Botframework-webchat: Hiding The SendBox Hides Typing Animation

[arman-g]

Screenshots

None

Version

CDN 4.7.1

Describe the bug

In the webchat when hideSendBox option is set to false under StyleOptions to hide the SendBox, it hides the typing animation too.

Steps to reproduce

1. Set hideSendBox option to false in StyleOptions.
2. Send Typing from bot.
3. Observe no typing animation is shown to the user.

Expected behavior

If hideSendBox option is set to false in the StyleOptions, than typing animation should not be hidden.

[tdurnford]

@arman-g As you noticed, the typing indicator is contained in the send box, so hiding the send box will hide the typing indicator as well - this is also true for the connectivity status and suggested actions. @compulim and I have discussed possibly moving the typing indicator to the transcript which would keep it from being hidden by the hideSendBox style option.

[arman-g]

Hi @tdurnford, yes I agree the typing indicator as well as the connectivity status should be outside of the sendbox. They are simply different things and have no direct relations with each other. This becomes a huge problem if chatbot uses adaptive/hero cards only. Hiding the sendbox by default hides other things too that has no connection to sendbox.

[corinagum]

Related to a couple of issues:
https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/issues/2427 - move suggested actions out of send box so that hiding send box doesn't affect them
https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/issues/2323 - create a notification center for the suggested actions, typing indicator, and connectivity status separate from the sendbox
https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/issues/1839 - study improvements to make on the send box component/customization
https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/issues/2211 - change sendbox to have multiple input modes including speech and text.

Modifying the issue into a feature request :)

[arman-g]

@corinagum I hope this will get into near future releases.

[tdurnford]

@arman-g PR https://github.com/microsoft/BotFramework-WebChat/pull/2883 is adding a notification bar to Web Chat, and part of that work includes moving the typing indicator from the send box to the transcript. This should be resolved in our next release. Thanks for your patients.

[corinagum]

As far as I know #2883 is only adding a notification bar. Did yesterday's discussion include moving typing indicator and/or suggested actions?

[tdurnford]

@corinagum Yes, @compulim and I had an offline discussion about moving the typing indicator, and we recapped it again briefly in standup on Wednesday. You can also look at the changes #2883 is making to basicTranscript.js and basicSendBox.js. Suggest Actions are stying in the Send Box for the time being.

[corinagum]

@compulim need to add mention of these in the summary