Create and edit topics in your Power Virtual Agents bot

In Power Virtual Agents, a topic defines a how a bot conversation plays out.

To author topics, you can customize provided templates, create topics from scratch, or get suggestions from existing help sites.

In Power Virtual Agents, a topic represents some portion of a conversational thread between a user and a chatbot. You define and work with topics on an authoring canvas. A topic contains one or more conversation nodes, which together define the conversational paths that that topic can take. Each node performs an action, such as sending a message or asking a question.

Often, a topic also has a set of trigger phrases—phrases, keywords, and questions that a customer is likely to use that are related to a specific issue. The Power Virtual Agents AI uses natural language understanding, your customer's message, and the trigger phrases for all your topics to find the most appropriate topic to trigger. The message doesn't need to exactly match a topic's trigger phrases to trigger the topic. For example, a topic about store hours might include the trigger phrase check store hours. If a customer sends, "see store opening hours," Power Virtual Agents can still trigger your store hours topic.

Natural language understanding

The AI uses natural language understanding (NLU) to parse what a customer typed and find the most appropriate trigger phrase or node.

For example, a user might type "Open hours" into your bot. The AI matches that to the Store hours topic, begins a conversation that asks which store the customer is interested in, and then displays the hours the store is open.

The Test bot pane shows how the bot conversation plays out at every step. You can use the Test bot pane to fine-tune a topic without having to exit the Power Virtual Agents portal.

For bot and topic limits, see Quotas, limits, and configuration values.

Prerequisites

• Learn more about what you can do with Power Virtual Agents.

Web app

Topic types

A bot can include two types of topics, system and custom. Every new bot starts with a set of system and custom topics.

• System topics are ones that support essential behaviors, such as a custom request to speak to a person or end the conversation. Some system topics have trigger phrases, which you can customize to fit your bot's needs.

  • You can't create system topics.
  • You can't delete system topics, but you can disable them.
  • You can make changes to system topics. However, until you're comfortable creating end-to-end bot conversations, you shouldn't edit the system topics.

  For more information, see Use system topics.

• Custom topics cover common behaviors, such as greeting a customer, ending a conversation, or starting a conversation over.

  • You can make changes to the custom topics that your bot starts with or remove them from your bot entirely.
  • All topics that you create are custom topics.

Create a topic

1. Open your bot and select Topics. On the Topics page, select + New topic.

   

2. The Trigger phrases pane should already be open. If not, select the Trigger phrases node to open it.

   

3. Under Add phrases, type a trigger phrase for your topic.

   Your bot needs 5 to 10 trigger phrases to train the AI to understand your customers' responses. To add more trigger phrases, you can either:

   • Select the + button.
   • Paste a set of trigger phrases, each one on a separate line.
   • Type a set of trigger phrases, pressing Shift+Enter after each one to place it on a separate line.

   You can include punctuation in a trigger phrase, but it's best to use short phrases rather than long sentences.

4. Select Details to open the topic details pane.

   

5. Enter a Name for your topic and, optionally, a Description.

   • Use the name to identify the topic. The Topics page lists all the topics defined in your bot, by name. A customer might see the topic name if the bot can't determine which topic matches the customer's message.

   • The Description is never shown to users. Use it to describe the purpose of the topic for yourself and other bot makers on your team.

6. Select Save to save your changes and add the topic to the topics list.

Design a topic conversation path

When you create a topic, a Trigger phrases node is inserted for you. Add more nodes to control the conversation.

1. Open your bot and select Topics, and then select a topic.

2. To add a node, select Add node (+) on the line or branch between or after a node.

   

3. Select a node type to insert the node.

The following table lists the types of nodes you can insert in a topic:

Option	Description
Send a message	Send the customer a message.
Add a condition	Branch your conversation based on a condition.
Set a variable value	Set a value for a new or existing variable.
Topic management	Redirect, transfer, or end the topic or conversation.
Call an action	Call a Power Automate flow.

