Botbuilder-js: Send Typing Indicator Helper

[ryanvolum]

Send Typing Indicator Helper
In the v3 SDK and in early iterations of the v4 SDK, there was a simple utility that allowed developers to have their bot send typing indicators. Albeit a minor user experience feature, it gives the end user of the bot the sense that they're communicating with a real agent that's actively typing.

Describe the solution you'd like
In the current iteration of the SDK there appears to be a showTypingMiddleware which sends typing indicators for every outgoing message. While this may be valuable for some bots, I'd like to see a solution that allows the developer to send typing messages themselves.

Additional context
While digging around the source code I found this comment that demonstrates how to send a typing indicator. It both seems like too much code, which could easily be abstracted into a helper function, and doesn't seem to work:

     * // Send a typing indicator without going through a middleware listeners.
     * const reference = TurnContext.getConversationReference(context.activity);
     * const activity = TurnContext.applyConversationReference({ type: 'typing' }, reference);
     * await context.adapter.sendActivities([activity]);

I also noted this bug, but was not able to use the resolution to send the indicator:

await dc.context.sendActivity({ type: ActivityTypes.Typing });

Note: I'm currently testing the typing in the emulator. It's entirely possible that the above code works in other channels, and that this is an emulator bug

[enhancement]

[Ric01]

Typing indicator is a very important feature for improving ux experience. SDKv3 was way easier than SDKv4, i couldnt make it work for SDKv4. Saw some examples for the dotnet sdk but none for javascript. Love to hear improvements on this topic

[Ric01]

Recently checked the documentation and find out about the SendActivities method.
Tried it and it worked!, in case someone writing on javascript runs with the same issue.

await context.sendActivities([
* { type: 'typing' },
* { type: 'delay', value: 2000 },
* { type: 'message', text: 'Hello... How are you?' }
* ]);

[hinojosachapel]

Recently checked the documentation and find out about the SendActivities method.
Tried it and it worked!, in case someone writing on javascript runs with the same issue.

await context.sendActivities([

• { type: 'typing' },
• { type: 'delay', value: 2000 },
• { type: 'message', text: 'Hello... How are you?' }
• ]);

Great! Thanks! Your solution worked for me, though I introduced a little modification:

async sendTyping(context) {
    await context.sendActivities([
        { type: 'typing' },
        { type: 'delay', value: 2000 }
    ]);
}

[sgellock]

We've talked this over, and I don't see us adding this, given the view lines of code above to implement the behavior.

[sanjeevgaut]

Hi It worked for me also in localhost/emulator. but when i deployed in azure it is not working.
i can see there is delay in the response but typing is not coming

[sanjeevgaut]

This is for node js. It should work..

await step.context.sendActivity({ type: ActivityTypes.Typing });

This will work on the web.

Which channel your bot is deployed.

[NereaCabiedasMoreno]

yes, that work well, thanks!!, but how to add Typing Indicator whenever BOT have received a message and is processing? @sanjeevgaut thanks!!

[sanjeevgaut]

yes, that work well, thanks!!, but how to add Typing Indicator whenever BOT have received a message and is processing? @sanjeevgaut thanks!!
Just add await step.context.sendActivity({ type: ActivityTypes.Typing }); in the next step.
or when any processing is hepening add below
step.context.sendActivity({ type: ActivityTypes.Typing });

it should work.