Chatbot Overview
Conversational Bots
Intents & Entities
Intelligent Bots
Kore.ai's Approach
Kore.ai Conversational Platform
Bot Concepts and Terminology
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
Bot Types
Bot Tasks
Starting with Kore.ai Platform
How to Access Bot Builder
Working with Kore.ai Bot Builder
Building your first Bot
Getting Started with Building Bots
Using the Dialog Builder Tool
Creating a Simple Bot
Release Notes
Latest Updates
Older Releases
Bot Builder
Creating a Bot
Design
Develop
Dialog Task
Working with User Intent Node
Working with the Dialog Node
Working with Entity Node
Supported Entity Types
Working with Composite Entities
Supported Time Zones
Supported Colors
Supported Company Names
Working with Message Nodes
Working with the Confirmation Nodes
Working with Service Node
Implementing Custom Authentication
Enabling 2-way SSL for Service nodes
Working with Script Node
Working with Agent Transfer Node
Working with WebHook Node
Defining Connections & Transitions
Managing Dialogs
Prompt Editor
Action & Information Task
Working with Action Tasks
Working with Information Tasks
Establishing Flows
Alert Tasks
Working with Alert Tasks
Managing Ignore Words and Field Memory
Knowledge Tasks
Knowledge Ontology
Building Knowledge Graph
Importing and Exporting Bot Ontology
Knowledge Extraction
Natural Language
Overview
Machine Learning
ML Model
Fundamental Meaning
Knowledge Graph Training
Traits
Ranking and Resolver
NLP Detection
NLP Settings and Guidelines
Bot Intelligence
Overview
Context Management
Session and Context Variables
Context Object
Dialog Management
Sub-Intents
Amend Entity
Multi-Intent Detection
Sentiment Management
Tone Analysis
Sentiment Management
Default Conversations
Default Standard Responses
Channel Enablement
Test & Debug
Talking to Bot
Utterance Testing
Batch Testing
Recording Conversations
Publishing your Bot
Analyzing your Bot
Overview
Dashboard
Conversation Flows
Bot Metrics
Advanced Topics
Bot Authorization
Language Management
Collaborative Development
IVR Integration
Universal Bots
Defining
Creating
Customizing
Enabling Languages
Smart Bots
Defining
Sample Bots
Github
Asana
Travel Planning
Flight Search
Event Based Bot Actions
Bot Settings
Bot Functions
General Settings
PII Settings
Customizing Error Messages
Bot Management
Using Bot Variables
API Guide
API Overview
API List
API Collection
SDKs
SDK Overview
SDK Security
SDK App Registration
Kore.ai Web SDK Tutorial
Message Formatting and Templates
Mobile SDK Push Notification
Web Socket Connect & RTM
Using the BotKit SDK
Installing the BotKit SDK
BotKit SDK Configuration
Events for the BotKit SDK
Functions for the BotKit SDK
BotKit SDK Tutorial – Agent Transfer
BotKit SDK Tutorial – Flight Search Sample Bot
Using an External NLP Engine
Bot Administration
Bots Admin Console
User Management
Managing Users
Managing Groups
Managing Role
Bots Management
Enrollment
Inviting Users
Sending Bulk Invites to Enroll Users
Importing Users and User Data
Synchronizing Users from Active Directory
Security & Compliance
Overview
Using Single Sign-On
Cloud Connector
Analytics
Billing
How Tos
Context Switching
Using Traits
Live Agent Transfer
Schedule a Smart Alert
Configure Agent Transfer
  1. Home
  2. Docs
  3. Bots
  4. SDKs
  5. Message Formatting and Templates

Message Formatting and Templates

Kore.ai SDK allows you to override the default message formatting using markdown and apply templates to display custom formatted bot messages to users.
This topic describes the following:

  • Supported template types
  • Template implementation details
  • The default formatting for the Web SDK
  • Supported markdown to customize messages

Template Types

The SDKs support the following message template types. Depending on the SDK, the JavaScript implementation may vary.

Button Template

Shows one of the following button choices for the end user for each option:

  • URL button: Opens a webpage in the application browser.
  • Postback button: Sends the payload defined by the developer to the Bots Platform to initiate action, for example, opens a chat window to a live agent.

