Step 5: Specify alternatives and options

The phrase used to invoke a voice command is called a pattern. At present, our command is invoked by one phrase: I want a pepperoni. However, the users can give a voice command in different ways. For example:

• I will take a pepperoni

• Add a pepperoni

• Add a pepperoni, please

• Or just Pepperoni

To be sure the voice command is invoked by any of these phrases, we can add alternatives and options to the command pattern.

• To define alternatives, enclose all possible variants in brackets and use the | delimiter.

• To define optional parts of the user command, enclose these parts in brackets and add | at the end of them.

Dialog script

intent('(I want|I will take|Add|) (a|) pepperoni, (please|)', p => {
    p.play('Adding pepperoni for you');
});

Now all the above phrases will work.

You can also specify a list of phrases with which your AI assistant will reply: add all variants to the p.play function and separate them with a comma. When this command is invoked, Alan AI will pick one phrase at random and play it to the user.

Dialog script

intent('(I want|I will take|Add|) (a|) pepperoni, (please|)', p => {
    p.play('Adding pepperoni for you', 'Sure', 'Here you go');
});