[Question] [Directline] Correlate messages sent by the app

[jmendiara]

Is there a way to correlate messages sent from the app with those managed by directline?

I want to implement this use case (think in Whatsapp UI)

1. The app starts a conversartion and starts polling that conversation with a POLLING request (GET /api/conversations/XYZ/messages)
2. The user enters the message hello in my app
3. The app shows the message hello in the conversation list with status: Unsent ( -- -- )
4. The app sends the the message with a SEND request (POST /api/conversations/XYZ/messages), and before the request ends...
5. The POLLING request returns me the hello message
6. The app updates the UI, setting the message status to Sent ( ✓ -- )
7. The SEND request completes, meaning the hello message has been delivered to the bot (not sure about that!)
8. The app updates the UI, setting the message status to Received ( ✓ ✓ )

In the DirectLine API Docs for Sending a message (the SEND request in the use case) you say id (string, optional): ID for this message, but when the message is returned by the POLLING request, the payload id is not the same I specified earlier in the SEND request
ex:

POST  /api/conversations/XYZ/messages {"id: "93d73e19dfa", "text": "hello", conversationId: "A35WUwHjoCj", ... }
GET  /api/conversations/XYZ/messages --> {"id": "A35WUwHjoCj|000000000000000001", "text": "hello", ...}

Not being able to correlate the app messages with the directline messages close us other use cases, like retries for failed messages in the app side, logging...

How can we achieve message correlation?

cc:\ @dandriscoll

[jmendiara]

I've experimented that issuing a POST /api/conversations/XYZ/messages with "channelData", that payload is returned also in the GET /api/conversations/XYZ/messages request, so this can be used for correlation. Is this true?
Does also that "channelData"payload reach the bot?

[palmerabollo]

I've checked that channelData reaches your bot under session.message.sourceEvent. But I'm also wondering if that is the best way to correlate messages.

[dandriscoll]

Hi @jmendiara and @palmerabollo, we reassign IDs within the service, so that's not going to be a field you can use. ChannelData is indeed your best option.

[jmendiara]

Thanks @dandriscoll! A documentation update on the web site clarifying DirectLine API payload meaning and would be much appreciated.

[dandriscoll]

We've got a raft of documentation coming for the next release. I may patch up the old docs too a bit later.