Add a question node

The Question node allows you to prompt a user for information and store their response in a variable for use later on in the conversation.

The node allows you to choose the type of information to collect, such as a multiple-choice answer, a prebuilt entity, or a custom entity. Question behavior properties allow you to control the behavior of the node, such as what to do when the user enters an invalid response.

Just like Message nodes, Question nodes can include images, videos, cards, quick replies, and message variations. For more information, see Send a message.

1. Select Add node (+), and then select Ask a question.

   

2. In the Enter a message box, type the question you want to ask.

3. Select the box under Identify, then either create or select an entity to determine what the bot should listen for in the user's response. Learn how to use entities in a conversation.

4. Depending which Identify option you selected, you may have more properties you need to set.

   For example, for Multiple choice options, you need to enter the choices the user can specify in Options for user. Each choice is presented as a multiple-choice button, but users can also type their answers.

5. Select the box under Save response as and change the name of the default variable to something meaningful, like customerName or bookingDate.

   To choose a different variable, select >, and then select a variable.

   

Configure question behavior

Question behavior properties allow you to control other aspects of the Question node, such as how the bot responds to an invalid response or how it validates user input.

1. On the Question node, select the Node Menu (⋮), and then select Properties.

2. In the Question properties pane, select Question behavior.

   

   The Question behavior pane opens.

   

Skip behavior

Skip behavior determines what the bot should do if the question node's variable already has a value from earlier in the conversation.

• Allow question to be skipped: Skip the question if the variable has a value.
• Ask every time: Ask the question even if the variable has a value.

Reprompt

Reprompt determines how your bot will react if it doesn't get a valid answer from the user. You can tell it to try again once, twice, or move on without getting an answer. To customize what your bot does when it moves on, see No valid entity found. You can also change the prompt to give the user more context.

• How many reprompts: The number of times your bot tries to get a valid answer. Repeat up to 2 times is the default. You can also select Repeat once or Don't repeat.

• Retry prompt: To change the message, select Customize, and then enter the new prompt.

Additional entity validation

By default, the Question node checks for a valid response based only on the entity you selected. Additional entity validation allows you to add criteria to the basic test. For example, the Question node accepts any numeric value when it identifies a number, but you might want to make sure it's less than 10. You can also change the prompt to help the user enter a valid response.

• Condition: Enter a Power Fx formula that returns a boolean value (true or false); for example, Topic.Var1 < 10

• Condition not met prompt: To change the message, select Customize, and then enter the new prompt.

No valid entity found

No valid entity found determines what happens when your bot stops trying to get a valid response from the user. You can escalate to a human agent or provide a default value for now. You can also change the prompt to let the user know.

• Action if no entity found:

  • Escalate: Redirect the user to the Escalate system topic. This is the default.
  • Set variable to value: Set the output variable to a value and move on to the next node. Enter or select the value in Default entity value.
  • Set variable to empty (no value): Set the output variable to Blank and move on to the next node. You can use a Condition node later to check whether the variable has a value.

• No entity found message: To change the message, select Customize, and then enter the new prompt.

Interruptions

Interruptions determines whether the user can switch to a different topic during the question.

• Allow switching to another topic: The user can abandon the question for a new topic.

Delete a node

Select the node's Node Menu (⋮), and then select Delete.

Controls for editing nodes on the canvas

You can use the authoring canvas toolbar to quickly rename the topic. Select the topic name in the toolbar, type the new name, and then press Enter.

You can use controls on the toolbar to cut, copy, paste, and delete the selected node or selected adjacent nodes.

The toolbar also has a control for undo. Open the Undo menu to revert all actions back to the last save or to redo the previous action.

Paste nodes

Once you've used the Cut or Copy tools to place one or more nodes on the clipboard, there are a couple of ways to paste them in the canvas:

• If you select a node and then select Paste, the nodes on the clipboard are inserted after the selected node.

• If you select the Add node (+) menu and then select Paste, the nodes on the clipboard are inserted at that point.