Required Parameters

  • text: Enter the text consisting of up to 640 characters
  • buttons: Enter a maximum of 3 array items

Example

var message={
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"template_type": "button",
"text": "What do you want to do next?",
"buttons":
[{
"type": "web_url",
"title": "Show Website",
"url": "https://petersapparel.parseapp.com"
},
{
"type": "postback",
 "title": "Start Chatting",
"payload": "USER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD"
}
]
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Quick Replies Template – Text

Shows a formatted text message to the user with clickable text choices.
Required Parameters

  • text: Enter text consisting of up to 640 characters
  • title: Enter a title for each option

Example

var message={
"type":"template",
"payload":
{
"template_type":"quick_replies",
"text":"Pick a color:",
"quick_replies":
[
{
"content_type":"text",
"title":"Red",
"payload":"DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_FOR_PICKING_RED"
},
{
"content_type":"text",
"title":"Green",
"payload":"DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_FOR_PICKING_GREEN"
}
]
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Quick Replies Template – Text and Image

Shows formatted text to the user with clickable text and images as choices.
Required Parameters

  • text: Enter text consisting of up to 640 characters
  • title: Enter a title for each option

Example

var message =
{
"type":"template",
"payload":
{
"text":"Pick a color:",
"template_type":"quick_replies",
"quick_replies":
[
{
"content_type":"text",
"title":"Red",
"payload":"DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_FOR_PICKING_RED",
"image_url": "https://cdn1.iconfinder.com/data/icons/brown-monsters/1024/Brown_Monsters_16-01.png",
},
{
"content_type":"text",
"title":"Green",
"payload":"DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_FOR_PICKING_GREEN",
"image_url": "https://cdn3.iconfinder.com/data/icons/spring-2-1/30/Tree-128.png",
}
]
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

List Template

Shows a formatted list of choices to the user as clickable text and images as choices. List template has the following limitations:

  • Maximum of four elements
  • One optional button per element
  • One optional global button

Required Parameters

  • AlwaysShowGlobalButtons: set to true if the global button needs to be displayed always, by default it is set to false ensuring that the global buttons are displayed only when the number of entries in the list exceeds 3,
  • title: Enter a title for each option
  • elements

Example

var message =
{
        "type": "template",
        "AlwaysShowGlobalButtons":false,
        "payload": {
            "template_type": "list",
            "elements": [
                {
                    "title": "Classic T-Shirt Collection",
                    "image_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/img/collection.png",
                    "subtitle": "See all our colors",
                    "default_action": {
                        "type": "web_url",
                        "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/shop_collection",
                        "messenger_extensions": true,
                        "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                        "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                    },
                    "buttons": [
                        {
                            "title": "View",
                            "type": "web_url",
                            "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/collection",
                            "messenger_extensions": true,
                            "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                            "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "title": "Classic White T-Shirt",
                    "image_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/img/white-t-shirt.png",
                    "subtitle": "100% Cotton, 200% Comfortable",
                    "default_action": {
                        "type": "web_url",
                        "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=100",
                        "messenger_extensions": true,
                        "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                        "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                    },
                    "buttons": [
                        {
                            "title": "Shop Now",
                            "type": "web_url",
                            "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/shop?item=100",
                            "messenger_extensions": true,
                            "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                            "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "title": "Classic Blue T-Shirt",
                    "image_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/img/blue-t-shirt.png",
                    "subtitle": "100% Cotton, 200% Comfortable",
                    "default_action": {
                        "type": "web_url",
                        "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=101",
                        "messenger_extensions": true,
                        "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                        "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                    },
                    "buttons": [
                        {
                            "title": "Shop Now",
                            "type": "web_url",
                            "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/shop?item=101",
                            "messenger_extensions": true,
                            "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                            "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                        }
                    ]
                },
                {
                    "title": "Classic Black T-Shirt",
                    "image_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/img/black-t-shirt.png",
                    "subtitle": "100% Cotton, 200% Comfortable",
                    "default_action": {
                        "type": "web_url",
                        "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=102",
                        "messenger_extensions": true,
                        "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                        "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                    },
                    "buttons": [
                        {
                            "title": "Shop Now",
                            "type": "web_url",
                            "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/shop?item=102",
                            "messenger_extensions": true,
                            "webview_height_ratio": "tall",
                            "fallback_url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/"
                        }
                    ]
                }
            ],
             "buttons": [
                {
                    "title": "View More",
                    "type": "postback",
                    "payload": "payload"
                }
            ]
        }
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Error Template

Shows formatted messages to an end user for validation, errors and warning messages.
Example

var message={
   "type":"error",
   "payload":{
      "color":"#F35A00",
      "text":"sample for error template"
   }
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Attachment Template

Provides support to display URL links for images, files, videos, links, and audio files to a user.
Example

var message=
{
"type":"image/audio/video/link",
"payload":
{
"url": "component Url"
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Text Template

Shows messages to the user using Bots Platform defined default formatting.
Example

var message=
{
"text" : "message"
}
print(JSON.stringify(message);

Carousel Template

Shows a horizontal scrollable carousel of items, each composed of an image attachment, a short description, and buttons to request user input.
Required Parameters:

  • title
  • image_url
  • elements
  • buttons (only up to three items)

