Understanding the Conversation Flow Algorithm

It is important to understand the algorithm that controls the cognitive flow.

Each time a user provides an input, the conversation flow algorithm evaluates each step starting from the beginning (even if you believe that this step has been completed), until it gets to a step that requires an input for the user or the conversation is complete.

This means, that if it gets a questions step, it checks if the entity is already provided (i.e. country)

• if true => move to the next step
• if false => ask user and stop

However, if the flow algorithm gets to a message step, it automatically prints out the message. This is why you saw the "Great, let me help you find a car for you." printing each time you typed a new value.

Most of the time you only want to print out a message in a specific scenario. For example: the initial message Great, let me help you find a car for you., should only be displayed when the user starts the conversation. But once the user provides some data like the country, it should stop printing again.

This can be done simply adding a conditions array, which could check if the user has not provided the country.

Update the first message step in the rent-car conversation to add a condition:

1. Find the first message step in the rent-car conversation
2. Add a conditions array => start typing co and select conditions
3. Add the following condition: "{{$not ($has country)}}"

The step should look like this:

{
    "type": "message",
    "messages": [
      "Great, let me help you find a car for you."
    ],
    "conditions": [
      "{{$not ($has country)}}"
    ]
},

Test

Save and test the rent-car conversation.

This time the initial message should show only once.