getPizzaType(userId) {
let ctx = botContext.getOrCreate(userId);
ctx.set(
/(chicken|cheese|veggie)/,
(match) => getDeliveryAddress(userId, match)
);
sendMessage(userId, "What kind of pizza do you want ?");
}
function getDeliveryAddress(userId, pizzaType) {
let address = userDataService.getAddress(userID);
let ctx = botContext.getOrCreate(userId);
if(address) {
ctx.set(/(yes|no)/, (reponse) => {
if(response === 'yes') {
userDataService.clearAddress(userId);
getDeliverAddress(userId, pizzaType);
} else {
end(userId, pizzaType, address);
}
});
sendMessage(userId, 'Would you like to change your address ?');
return;
}
ctx.set(
validateAddressUsingGoogleAPI, // Can use some async API method
(address) => end(userId, pizzaType, address)
); // Note that pizzaType is now a closure variable.
sendMessage(userId, `Please enter the delivery Address.`);
}
function end(userId, pizzaType, address) {
sendMessage(userId, `Thank you, a ${pizzaType} pizza, will be` +
+ `delivered to ${address} in 30 mins.`);
}
```
Now, if a user after putting his address changes his mind to another pizza type,
by just typing the type of the pizza.
## Webhooks
WYSIWYG bot creators are the latest hot stuff. Almost all of them allow integration with external
tools via http `webhooks`.
`bot-context` can easily be used with such bot tools. Please see the [example](https://github.com/ashubham/bot-context/blob/master/examples/webhooks.js),
on how could you setup `bot-context` as a webservice.
## API
`var contextMap = require('bot-context');`
returns an instance of the ContextMap, the following methods are available on it.
- [ContextMap](#contextmap)
- [getOrCreate()](#getorcreate)
- [Context](#context)
- [set](#set)
- [isSet](#isset)
- [match](#match)
## ContextMap *extends Map*
A map to hold contexts for all users/keys
### getOrCreate(uKey: string): Context
Get Or Creates a context given the key.
**Parameters**
- `uKey` unique key to identify a user. **[string](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String)**
Returns **[Context](#context)**
## Context
A context uniqiue for each user. The following methods are available on the `context`.
### set(matchRegex|matcherFn, contextCallback)
Set the current context.
**Parameters**
- `matchRegex|matchFn` **([RegExp](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/RegExp) | Function)** Used to match the input
- `contextCallback` Callback which is stored in the stack, it can hold references to closure vars.
#### matcherFn(inputText, callback)
Matcher method called when matching contexts. It is called with the following params.
**Parameters**
- `text` **[string](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String)** input text
- `callback(boolean)` **[Function](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Statements/function)** Callback resolving to truthy/falsy value.
#### contextCallback
Context callback set in the context stack.
Returns, is there any context set.
### match(inputText: string, contextMatchedCallback)
Match an input text to the collection of currently set contexts.
**Parameters**
- `inputText` **[string](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String)** text
- `contextMatchedCallback` The callback to be called if matched.
#### contextMatchedCallback
Callback called when a context is matched, with the following values.
**Parameters**
- `err` **([string](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String) | null)** Error if any
- `match` **any** the match returned from the matchFn or regex
- `contextCallback` the callback which was previously set to the context stack.