Today we are highlighting the Forms package for Convoworks. This powerful tool enables users to manage form entries within the Convoworks framework. The Forms package provides a way to design conversational workflows that manage form data. It's not tied to any specific form plugin, giving you the flexibility to adapt it to your specific needs. If you're interested in the deeper details, you can explore them in the GitHub repository.
What is the Forms Package?
At its heart, the Forms package is about bridging the gap between conversational workflows and the actual form plugin you use. It allows you to leverage voice and conversational design in your workflows, with components tailored specifically for these interactions.
Key to this is the IFormsContext interface. By implementing this interface, you can connect your form system, such as the WordPress Formidable Forms plugin, to Convoworks, making it possible to use these two powerful tools together.
Here's a simple example of how you might start your implementation:
class MyCustomFormsContext extends AbstractBasicComponent implements IFormsContext, IServiceContext
{
}
You can find more about developing custom packages on the Convoworks documentation.
Key Features of the Forms Package
The Forms package provides a series of workflow elements to handle different form-related tasks. These include CreateEntryElement to create a new form entry, UpdateEntryElement to update an existing entry, DeleteEntryElement to delete an entry, LoadEntryElement to load an existing entry, and SearchEntryElement to search entries by a given parameter.
These workflow elements have the context_id property, which links them to the context implementing the IFormsContext interface. This way, the real business logic is delegated to the concrete implementation while the elements focus on conversational workflow needs.
You might be wondering about real-world applications of the Forms package. One powerful use case is creating your own Alexa skill with WordPress and Formidable Forms. You can see how this works in our blog post here. Remember, while this example uses Alexa, the Forms package can also be used with web chat, Viber, Facebook Messenger, or even through the WordPress Hooks package in Convoworks.
In sum, the Forms package is a versatile tool that can add a new level of functionality to your Convoworks workflows. Whether you're creating form entries, updating them, or loading them for use in a workflow, the Forms package can handle it – all within the Convoworks GUI.
