Variables#

Contact variables hold one person's data: city, the bouquet chosen, the order total. Global variables are shared by the whole bot: the shop address, an exchange rate, an order counter. Where they are shown and how to insert them into a message is described in Data you can insert.

What the functions write is saved once the code has finished without an error. Inside the code, reading already sees what was written.

getContactVariable#

getContactVariable(name)

Returns the value of a contact variable.

Returns the value as a string, or undefined if the contact has no such variable. Wrap the value in Number() for calculations.

var count = Number(getContactVariable('roses_count') || 0);

if (count >= 11) {
    setContactVariable('discount', 10);
}

If the variable was written by this same code, the function returns the value in the form it was written: a number stays a number.

setContactVariable#

setContactVariable(name, value)

Writes a contact variable. If the variable does not exist, it is created.

Returns nothing.

An object, an array, null and undefined are not saved as they are — the variable gets an empty value. To save an object or an array, turn it into a string, and parse it back when reading:

setContactVariable('cart', JSON.stringify(['Roses', 'Tulips']));

var cart = JSON.parse(getContactVariable('cart') || '[]');

Booleans are better stored as strings, such as 'yes' and 'no': true and false come back as the strings '1' and '' the next time another block reads them.

deleteContactVariable#

deleteContactVariable(name)

Deletes a contact variable.

Returns nothing. After deletion, getContactVariable with this name returns undefined.

deleteContactVariable('promo_code');

getGlobalVariable#

getGlobalVariable(name)

Returns the value of a global variable of the bot.

Returns the value as a string, or undefined if there is no such variable.

var freeDelivery = Number(getGlobalVariable('free_delivery_from') || 0);
var sum = Number(getContactVariable('order_total') || 0);

if (sum >= freeDelivery) {
    sendMessage('Delivery is free for you.');
}

setGlobalVariable#

setGlobalVariable(name, value)

Writes a global variable of the bot. If the variable does not exist, it is created. The value is immediately visible to all of the bot's contacts.

Returns nothing.

var orders = Number(getGlobalVariable('orders_today') || 0);
setGlobalVariable('orders_today', orders + 1);

Warning

If code with such a write runs for several contacts at the same time, each one reads the same old value, and some of the increments are lost. Such a counter is not suitable for exact counting.

deleteGlobalVariable#

deleteGlobalVariable(name)

Deletes a global variable of the bot.

Returns nothing.

deleteGlobalVariable('deal_of_the_day');