Edit topics with the code editor

The code editor shows the topic in YAML, a markup language that's easy to read and understand. Use the code editor to copy and paste topics from other bots, even ones created by other authors.

Important

Designing a topic entirely in the code editor and pasting complex topics isn't fully supported.

In this example, you'll copy and paste YAML into the code editor to quickly add a topic that asks the customer for shipping information.

1. On the Topics page, select + New topic.

2. In the upper-right corner of the authoring canvas, select More options (…), and then select Open code editor.

   

3. Select and delete the contents of the code editor. Then copy and paste the following YAML code:

   kind: AdaptiveDialog
   beginDialog:
     kind: OnRecognizedIntent
     id: main
     intent:
       displayName: Lesson 3 - A topic with a condition, variables and a prebuilt entity
       triggerQueries:
         - Buy items
         - Buy online
         - Buy product
         - Purchase item
         - Order product
   
     actions:
       - kind: SendMessage
         id: Sjghab
         message: I am happy to help you place your order.
   
       - kind: Question
         id: eRH3BJ
         alwaysPrompt: false
         variable: init:Topic.State
         prompt: To what state will you be shipping?
         entity: StatePrebuiltEntity
   
       - kind: ConditionGroup
         id: sEzulE
         conditions:
           - id: pbR5LO
             condition: =Topic.State = "California" || Topic.State = "Washington" || Topic.State     = "Oregon"
   
         elseActions:
           - kind: SendMessage
             id: X7BFUC
             message: There will be an additional shipping charge of $27.50.
   
           - kind: Question
             id: 6lyBi8
             alwaysPrompt: false
             variable: init:Topic.ShippingRateAccepted
             prompt: Is that acceptable?
             entity: BooleanPrebuiltEntity
   
           - kind: ConditionGroup
             id: 9BR57P
             conditions:
               - id: BW47C4
                 condition: =Topic.ShippingRateAccepted = true
   
             elseActions:
               - kind: SendMessage
                 id: LMwySU
                 message: Thank you and please come again.
   

4. Select Save, and then select Close code editor.

   

Test and publish your bot

Test your bot when you make changes to your topics, to make sure that everything is working as expected.

After you've designed and tested your bot, publish it to the web, mobile or native apps, or Microsoft Bot Framework channels.

Classic

Use system and sample topics

When you create a bot, several topics are created for you.

These automatically created topics fall into two categories:

• Lesson topics help you understand simple to complex ways to use nodes to create bot conversations.

  You can edit lesson topics or delete them entirely.

• System topics are topics you're likely to need during a bot conversation.

  You can't delete or disable system topics or edit their trigger phrases. However, you can customize the nodes on the authoring canvas. We recommend that you don't customize these topics until you're comfortable creating an end-to-end bot conversation.

Create a topic

1. In the navigation menu, select Topics.

   

2. Select New topic.

3. The Trigger phrases pane should open. If it doesn't open, select Trigger phrases.

   

4. Specify one or more trigger phrases for the topic in the Trigger phrases pane.

   

   You can specify more than one trigger phrase for a topic. You can include punctuation in a trigger phrase, but it's best to use short phrases rather than long sentences.

5. Select Details to open the topic details pane.

   

6. Enter a Name for your topic and, optionally, a Display name and Description.

   The bot uses the Display name when it needs to know which topic the person is asking about.

   The Description is never shown to users. Use it to describe the purpose of the topic to yourself and other bot makers.

   

   You can also rename the topic by selecting its name and entering a new value.

   

7. Select Save to add the topic to the topics list.

Design the topic's conversation path

1. In the topic list, select the topic you want to edit.

   Power Virtual Agents opens the topic in the authoring canvas and displays the topic's trigger phrases. The authoring canvas is where you define the conversation path between a customer and the bot.

   For existing or system topics, several nodes are created automatically. You can edit these nodes just as you would edit other nodes.

   When you create a new topic, a Trigger phrases node and a blank Message node are inserted for you.

