Trigger Intent - Cognigy Documentation

Trigger Intent

The Trigger Intent feature lets you manually activate a specific Intent in your Flow using the syntax cIntent: followed by the Intent name. This feature overrides the default Intent mapping process, giving you precise control over the Flow’s next steps based on user input, such as a message or button click. Use the Trigger Intent feature when you need to:

Skip NLU processing and direct the Flow to a specific Intent.
Ensure consistent navigation in response to button clicks or system actions.
Improve the user experience by minimizing errors from misinterpreted user input.

Key Benefits

Precise Flow Control. Ensures the correct Intent drives the Flow forward.
Postback Support. Triggers a specific Intent smoothly when a user clicks a button with a Postback value.

Prerequisites

Before using this feature, ensure the following:

You set up your Flow with specific Intents for the scenarios you want to trigger.
You have a Say, Question, or Optional Question Node in the Flow editor.

Restrictions

This feature bypasses full NLU processing, preventing default replies from triggering and automatically setting the Intent score to 1. Don’t use this feature for general NLU analysis.

How to Use

In the Flow editor, identify the Intent needed to continue your Flow. For example, Continue Booking.
In a Say, Question, or Optional Question Node, use the syntax cIntent:Continue Booking as a Postback value that supports Postbacks. Follow these syntax rules:
- No space should follow the colon, though spaces within the Intent name are allowed. For example, cIntent:Continue Booking.
- (Optional) Add a text for Slot parsing after a pipe symbol (|). For example, cIntent:continueBooking|book tomorrow.

How to Test

Test the feature in the Interaction Panel:

Open the Interaction Panel and enable Debug Mode.
Test your Flow with the cIntent:continueBooking Postback value. The system debug message shows:
```
Intent Match
Flow: Slots
Intent: Continue Booking
Intent score: 1
```
Test your Flow with the cIntent:continueBooking|book tomorrow to verify Slot extraction, for example, tomorrow. The system debug message shows:
```
System Slot Match
Start: February 26, 2025 (2025-02-26T00:00:00+01:00)
Text: tomorrow
Slot: DATE
```