Community

Botium Champions

Botium champion is the award we set up to give out as our appreciation to those who are making an impact on our projects.

Community is the heart of Botium and our champions are driving the community! We would like to express our gratitude to those nerds by giving out some shiny stuffs and the privilege of being our champion!

There are several ways of contribution.

  • Are you a restless developer? You can support us by writing code and catching bugs

  • Do you have a big network? Share your Botium use cases and experience with your mates

  • Are you an expert? Answer community questions on stackoverflow or github (+links)

  • Do you have tester genes? Help us by pointing out flaws or suggesting new features

  • Are you a researcher? Support us with the scientific proof of coolness

Contribution Guide

We love Open Source software. Open Source software helped us in our professional careers for the last 20 years, and we are giving back to the community.

All Botium Core code (Botium Core, Botium Bindings, Botium CLI) and most connectors are hosted on Github <https://github.com/codeforequity-at> and open for contributions.

Prerequisites

  • Good knowledge of Node.js and Javascript

  • Knowledge on Git and Github

  • In case you have some troubles, please __ALWAYS__ attach the debug output from Botium

  • Please don’t post any secret information (like access keys for Dialogflow or IBM Watson)

Guidelines for code contributions

Of course, code contributions are welcome! There are many possible ways of extending Botium.

Contributions to Botium Core

  • Please fork the repository

  • Please create an issue and refer to it in the pull request

  • Add unit tests for implemented behaviour

  • The NPM script “npm run build” has to succeed before posting a pull request
    • it will run unit tests

    • it will enforce eslint and rollup build

  • Someone from the core team will review and give feedback within 1-2 days

Contribute Botium Connectors

  • There is a Developer Guide available below

  • Tell us about your work! We are happy to include your connector in Botium Core and thank you in our release notes!

Contribute Botium Asserters

  • There is a Developer Guide available below

  • Tell us about your work! We are happy to include your asserter in Botium Core and thank you in our release notes!

We want to recognise everyone making positive influence in our community. We are doing our part of the job by tracking every possible Botium champion out there, but if you feel like that we are missing someone, let us know!

First Steps - Botium Core

Botium Core is the core library for Botium. Some core connectors and BotiumScript is implemented in Botium Core.

Clone and Run Tests

Here are the commands to clone the Botium Core repository, install the dependencies, running the build and running the test suite:

git clone https://github.com/codeforequity-at/botium-core.git
cd botium-core
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Pull Requests

As usual on Github, you can fork the repository and create a Pull Request with your changes. One of the core developers will get in contact.

We expect that any code changes are covered by unit tests.

Make sure that the commands npm run build and npm test are working with your changes, otherwise the Pull Request will be declined for sure!

Important Files

src/BotDriver.js - the main entry file

Reads the botium.json and other configuration sources

Initializes scripting and containers

src/Capabilities.js - capability names

Holds the list of supported capability names

src/Defaults.js - default capability values

Holds the list of default capability values

src/scripting/ScriptingProvider.js - entry point for BotiumScript

Initializes BotiumScript runtime

Holds context for scripting runtime

Reads BotiumScript files

src/scripting/Compiler*.js - BotiumScript parsers

Parsing the supported BotiumScript file formats

src/scripting/logichooks/asserters/*Asserter.js - integrated asserters

Media asserter, NLP asserters, …

src/scripting/logichooks/logichooks/*LogicHook.js - integrated logic hooks

Pause, Wait, …

src/scripting/logichooks/userinputs/*Input.js - integrated user input methods

Buttons, Forms, …

Developing Botium Connectors

Howto develop your own Botium Connector - see Botium Wiki

Howto develop your own HTTP/JSON Botium Connector - see Botium Wiki

Howto deploy my own Botium Connector - see Botium Wiki

Developing Custom Asserters

Developing Custom Asserters - see Botium Wiki

Developing Botium Logic Hooks

Developing Custom Logic Hooks - see Botium Wiki

Developing Custom Hooks

There are capabilities for running your custom logic, developed in Javascript, during Botium script execution.

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONBUILD

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONSTART

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONUSERSAYS

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONBOTRESPONSE

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONSTOP

  • CUSTOMHOOK_ONCLEAN

There are several options how to inject our Javascript code here. The functions are called with arguments from Botium as nested structure.

  • container: the currently executing Botium container

  • meMsg (only for CUSTOMHOOK_ONUSERSAYS): message sent to bot

  • botMsg (only for CUSTOMHOOK_ONBOTRESPONSE): message received from bot

  • request: for doing HTTP(S) requests

As NPM module

Your custom NPM module has to export exactly one function.:

"CUSTOMHOOK_ONUSERSAYS": "my-own-module",

As Javascript file

Your file has to export exactly one function.:

"CUSTOMHOOK_ONUSERSAYS": "path/to/your/javascript/file.js",

Example function in file.js:

module.exports = ({ container, meMsg }) => {
  console.log('in userSays hook');
  meMsg.CUSTOM_VALUE = 'something'
}

Custom File Format Precompiler

If you have custom file format, then you have to use a precompiler to convert it to any standard file format.