Example

var message = {
"type": 'template',
"payload":
{
"template_type": 'carousel',
"elements":
[{
"title": "Welcome to Peter\'s Hats1",
"image_url": "https://previews.123rf.com/images/rez_art/rez_art1405/rez_art140500072/28632615-three-beef-tacos-with-cheese-lettuce-and-tomatos-Stock-Photo-taco.jpg",
"subtitle": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.",
 "default_action":
{
 "type": "web_url",
"url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=103"
//or
//"type": "postback",
//"title": "discard",
//"payload":"clear payload"
},
"buttons":
[{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Buy now",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_0"
},
{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Show more like this",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_1"
}]
},
{
"title": "Welcome to Peter\'s Hats2",
"image_url": "https://static.pexels.com/photos/46239/salmon-dish-food-meal-46239.jpeg",
"subtitle": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.",
 "default_action":
{
"type": "web_url",
"url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=103"
},
"buttons":
[{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Buy now",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_0"
},
{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Show more like this",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_1"
}]
},
{
"title": "Welcome to Peter\'s Hats3",
"image_url": "https://previews.123rf.com/images/rez_art/rez_art1405/rez_art140500072/28632615-three-beef-tacos-with-cheese-lettuce-and-tomatos-Stock-Photo-taco.jpg",
"subtitle": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.",
"default_action":
{
"type": "web_url",
 "url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=103"
},
"buttons":
[{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Buy now",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_0"
},
{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Show more like this",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_1"
}]
},
{
"title": "Welcome to Peter\'s Hats4",
"image_url": "https://static.pexels.com/photos/416458/pexels-photo-416458.jpeg",
"subtitle": "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.",
"default_action":
{
"type": "web_url",
"url": "https://peterssendreceiveapp.ngrok.io/view?item=103"
},
"buttons":
[{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Buy now",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_0"
},
{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Show more like this",
"payload": "DEVELOPER_DEFINED_PAYLOAD_1"
}]
}]
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Piechart Template

This template is supported only for Web SDK; doesn’t apply for Mobile SDK.

Shows the data in a Pie chart in one of these three variations – regular full pie, donut pie, and donut pie with legend table. If you do not specify a type, “regular’ will be considered by default
Required Parameters

  • template_type
  • elements
var message = {
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"text": "Travelling expenses report chart",
"template_type": "piechart",
"pie_type": "regular",
"elements":
[{
"title": "Airlines",
"value": "1264.0",
"displayValue": "$ 1,234"
},
{
"title": "Hotels",
"value": "568.10",
"displayValue": "$ 568"
},
{
"title": "Food",
"value": "324.50",
"displayValue": "$ 324"
}],
speech_hint: "You spent $2855.71 from your account. Here is the breakup."
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Line Chart Template

This template is supported only for Web SDK; doesn’t apply for Mobile SDK.

Shows the data in a line chart.
Required Parameters

  • template_type
  • x_axis
  • elements

Example

var message =
{
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"text":"Peter Sam Report",
"template_type": "linechart",
"X_axis": ["15-Jan-2017", "20-Jan-2017", "25-Jan-2017", "30-Jan-2017"],
"Auto_adjust_X_axis": "yes",
"elements":
[
{
"title":  "Peter",
"values": [10,5,15,20],
"displayValues": ["10ml","5ml","15ml","20ml"]
},
{
"title": "Sam",
"values": [30,15,12,60],
"displayValues": ["30 mins","15 mns","12 mins","1 hour"]
}
],
speech_hint:"Here is your report"
}
}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Bar Chart Template

This template is supported only for Web SDK; doesn’t apply for Mobile SDK.

Shows the data in a bar graph in one of these variants: a single data series simple bar graphs, multiple data series bar graphs, or stacked multiple data series bar graphs.
Required Parameters

  • template_type
  • x_axis
  • elements

Example

var message =
{
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"text":"Peter Sam Report",
"template_type": "barchart",
"direction":"vertical",
"auto_adjust_X_axis" : "no",
"stacked":false,
"X_axis": ["15-Jan-2017", "20-Jan-2017", "25-Jan-2017", "30-Jan-2017"],
"Auto_adjust_X_axis": "yes",
"elements":
[
{
"title":  "Peter",
"values": [10,5,15,20],
"displayValues": ["10ml","5ml","15ml","20ml"]
},
{
"title": "Sam",
 "values": [30,15,12,60],
"displayValues": ["30 mins","15 mns","12 mins","1 hour"]
}
],
speech_hint:"Here is your report"
}}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Regular Table Template

This template is supported only for Web SDK; doesn’t apply for Mobile SDK.

Shows the data in a regular or responsive table format.
Required Parameters

  • template_type
  • columns: Array of column names in the table
var message =
{
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"template_type": "table",
"text":"Account details",
"columns":
[
["Sl","center"],["Name"],["Designation"],["Salary","right"]
],
"table_design": "regular",
"elements":
[
{
"Values": ["1","Peter","Producer","1,000"]
},
{
"Values": ["2","Sam","Director","2,000"]
},
{
"Values": ["3","Nick","DoP","1,500"]
}
],
speech_hint:"Here is your account details"
}}
print(JSON.stringify(message));

Mini Table Template

This template is supported only for Web SDK; doesn’t apply for Mobile SDK.