2. To add a node, select Add node (+) on the line or branch between or after nodes.

   

3. To move or change the paths between a node, drag the node anchor. It looks like a small circle on top of the node. When you drag the node anchor, you'll see a dotted line indicating the original path. You can also double-click the anchor and then select the new place for the anchor (you won't see a dotted line).

   

Insert nodes

You have several options when you add a node. Each option has a specific node or nodes that will be inserted in the conversation path.

When you add a node after the Trigger Phrases node or between Message nodes, you can:

• Ask a question
• Call an action
• Show a message
• Go to another topic

After the last node, you can also:

• End the conversation

Additionally, you can Add a condition when you insert a node after a Question node.

Ask a question

1. To have the bot ask a question and get a response from the user, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then select Ask a question to add a new Question node.

   

2. Enter the question phrase in Ask a question.

3. In the Identify list, select an option for the user's response.

   The options determine what the bot should listen for when the user responds. For more information, see Use entities in a conversation.

4. Depending on what you selected in Identify, enter the options the user should have.

   For example, if you selected Multiple choice options, enter the choices the user can specify in Options for user. Each choice is presented to the user as a multiple choice button, but users can also type their answer.

   The conversation editor creates separate paths in the conversation depending on the customer's response. The conversation path leads the customer to the appropriate resolution for each response. You can add nodes to create branching logic, and specify what the bot should respond with for each variable.

5. (Optional) Save the user response in a variable to be used later.

Tip

Define synonyms for each option to help the bot determine the correct one if it isn't clear what the user's response should map to.

1. Select the menu icon at the top of the Question node, and then select Options for user.

   

2. Select the Synonyms icon for the option you want to add additional keywords to.

   

3. Add the keywords individually. When you've entered all the synonyms you want, select Done.

Call an action

To call Power Automate Flows and insert authentication nodes, select Call an action.

If you've enabled voice-based capabilities for your bot, you'll see more actions.

Show a message

1. To specify a response from the bot, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then select Show a message to add a new Message node.

2. Enter what you want the bot to say in the text box.

   You can apply some basic formatting, such as bold, italics, and numbering. You can also use variables that you defined elsewhere in your bot conversation.

Redirect to another topic

1. To have the bot move to a different topic, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then select Redirect to another topic.

2. Select the topic that the bot should divert to. For example, you might send the user to a topic about the closure of a store if they ask about the store's hours.

   

You can consider the redirected topic as a "subtopic".

In the authoring canvas for the original topic, you can insert additional nodes under the subtopic's node.

When the path for the subtopic is finished, the bot will return to the original topic. The bot will then follow the nodes that are under the subtopic's node.

If you redirect to any of the following system topics, however, the entire conversation will end:

• End of Conversation
• Confirmed Success
• Confirmed Failure
• Goodbye
• Escalate
• Start over (also resets any global variables)

End the conversation

When the conversation ends, you can have a survey ask users if their question or issue was answered or resolved. The response is collected on the customer satisfaction analytics page.

You can also have the conversation handed over to a live agent if you're using a suitable customer service portal, such as Omnichannel for Customer Service.

1. At the end of a response that resolves the user's issue or answers the question, select End the conversation.

   

   • To end with a customer satisfaction survey, select End with survey.

   • To insert a hand-off node that will link with your configured hand-off product, select Transfer To Agent.

     (Optional) Enter a private message to the agent.

     

Add a condition

1. To add branching logic based on variables, select Add node (+) to add a node, select Add a condition, and then select Branch based on a condition.

2. Select the variable that will determine whether the bot conversation should branch at this point.

   For example, if you've set up user authentication, you might specify a different message if the user is signed in (which may have happened earlier in the conversation).

Delete nodes

Select the menu icon at the top of the node's title, and then select Delete.

Test and publish your bot

Test your bot when you make changes to your topics, to make sure that everything is working as expected.

After you've designed and tested your bot, publish it to the web, mobile or native apps, or Microsoft Bot Framework channels.

