JavaScript

The JavaScript Node allows you to implement more advanced logic into their AI Assistant. It’s useful for handling complex tasks that require programming expertise. The code is executed with the V8 JavaScript Engine.

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Retrieving variables

You can access conversation variables within the JavaScript Node using the variables object.

It’s important to note that all variables retrieved are in string format. If you are expecting another type, it must be handled within the code snippet you provide. A common use case for this is numbers. It’s possible you may be expecting a number as the value of a variable and wish to perform some arithmentic with that number. To handle this you should have something such as

const { count } = variables;
const countAsInt = parseInt(count);

If there is an error while executing parseInt, the node will resolve to the “Error” path. See more about the return paths below.

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Updating variables

Additionally, you can set custom variables within your JavaScript code using the provided saveVariable function. Taking the count example above, you can set the new count like the following

const { count } = variables;
const countAsInt = parseInt(count);

// now increment the count
// don't forget to handle type conversion back to a string
saveVariables('count', (++count).toString());

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Return paths

The JavaScript Node offers default routes called Fallback and Error to handle different outcomes of the code execution.

• Error: The error route is chosen if the code fails to execute successfully. Any error will trigger this route, such as syntax errors, reference errors, runtime errors, etc.
• Fallback: The fallback route is chosen if the code executes successfully, but doesn’t hit a return statement.

You can also define custom routing logic by using return statements to specify alternative routes, which is the most ideal way to handle more complex routing.

When you modify the code to include or remove return statements, the node updates on the canvas to reflect the possible output paths. This flexibility allows you to create diverse conversation flows tailored to your application’s needs.

The code below expands on our example. If the new count is greater than three, we route to the too_many path where we can add the appropriate connection for our use-case. If the count is less than or equal to three, the Fallback route will be executed. If the count variable is not defined or set, the Error route will be chosen.

const { count } = variables;
const countAsInt = parseInt(count);
const updatedCount = count++;
saveVariables('count', updatedCount.toString());

if (updatedCount > 3) {
  return 'too_many';
}