For each row header in a table, this template shows column data as separate cards. This is ideally suitable for data with 3-4 columns and 4-5 rows.
Required Parameters

  • template_type
  • elements

Example

var message = {
 "type": "template",
 "payload": {
 "template_type": "mini_table",
 "layout": "horizontal",
 "text":"Account details",
 "elements": [
 {
 "primary":[["Current Accounts"],["300","right"]],
 "additional":[["CA00001","150"],["CA00123","50"],["CA23423","100"]]
 },
 {
 "primary":[["Savings Accounts"],["200","right"]],
 "additional":[["SA33001","75"],["SA67345","125"]]
 }
 ],
 speech_hint:"Here is your account details"
 }
};
print(JSON.stringify(message));

BotKit SDK Message Formatting with Templates

You can also apply message templates in the BotKit SDK using the sendUserMessage function by setting the isTemplate parameter to true in the payload object as shown in the following example.

on_user_message: function(requestId, data, callback) {
console.log("User Message ----->", data.message);
//console.log(JSON.stringify(data));
if (data.message === "Hi") {
{
var overrideMessagePayload =
{
body : JSON.stringify({
"type": "template",
"payload":
{
"template_type": "button",
"text": "This is an example to demonstrate message templates sent from bot kit",
"buttons":
[{
"type": "postback",
"title": "Yes",
"payload": "Yes"
},
{
"type": "postback",
"title": "No",
"payload": "No"
}]
}
}),
isTemplate :true
}
data.overrideMessagePayload= overrideMessagePayload;}
return sdk.sendUserMessage(data, callback);
}

Standard Markdown Support

You can apply your formatting directly in JavaScript using Kore.ai markdown as described.

  • Bold – *text to be bolded* Do not add spaces after or before the ” * ” symbol. For example, Here is *bold*.
  • Italic – ~test to be italicized~ Do not add spaces after or before the ” ~ ” symbol. For example, Here is ~italics~.
  • Link – [Text for the link here](http://myCompany.com) For example, Here is a link to [Kore.ai.com](https://kore.ai/).
  • New Line – \n One line indention.
  • Multi Line – \n\n\n Three line indentions.
  • Image – ![Text for the link here](http://myCompany.com) For example, ![My image](http://d1hqmx8kqvpnpa.cloudfront.net/f-eeca5df3-7580-5a09-9aa3-09f809b44ac4.png)
  • List
    • Unordered Bulleted List – * Text for the list time  Add a space after the ” * ” symbol.
      • * This is an example of an unordered list Bullet 1.
      • * This is an example of an unordered list Bullet 2.
      • * This is an example of an unordered list Bullet 3.
    • Ordered List
      • 1. This is an example of an ordered list Bullet 1.
      • 2. This is an example of an ordered list Bullet 2.
      • 3. This is an example of an ordered list Bullet 3.
  • Preformatted Text – “`text“` The text between the ” “` ” symbols is formatted. For example, Here is an example of ```preformatting```.>
  • Paragraph Indent – >> For example, >>This is indented once.
  • Multi Indent – >>>> For example, >>>>This is indented twice.
  • Heading – #h1, #h2, #h3, #h4, #h5, #h6 For example,
    • Here is an example of #h1Heading1.
    • Here is an example of #h2Heading2.
    • Here is an example of #h3Heading3.
    • Here is an example of #h4Heading4.
    • Here is an example of #h5Heading5.
    • Here is an example of #h6Heading6.
  • Emoji – Coming soon.
  • Horizontal Rule – ___ Three underscores inserts a horizontal line. For example, This is a horizontal rule line, added three times. _________

Default Message Templates for Web SDK

When custom formatting is not defined, the following default message formatting types apply to the Web SDK.

  • Choice Message
    • If the number of options is 3 or less, the Button Template is used.
    • If the number of options is between 3  and 10, the Quick Replies Template is used.
    • If the number of options is greater than 10, the Quick Replies Template is used. The 9th option is displayed as Show more which when clicked opens the next set of options.
    • If the button title > 20 characters, 18 characters and two periods get displayed. When the user clicks the title, the full title gets displayed.
  • Confirmation Message
    • Quick Replies Template is used with Yes and No options.
  • Question Message
    • Plain text.
  • Error Message
    • Text with red font color is sent as an attachment
  • Warning Message
    • Text with orange font color is sent as an attachment
  • Validation Message
    • Text with yellow font color is sent as an attachment
  • Info, Statement, Greeting, Chit Chat Messages
    • Plain text
Menu