02.b.echobot-with-counter

This sample shows how to create a simple echo bot with state. The bot maintains a simple counter that increases with each message from the user. This bot example uses restify.

To try this sample

• Clone the repository

  git clone https://github.com/microsoft/botbuilder-samples.git

• In a terminal,

  cd samples/javascript_typescript/02.b.echobot-with-counter

• [Optional] Update the .env file under samples/javascript_typescript/02.b.echobot-with-counter with your botFileSecret. For Azure Bot Service bots, you can find the botFileSecret under application settings.
• Install modules and start the bot

  npm i && npm start

  Alternatively you can also use nodemon via

  npm i && npm run watch

Prerequisite

Install TypeScript

In order to run this sample, you must have TypeScript installed. To install TypeScript:

• Navigate to the TypeScript portal.
• Click the Download button.
• Follow the installation instructions for your development environment.

Testing the bot using Bot Framework Emulator

Microsoft Bot Framework Emulator is a desktop application that allows bot developers to test and debug their bots on localhost or running remotely through a tunnel.

• Install the Bot Framework emulator from here

Connect to bot using Bot Framework Emulator V4

• Launch Bot Framework Emulator
• File -> Open Bot Configuration and navigate to samples/javascript_typescript/02.b.echobot-with-state folder
• Select echobot-with-counter.bot file

Bot state

A key to good bot design is to track the context of a conversation, so that your bot remembers things like the answers to previous questions. Depending on what your bot is used for, you may even need to keep track of conversation state or store user related information for longer than the lifetime of one given conversation.

In this example, the bot's state is used to track number of messages.

A bot's state is information it remembers in order to respond appropriately to incoming messages. The Bot Builder SDK provides classes for storing and retrieving state data as an object associated with a user or a conversation.

- Conversation properties help your bot keep track of the current conversation the bot is having with the user. If your bot needs to complete a sequence of steps or switch between conversation topics, you can use conversation properties to manage steps in a sequence or track the current topic. Since conversation properties reflect the state of the current conversation, you typically clear them at the end of a session, when the bot receives an end of conversation activity.

- User properties can be used for many purposes, such as determining where the user's prior conversation left off or simply greeting a returning user by name. If you store a user's preferences, you can use that information to customize the conversation the next time you chat. For example, you might alert the user to a news article about a topic that interests her, or alert a user when an appointment becomes available. You should clear them if the bot receives a delete user data activity.

Deploy this bot to Azure

You can use the MSBot Bot Builder CLI tool to clone and configure any services this sample depends on. In order to install this and other tools, you can read Installing CLI Tools.

To clone this bot, run

msbot clone services -f deploymentScripts/msbotClone -n <BOT-NAME> -l <Azure-location> --subscriptionId <Azure-subscription-id> --appId <YOUR APP ID> --appSecret <YOUR APP SECRET PASSWORD> --sdkLanguage "Node"

NOTE: You can obtain your appId and appSecret at the Microsoft's Application Registration Portal

Further reading

• Azure Bot Service Introduction
• Bot State
• Write directly to storage
• Managing conversation and user state