User Id same as Conversation Id

Hello,

Last week (2017/03/03) I created a NodeJS bot in Azure using “Basic” template and configure DirectLine channel.

I added this code in bot:

bot.on('lookupUser', function (address) {
    if (address) {
        var message = new builder.Message().address(address).text(JSON.stringify(address));
        bot.send(message, function (err) {});
    }
});

…to get a first message from bot including the deserialized address object with user and conversation ids. The client code to embed WebChat control in index.html is:

BotChat.App({
  directLine: { secret: 'DIRECTLINE_SECRET_FROM_BOT_FRAMEWORK' },
  user: { id: 'TOKEN_ID', name: 'User' }
}, document.getElementById("bot"));

Then, I got ‘TOKEN_ID’ in the bot message. That code works until 2017/03/03!

So, today (2017/03/06) I am receiving as user id the same value as conversation id. I tried creating a new bot and new secrets, but no way to get user id from BotChat.App again.

¿Something wrong in my code? ¿Something changed in DirecLine?

Thank you.

[billba]

By the way, you shouldn’t have to wait for the connectionStatus to change to Online. postActivity does this internally. (Please let me know if it doesn’t). Also you don’t need to send from: { id: conversationId }, you can send the actual user id you want. UPDATE: I just tried this and indeed postActivity waits for connectionStatus to change to Online and then posts.

[inmarktech]

Thanks @billba and @dandriscoll for your feedback. I resolved what I need (send data to bot before start the conversation) using this code in client:

var params = BotChat.queryParams(location.search);
var my_token = params['my_token'];

var botConnection = new BotChat.DirectLine({
	secret: 'DIRECTLINE_SECRET'
});

BotChat.App({
	botConnection: botConnection
	,user: { id: 'USER_ID', name: 'User' }  // user.id auto updates after first user message
}, document.getElementById("bot"));

botConnection.connectionStatus$.subscribe(function (status) {
	if (status == 2) {  // wait for connection is 'OnLine' to send data to bot
		var convID = botConnection.conversationId;
		botConnection.postActivity({
			from: { id: convID }  // because first time user ID == conversation ID
			,type: 'event'
			,name: 'registerUserData'    // event name as we need
			,value: my_token   // data attached to event
		}).subscribe(function (activityId) {
			// This subscription is a MUST
			// If I remove this handler the postActivity not reaches the bot
		});
	}
});

Then, in bot code I added this middleware code to get data:

bot.use({ receive: function(event, next) {
    if (!!event && !!event.address && event.name == 'registerUserData') {
        var message = new builder.Message().address(event.address).text('my_token:' + event.value);
        bot.send(message, function (err) {});  // simulate proactive message to user
    }
    next();
} });