Auto-Select 'Good' In WhatsApp Flow With Python

Introduction

Hey guys! Building interactive WhatsApp flows can be super engaging, and one cool component is the ChipsSelector. But what if you want to automatically select a default option, like 'Good,' when the flow starts? That's what we're diving into today. We'll explore how to achieve this using a Python backend with Flask, SQLAlchemy, and, of course, WhatsApp Flows JSON. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to configure your WhatsApp Flow JSON and Python backend to auto-select the “Good” option in a ChipsSelector, enhancing user experience and streamlining conversational flows. Let’s get started and make your WhatsApp flows even more intuitive!

Understanding the Challenge

So, you've got a ChipsSelector in your WhatsApp Flow JSON, presenting users with feedback options. Imagine you want the 'Good' option to be pre-selected, saving users a tap and guiding them towards a positive response. Sounds neat, right? But how do we make it happen? This involves tweaking both the JSON structure of your flow and the Python backend that drives it. The main challenge is to ensure that the ChipsSelector reflects the desired default selection when the user first encounters it. This often requires manipulating the state of the flow or pre-filling the selected value before the user interacts with the component. We'll look at how to modify the WhatsApp Flow JSON to potentially set a default value, and more importantly, how to use Python and Flask to dynamically control this behavior. By combining front-end configuration with back-end logic, we can create a seamless and user-friendly experience. The goal is to provide a smooth conversational flow where the most common or preferred option is already selected, making it easier for users to provide feedback or make choices.

Prerequisites

Before we jump into the code, let's make sure you've got your toolkit ready. You'll need:

• Python Environment: Make sure you have Python 3.6+ installed. I recommend using a virtual environment to keep your project dependencies nice and tidy.
• Flask: We'll use Flask to build our web application. If you haven't already, install it using pip install flask.
• SQLAlchemy: For database interactions, SQLAlchemy is our go-to. Install it with pip install sqlalchemy.
• WhatsApp Business API: You'll need access to the WhatsApp Business API to deploy your flow. Make sure you have the necessary credentials.
• Basic Understanding of JSON: We'll be working with JSON structures, so a basic understanding is essential.
• Familiarity with WhatsApp Flows: You should have a grasp of how WhatsApp Flows work and how to define them using JSON.

Having these prerequisites in place will ensure you can follow along smoothly and implement the solution effectively. If you're new to any of these technologies, there are tons of great resources online to get you up to speed. Don’t worry if you feel a bit overwhelmed; we’ll break down each step and provide clear examples. With these tools and knowledge, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle the challenge of auto-selecting options in your WhatsApp Flows.

Step 1: Examining Your Flow.json

First things first, let's crack open your Flow.json and see what's inside. Focus on the section that defines your ChipsSelector. It might look something like this:

{
  "type": "chips_selector",
  "id": "feedback_options",
  "title": "How was your experience?",
  "options": [
    {"key": "good", "label": "Good"},
    {"key": "ok", "label": "Okay"},
    {"key": "bad", "label": "Bad"}
  ]
}

Here, we've got a chips_selector with the id "feedback_options". It presents three options: 'Good', 'Okay', and 'Bad'. To auto-select 'Good', we ideally need a way to set a default_value or selected property. However, WhatsApp Flows JSON might not directly support this out-of-the-box. That's where our Python backend comes to the rescue. We need to understand this JSON structure thoroughly because it forms the foundation of our WhatsApp flow. The type field specifies the component type, id is a unique identifier, title is what the user sees, and options is an array of choices. Each option has a key (for backend processing) and a label (for display). The challenge lies in dynamically pre-selecting one of these options. While the JSON itself might not offer a direct way to do this, we can leverage our Python backend to manipulate the flow’s state or pre-fill the selection before rendering the ChipsSelector to the user. This step is crucial as it sets the stage for how we will implement the auto-selection feature.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Python Backend with Flask