Supported input and output file extensions are same as supported file extensions of Botium:

  • .convo.txt,

  • .utterances.txt,

  • .pconvo.txt,

  • .scriptingmemory.txt,

  • .xlsx,

  • .convo.csv,

  • .pconvo.csv,

  • .yaml,

  • .yml,

  • .json

  • .md

You dont have to keep the file extension. (It is possible to convert .md to .json for example)

Output file format can be any standard Botium Script format, but we suggest to use JSON (or YAML) file format. They can contain all parts of a script in a single file, and it is easy to work with.

There is a limitation with precompilers. It is not possible to create more files from one. Using JSON output file format can help handle this limitation.

Configuration capabilities

The preformatters are dynamic. You can use more precompilers, even from the same type. The capabilities are dynamic too, there are many ways to structure them:

Just for one precompiler:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS.NAME": "<precompilername>",
  "PRECOMPILERS.VARIABLE1": "..."
}

or:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS": {
    "NAME": "<precompilername>",
    "VARIABLE1": "..."
  }
}

same as string:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS": "{\"NAME\": \"<precompilername>\",\"VARIABLE1\": \"...\"}"
}

For more precompilers:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS.0.NAME": "<precompilername>",
  "PRECOMPILERS.0.VARIABLE1": "...",
  "PRECOMPILERS.1.NAME": "<precompilername>",
  "PRECOMPILERS.1.VARIABLE1": "..."
}

or:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS.0": {
    "NAME": "<precompilername>",
    "VARIABLE1": "..."
  },
  "PRECOMPILERS.1": {
    "NAME": "<precompilername>",
    "VARIABLE1": "..."
  }
}

or:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS": [
    {
      "NAME": "<precompilername>",
      "VARIABLE1": "..."
    },
    {
      "NAME": "<precompilername>",
      "VARIABLE1": "..."
    }
  ]
}

same as string:

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS": "[{\"NAME\": \"<precompilername>\",\"VARIABLE1\": \"...\"},{\"NAME\": \"<precompilername>\",\"VARIABLE1\": \"...\"}]"
}

JSON_TO_JSON_JSONPATH Precompiler

  • Compiles not-standard-json using JsonPath.

  • This precompiler just supports extraction of utterances.

Capabilities

NAME

Set to JSON_TO_JSON_JSONPATH to use this compiler.

CHECKER_JSONPATH

Optional. If the precompiler does not found anything using this JsonPath, then ignores the source json file.

ROOT_JSONPATH

Optional. Maps the source JSON to utterance struct array. (One entry in map can be mapped to one utterance reference name)

UTTERANCE_REF_JSONPATH

JsonPath to the utterance reference name

UTTERANCES_JSONPATH

JsonPath to the utterances

Example

Source Json:

{
  "domains": [
    {
      "name": "Banking",
      "intents": [
        {
          "name": "Transfer",
          "sentences": [
            {
              "text": "Send 2 bucks to savings!"
            }
          ]
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Capabilities:

{
  PRECOMPILERS: {
    "NAME": "JSON_TO_JSON_JSONPATH",
    "CHECKER_JSONPATH": "$.domains[*].intents[*]",
    "ROOT_JSONPATH": "$.domains[*].intents[*]",
    "UTTERANCE_REF_JSONPATH": "$.name",
    "UTTERANCES_JSONPATH": "$.sentences[*].text"
  }
}

SCRIPTED Precompiler

Compiles not-standard Text, Excel, CSV, YAML, JSON, Markdown file toBotiumScript File Formats using JavaScript code.

Capabilities

NAME

Set to SCRIPT to use this precompiler.

SCRIPT

The JavaScript code - it is not a function, do not use return there, but set the module.exports variable.

Example

For the sake of simplicity we use JSON file with just utterances as output. But of course all features of all file types can be used.

Basic example, json

{
  "PROJECTNAME": "Precompiler",
  "CONTAINERMODE": "echo",
  "PRECOMPILERS": {
    "NAME": "SCRIPT",
    "SCRIPT": "const utterances = {};for (const entry of scriptData) {;utterances[entry.intent] = entry.sentences;};module.exports = { scriptBuffer:{utterances} };"
  }
}

Basic example

const utterances = {}
for (const entry of scriptData) {
  utterances[entry.intent] = entry.sentences
}
module.exports = { scriptBuffer: { utterances } }

scriptData is a predefined variable with the contents of the file. It is string, or JSON, depending on file format.

Set module.exports variable with the compiled contents. You can use two fields if you want to process the current file:

  • scriptBuffer with the compiled content (text or json). Falsy value means, precompiler does not want to change anything.

  • filename with this field you can change filename, and extension.

Or put the compiled contents direct into result field:

module.exports = { utterances }

Filtering by filename

if (filename.endsWith('.json')) {
  module.exports = ...
}

filename is a predefined variable. If you dont process the content, simply dont set module.exports field.

Filtering by content

if (scriptData.utterances) {
  const utterances = {}
  for (const entry of scriptData.utterances) {
    utterances[entry.intent] = entry.sentences
  }
  module.exports = ...
}

Change file extension

Lets suppose we have a json in a text file. And its format is different as Botium standard JSON format. So we have to change the content, and the extension too:

const utterances = {}
// creating utterances from scriptData
module.exports = { scriptBuffer:{utterances}, filename: filename + ".json" }