Sending data to the dialog script (Flutter)¶

In some cases, you need to pass data from the app to the dialog script to use it further in the dialog.

In this tutorial, we will let users hear the current count when the action button is tapped. To do this, we will use Alan AI’s project API. The project API functionality allows sending any information from the app to the dialog script and triggering activities without a voice command. To use it, we need to do the following:

Define a new project API method in the dialog script
Call this method from the app

YouTube

If you are a visual learner, watch this tutorial on Alan AI YouTube Channel.

What you will learn¶

How to send arbitrary data from the dialog script to the app
How to trigger activities without a voice command

What you will need¶

To go through this tutorial, make sure the following prerequisites are met:

You have completed the following tutorial: Building a voice assistant for a Flutter app.
You have set up the Flutter environment and it is functioning properly. For details, see Flutter documentation.
The device on which you are planning to test drive the Flutter app is connected to the Internet. The Internet connection is required to let the Flutter app communicate with the dialog script run in the Alan AI Cloud.

Step 1. Add a project API method to the dialog script¶

First, we will define a project API method in the dialog script. Our method will play the current count value obtained from the app to the user.

In the code editor in Alan AI Studio, add the following code:

Dialog script¶

projectAPI.getCount = function(p, param, callback) {
    p.play(`The current count is ${param.count}, keep going`);
    callback();
};

Step 2. Call the project API method from the app¶

Now, we need to call the defined method from the app.

To _MyHomePageState in the app, add the sendData() function. This function will check the Alan AI button state with the isActive() client API method and activate it programmatically, if needed, with the activate() client API method. Then it will call the getCount() method we have defined in the dialog script.
main.dart¶
```
class _MyHomePageState extends State<MyHomePage> {
  void sendData() async {
    var isActive = await AlanVoice.isActive();
    if (!isActive) {
      AlanVoice.activate();
    }
    var params = jsonEncode({"count":_counter});
    AlanVoice.callProjectApi("script::getCount", params);
  }
}
```
To use jsonEncode, import the dart:convert library.

Update the code for the action button to call the sendData() function:

main.dart¶

class _MyHomePageState extends State<MyHomePage> {
  floatingActionButton: FloatingActionButton(
    onPressed: () {
      _incrementCounter();
      sendData();
    },
    tooltip: 'Increment',
    child: Icon(Icons.add),
  ),
}

You can test it: tap the action button in the app. Alan AI will accompany each tap with the count phrase playback.