Now, let's fire up our Python backend! We'll use Flask to create a simple web app that can serve and manipulate our Flow JSON. Here's a basic Flask app setup:

from flask import Flask, jsonify, request
from sqlalchemy import create_engine, Column, Integer, String
from sqlalchemy.orm import sessionmaker
from sqlalchemy.ext.declarative import declarative_base

app = Flask(__name__)

# Database setup (using SQLite for simplicity)
Base = declarative_base()
engine = create_engine('sqlite:///flow_state.db')
Base.metadata.create_all(engine)
Session = sessionmaker(bind=engine)

class FlowState(Base):
    __tablename__ = 'flow_state'
    id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
    user_id = Column(String)
    selected_option = Column(String, nullable=True)

@app.route('/flow', methods=['GET'])
def get_flow():
    # Load your Flow.json here
    flow_json = {
      "type": "chips_selector",
      "id": "feedback_options",
      "title": "How was your experience?",
      "options": [
        {"key": "good", "label": "Good"},
        {"key": "ok", "label": "Okay"},
        {"key": "bad", "label": "Bad"}
      ]
    }
    # Here's where we'll add logic to auto-select 'Good'
    return jsonify(flow_json)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app.run(debug=True)

This code sets up a Flask app with a route /flow that currently just returns your Flow JSON. We've also included SQLAlchemy setup for a simple database to store the flow state. This setup is fundamental because it provides the framework for dynamically serving and modifying the WhatsApp Flow. Flask handles the web requests, SQLAlchemy manages the database interactions, and the FlowState class allows us to store user-specific flow data. The /flow route is where the magic happens; it’s where we’ll inject the logic to auto-select the ‘Good’ option. By loading the Flow JSON and then manipulating it within this route, we can ensure that the ChipsSelector is pre-configured as desired. This backend foundation is crucial for creating a dynamic and responsive WhatsApp flow that can adapt to user interactions and preferences.

Step 3: Implementing the Auto-Select Logic

Now, let's add the crucial logic to auto-select 'Good'. We'll modify the /flow route to check if a user has a stored preference. If not, we'll set 'Good' as the default. To implement the auto-select logic, we need to modify the /flow route to interact with our database and conditionally set the default option. First, we’ll retrieve the user’s ID from the request. Then, we’ll query the FlowState table to see if there’s an existing entry for this user. If there isn’t, it means this is their first interaction, and we should set ‘Good’ as the default. If there is an existing entry, we’ll use the stored selected_option if available. This ensures that the user’s previous selections are remembered and applied. Here’s how we can modify the Flask route to achieve this:

@app.route('/flow', methods=['GET'])
def get_flow():
    flow_json = {
      "type": "chips_selector",
      "id": "feedback_options",
      "title": "How was your experience?",
      "options": [
        {"key": "good", "label": "Good"},
        {"key": "ok", "label": "Okay"},
        {"key": "bad", "label": "Bad"}
      ]
    }

    user_id = request.args.get('user_id')  # Get user_id from request
    session = Session()
    flow_state = session.query(FlowState).filter_by(user_id=user_id).first()

    if not flow_state:
        # No previous state, default to 'good'
        flow_state = FlowState(user_id=user_id, selected_option='good')
        session.add(flow_state)
        session.commit()
        selected_option = 'good'
    else:
        selected_option = flow_state.selected_option

    # Add a 'selected' key to the 'good' option if it's the selected option
    for option in flow_json['options']:
        if option['key'] == selected_option:
            option['selected'] = True
        elif 'selected' in option:
            del option['selected']  # Ensure only one option is selected

    session.close()
    return jsonify(flow_json)

In this enhanced code, we fetch the user_id from the request parameters, which is crucial for personalizing the flow for each user. We then use SQLAlchemy to query our database for any existing flow state for this user. If no state exists, we create a new entry with 'good' as the selected_option, effectively setting it as the default. If a state does exist, we retrieve the selected_option from the database. Finally, we iterate through the options in our Flow JSON and add a `