Context

Utilizing Context Variables for Dynamic Dialog Management

Context variables cover a broad range of conversational parameters beyond single interactions. Parloa currently supports the following context variables:

Key	Type	Description
context.accessToken	string	The user's access token is only provided for requests made by users who have linked their account with your project.
context.accountIsLinked	boolean	Indicates whether the current user has successfully performed account linking in the past, but does not ensure that the user's account is still linked. If a user revokes the permission in their linked account, the placeholder will still resolve to true because the system has no way of knowing that the permission was revoked in a third-party system.
context.isNewConversation	boolean	Indicates whether a new conversation is starting with the current request.
context.lastInteraction	date	The date of the last interaction between a user and your project. Note: This value is null during the first interaction.
context.lastServiceCallError	string	In the event of a failed service call, the error message that is returned can be: HTTP_ERROR: The received response code is not in the range 200-300. ECONNREFUSED: No connection could be made because the target machine actively refused it. ECONNRESET: A connection was forcibly closed by a peer. ECONNABORTED: Service timeout ENOTFOUND: Indicates a DNS failure. ETIMEDOUT: A connect or send request failed because the connected party did not properly respond. EPIPE: A write on a pipe, socket, or FIFO for which there is no process to read the data. ECONNABORTED: The network connection has been aborted. UNKNOWN: Anything else went wrong.
context.lastServiceCallStatus	number	The HTTP Status code received from a Service in the last service request performed. If the last service call returned an error, this variable will be undefined.
context.locale	string	Contains the language code of the release in BCP 47 format, such as de-DE or en-GB.
context.platform	string	The platform is currently being used. Possible values: phoneV1 phoneV2 gaction
context.previousPrompt	string	The SSML prompt sent with the last response.
context.previousPromptText	string	The prompt displayText sent with the last response.
context.previousReprompt	string	The SSML prompt sent with the last response.
context.previousRepromptText	string	The prompt displayText sent with the last response.
context.reasonLastConversationEnded	string	The reason why the last conversation ended. Possible values are: PARLOA_INITIATED USER_INITIATED NO_INPUT ERROR UNKNOWN
context.requestCount	number	Track of the number of back-and-forth interactions a user has had per release. The count starts at 1 for the initial interaction and increases with each subsequent exchange. It resets with different releases, only measuring the turn count for the current release. On the other hand, context.sessionCount counts the total calls a user has made to this release.
context.requestCountInSession	number	Tracks the number of conversation turns in the current session. A turn consists of a user input and a bot response. For example, a phone call initiated by the user and the bot's greeting count as one turn. The count starts at 1 and increments with each turn. It resets to 1 with each new phone call.
context.requestScopedRandomValue	number	A random float value in the range [0-1] is constant during a request but changes on each new request.
context.sessionCount	number	The number of conversations a user has had with a specific release, starting at 1 for the first conversation and incrementing with each new conversation. Different versions within the same release do not reset this counter, but different releases will have separate counts, essentially tracking the user's phone call count per release.
context.textblockUsages	string, number	This object contains the usage count for each text snippet. It can be accessed as follows: context.textblockUsages.<textsnippetName>

Key Features of Context Variables

• They enable dynamic responses based on the conversation history.

• Context variables can be used to repeat or reference previous interactions.

• Some context variables are specifically intended for use within JavaScript fields to allow for advanced scripting and customization of the dialog flow.

Interaction with Context Variables

In the non-JavaScript fields of Parloa's platform, you might encounter a limited set of context variables available via the autocomplete feature. This is due to certain variables being designed exclusively for JavaScript contexts where more complex logic can be applied.

It's crucial not to confuse these context-specific variables with those used for service calls, which are designed for external interactions, such as API requests.

Example of Context Variable Usage

The example provided showcases the use of context.previousPrompt and context.previousPromptText within a dialogue block. These particular variables enable the system to repeat the last prompt heard by the user. This functionality is invaluable when the user has not understood or responded appropriately, requiring the system to reiterate the previous message.

• The context.previousPrompt variable will repeat the last SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) content, which might include specific intonation or speech pacing instructions.

• The context.previousPromptText variable repeats the plain text version of the last message, which is useful for text-based platforms or debugging purposes.