Action

You can use the JSON builder in combination with the Web channel to receive window events on your webpage. These events will contain the data as configured in your JSON builder action.

To do this, you'll need to tick the Send config to parent window option. It will allow you to send data to the place where the widget is in a structured way.

Here's an example:

1. Configure your JSON builder action to send a language key, with a variable retrieved from the session.

2. Set the toggle Send config to parent window on.

Add an Action block by dragging and dropping it to your flow.

Action blocks allow you to integrate third-party services, implement custom coding logic, or perform specialized operations within your bot

Coding steps

Code

The code editor allows developers to quickly build custom logic on top of the bot by writing their own Javascript code blocks. Typically, the code editor is used to perform requests to external systems, or to do operations with variables.

You can find more information about the code editor here:

There are also two tutorials in which we show you how the code editor can be used:

API

The API step is an integration where you integrate Chatlayer with your back end or third party services in order to share data gathered in the conversation with the bot, or enrich the bot with data captured.

JSON builder

If your bot is published on the Webhook API channel, you can use the JSON Builder action to send messages to the conversation that don't need to result in an actual message to the user. Typically, it's used to send information about the user or bot conversation to the website the bot is published on.

Website window events

You can use the JSON builder action in combination with the webwidget channel to receive window events on your webpage. These events will contain the data as configured in your JSON builder action.

Here's an example: Configure your JSON builder action to send a language key, with a variable retrieved from the session, and the "Send config to parent window" toggled on.

Your widget will trigger an event for that configuration to its parent window as a MessageEvent. The MessageEvent will contain a `data` field which contains the stringified result of the JSON builder configuration. Here's an example on how to listen to these events:

// Chatlayer JSON Builder Event Handler
window.addEventListener('message', (event) => {
    const data = event && event.data && JSON.parse(event.data) || {}
    const { type, payload } = data
    if (type !== 'CL_DISPATCH_EVENT') return;
    console.log('Chatlayer language received: ' + payload.language)
})

Pausing steps

Pause bot

The Pause bot step will pause your bot when it reaches this block.

Delay

Sometimes you need a slight delay between bot messages, either to create a natural pause or to make an API call without the bot being silent. These pauses can significantly enhance the user experience.

You can for example use Delay before a Close conversation step.

Variables steps

Clear session

Use a Clear session step to clear out variables that you don't need anymore.

Set variables

The Set variable step facilitates the creation, formatting, and assignment of values to variables.

Operations allow you to perform calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, or finding the remainder of two numbers.

Go to variable bot dialog

Use the Go to variable bot dialog step to navigate to a block that is contained inside a variable.

Email steps

Send mail

The Send mail step sends an email with a message.

Mail report

The Mail report step sends 2 things:

• an email with a message

• the bot conversation at the time where the message was send

All you need to do is to define the email title, recipients and body. Here you can also use variables between curly braces if you need to.

Voicebot steps

Start recording the call

From the Start recording the call step, the conversation with your voicebot is being recorded.

Stop recording the call

From the Stop recording the call step, the conversation with your voicebot will stop being recorded.

Forward call

You can forward the call from your voicebot to a phone number by using the Forward call step.

After setting up the phone number you wish to forward your call to, the bot will automatically hang up upon transferring. To reach the bot again, hang up the call and call a second time.

Other steps

Track event

A Track event step can be used you to create custom dashboards and funnels to improve the analysis of your bot performance.

iFrame

An iFrame is a custom element that can be used to show a different web page in the chat conversation. It can also be used to communicate with the parent window using the postMessage API.

Have a look at this basic example:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
	<head>
		<meta charset="UTF-8">
		</head>
		<body>
			<button onClick="window.parent.postMessage(JSON.stringify({target:'CL_API',type:'SEND_MESSAGE', payload:{text: 'You clicked the button'} }),'*')">
         SEND_MESSAGE
        </button>
		</body>
</html>

If this block of code is hosted and embedded within our iframe plugin, it will send the user a chat message when they click the button.

The postMessage API can also handle UPDATE_SESSION and GO_TO_DIALOGSTATE events.

Get time

The Get time step is about guiding your flow based on the current moment in time. You can reuse those time variables inside your conversation.

When you provide a timezone offset, the result of the plugin will contain time properties that are equal to UTC+offset.

Close conversation

The bot will close the active conversation when the Close conversation step is reached.

This means that the session variables are erased.

Table operation

The Table operation step is about using your built-in Chatlayer Tables.

Knowledge base AI

The Knowledge base AI step is about using your Knowledge base AI.

Send to offload provider

A user that reaches this action will be offloaded to a human customer support agent.

Depending on your selected offloading provider, additional configuration may be required.