Conversation Context
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In simple terms, the Conversation Context can be seen as the "short term memory" of the chatbot when it is having a conversation with a Chat User.
Having this "Short Term Memory" is essential when engaging in conversation, because it allows the Bot to remember and use information previously provided by the Chat User.
In figure above, the Data Collected from the user is stored in the Conversation Context and then reiterated back to the Chat User. The Bot then uses the stored data to call an external API service to fulfill the customer's request.
Data Collected from the Chat User can be inserted into Message Components using the syntax %(answers.<variableName>). For examples of how this is used, please refer to Data Collection Block
The Conversation Context also stores data returned from External Services, called via Service Action.
In this scenario:
The data collected from the Chat User is retrieved from the Conversation Context and sent to the Converse Plugin (via Service Action)
The Converse Plugin formats the data and sends it as a request to the Web Service
The response data from the Web Service is transformed by the Converse Plugin, and then stored in the Conversation Context (via Service Action)
The Data from the Web Service can then be retrieved from the Conversation Context to be displayed to the Chat User, or used within conditional logic inside Transitions.
For a detailed example of how Service Action is used to create such API-driven Transactional Flows, please see Building Transactional Flows with Service Action.
