"Typing" animation while waiting

(Bob) #1

How can I show the “typing” animation while waiting? I want to give user impression that their conversation is progressing.

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(Sarah Palombo) #2

Hi Bob

Is this in Messenger or Telegram?? (I think it’s Messenger you are looking for) ??

Sarah :slight_smile:

(Bob) #3

Messenger was the platform I was inquiring about.

(Sarah Palombo) #4

There is an article that should help with this.
Just use the 'Make a custom request" using the example on Messenger’s docs.
This should set typing indicators to let users know you are processing their request.

Hope that helps !

Sarah

(Bob) #5

I have created the following Custom Request:

{
“sender_action”:“typing_on”
}

and I get the following message in logs:
(#100) Invalid keys “sender_action” were found in param “message”.

The typing indicator shows up for a moment, but the flow stops due to the
error.
What am I doing wrong?

(Karen Barker) #6

Hi Bob,

Hmm… :thinking:

I’ve just tried to recreate this and found the same issues. It looks as though this is one thing we can’t use the custom request for I’m afraid. You’ll need to use a webhook in this instance.

If you make a Post request to:
https://graph.facebook.com/v2.6/me/messages?access_token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN

Select Content Type as Raw Body and use the JSON as per the facebook article.

Add your Headers as content-Type = application/json

Hopefully this will help. :slight_smile:

2 Likes
(Kurt) #7

I´ve tried this Karen, but doesn´t work. The bot stop sending the “typing icon” bafore send the messenge.

(Daniel Beckett) #8

@Gregorio_Rodrigues1

Is there a particular error that you’re seeing? Where are you expecting to see the typing indicator (which action is it before?)

(Kurt) #9

Before, the icon appeared all the time. But the most important thing that appears to me is when I connect to API.AI, which takes 5 seconds.

Help me please. The experience of my user will not be good for this, because it is taking so long and there is no sign that the message is coming.

(Daniel Beckett) #10

Which platform is your bot on? Facebook Messenger, Web Messenger?

(Kurt) #11

I’m using Facebook Messenger. I’ve tried the weebhook and the catch all that were commented before. No sucess

(Daniel Beckett) #12

Unfortunately when the bot is processing a HTTP request it’s not going to display the typing indicator.

(Kurt) #13

But, it was working until yesterday. I think facebook disabled the typing icon. What can I do? Help please.

(Kurt) #14

I put the weehook before binding with the API.AI in the hope that once weebhook processed the typing icon would remain activated by the rest of the flow.

(Andrew Catchpole) #15

Was there a fix for this chat “typing…” request?
Previously, I was using a similar chat builder tool which had an action for doing this and the typing time could be set too.
The chat windows displays "typing … " and you get to hear the reassuring (annoying) blipping noise.
I think this would be a useful addition for Flow XO

(Daniel Beckett) #16

Hi @Smartview_Property

There’s been no changes or updates regarding this as of yet. We’ll certainly keep the suggestion in mind for future updates though.

1 Like
#17

This is, IMO, the biggest downside of Flow XO. Without pauses for “typing”, a bot is like that guy at a party nobody wants to talk to because you ask him one question and he spits out his whole life story. And without typing indicators, pauses are awkward and confusing.

Other tools make inserting typing indicators so easy. I get that Flow XO is meant to be used cross-platform and every platform works a bit differently, but this seems like something the Flow XO team should build out as a plug-and-play action for some of the common platforms. It’s a huge missing feature.

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