Links
Last updated
Last updated
Nodes can be connected using Links. When you draw a line from one node to another it will create a link between the two. There are two kinds of special links. They are both only available in Ask node types:
Labelled links
Dialog triggers
The available choices are managed by drawing lines (= node links) from this node to other nodes. When the line is drawn without a target node, the system will automatically ask to choose a node type to create for you. The link type will be automatically set to "labelled".
A "labelled" link represents the expected choices that will satisfy the question. Every link represents one choice.
Labelled links are mainly used for the node Ask: choice. A node link consists of the following details:
| Property | Description | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
Label | The label for the choice. | Will be used to match the input of the user to the right choice. On visual channels the choices are represented as quick replies. On voice channels the choices are also available as DTMF choices. |
Intent | To be able to match the choice to the user input using a trained user intent. | User intents can be trained in the Training section of the platform. |
Trigger dialogs can be used on Ask nodes to handle user input or events that do not belong to the main choices of the ask, the Labelled links. Dialog triggers can trigger by user intents or by system events.
The following example shows two types of dialog triggers. The first is using a trained user intent and the second an unknown event.
The user intent for "Why?" can be used like this:
The trigger links have slightly different properties that can be configured. It shares the intent property, but instead of a label it offers a system dialog (to handle the "unknown" situation)
| Property | Description | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
Intent | To be able to match the choice to the user input using a trained user intent. | User intents can be trained in the Training section of the platform. |
System dialog | To be able to respond to system dialogs, like unknown | Unknown is used to handle any unmatched user input |
Once the flow that is triggered by the dialog trigger is finished, it will return to the original ask it came from.
Dialog triggers that trigger on an intent are like "hidden" choices. These choices will not satisfy the ask. Instead they will execute the nodes that are linked and then directly return to the ask, prompting the "Try again" question. This function can be very helpful for explanatory dialogs, like the above "Why?".
Certain system events can also trigger another dialog. These are:
Unknown
Max unknowns
Timeout
The trigger event "Unknown" can be very helpful to handle unmatched user intent so proper fallback can be arranged like explaining what is needed or escalating to a user.
Max unknowns is the event that triggers after a 3 times an unknown triggers has fired. This is to prevent users from endless looping in an Ask node.
Another way for users to get stuck in an Ask is by not choosing at all. Sometimes you want the bot to continue anyway when this happens. For this purpose the Dialog trigger "Timeout" can be used. On whatsapp the timeout is 5 minutes. On phone it is relative to the input expected, but count on around 8 to 15 seconds. On other channels it is 2 minutes.