Teams

Design the topic's conversation path

1. In the topic list, select the topic you want to edit.

   

2. Power Virtual Agents opens the topic in the authoring canvas and displays the topic's trigger phrases. The authoring canvas is where you define the conversation path between a customer and the bot.

3. For existing or system topics, a number of nodes will automatically be created. You can edit these nodes just as you can for other nodes.

4. When you create a new topic, a Trigger phrases node and a blank Message node are inserted for you.

5. You can add additional nodes by selecting Add node (+) on the line or branch between or after a node.

   

6. To move or change the paths between a node, drag the node anchor. It looks like a small circle on top of the node. When you drag the node anchor, you'll see a dotted line indicating the original path. You can also double-click the anchor and then select the new place for the anchor (you won't see a dotted line).

   

Insert nodes

When adding a node, you can choose from five options. Each option has a specific node or nodes that will be inserted into the conversation path.

You can:

• Ask a question
• Add a condition
• Call an action
• Show a message
• End with survey

If the node you are adding is the last in a topic, you can also add a Go to another topic node.

Ask a question

1. To have the bot ask a question and get a response from the user, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then Ask a question to add a new Question node.

   

2. Enter the question phrase in the first text box, Ask a question.

3. Choose from several options for the user's response in the Identify field.

   These options determine what the bot should be listening for in the user's response. For example, they could be multiple choice options, a number, or a specific string. To understand more about the different options, see Use entities in a conversation.

4. Depending on what you choose in the Identify field, you can enter what options the user should have.

   For example, if you select Multiple choice options, you can then enter the options the user can specify in the Options for user field. Each option is presented as a multiple choice button to the user, but users can also type in their answer in the bot.

   The conversation editor creates separate paths in the conversation, depending on the customer's response. The conversation path leads the customer to the appropriate path for each user response. You can add additional nodes to create branching logic, and specify what the bot should respond with for each variable.

5. You can save the user response in a variable to be used later.

Tip

You can define synonyms for each option. This can help the bot to determine the correct option in case it isn't clear what the user's response should be mapped to.

1. Select the menu icon on the top of the Question node, and then select Options for user.

   

2. Select the Synonyms icon for the option you want to add additional keywords to.

   

3. Add the keywords individually, and then once you're done, select Done to return to the Authoring canvas.

Add a condition

1. To add branching logic based on variables, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then Add a condition.

2. Choose the variable you want to use to determine if the bot conversation should branch at this point.

   

Call an action

You can call Power Automate Flows by selecting Call an action.

Show a message

1. To specify a response from the bot, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then Show a message to add a new Message node.

2. Enter what you want the bot to say in the text box. You can apply some basic formatting, such as bold, italics, and numbering.

   You can also use variables that you have defined elsewhere in your bot conversation.

End with survey

When you end the conversation, you can have a survey appear that asks the user if their question or issue was answered or resolved correctly. This information is collected under the customer satisfaction analytics page.

1. At the end of a response that resolves the user's issue or answers the question, select End with survey.

   

Redirect to another topic

1. To automatically have the bot move to a separate topic, select Add node (+) to add a node, and then Redirect to another topic.

2. In the flyout menu, select the topic the bot should divert to. For example, you might want to send the user to a specific topic about the closure of a store if they ask about store hours for that store.

   

When the bot goes to another topic, the bot will go through the conversation path for that topic and then return to the original topic, at the place where it left.

You can consider the redirected topic as a "subtopic".

If you redirect to any of the following system topics, however, the entire conversation will end:

• End of Conversation
• Confirmed Success
• Confirmed Failure
• Goodbye
• Escalate
• Start over (this will also reset any global variables)

Use variables

You can also use variables that you have defined elsewhere in your bot conversation.

Delete nodes

1. Select the menu icon on the top of the node's title.

2. Select Delete.

   

Test and publish your bot

Test your bot when you make changes to your topics, to ensure everything is working as expected.

Once you've finished designing and testing your bot, you can consider publishing it so other team members can use it.