About Using autobroadcast__create Action in Scenarios

Action autobroadcast__create allows creating scheduled message broadcasts in bot scenarios. This allows sending messages to users with delay or on schedule, for example, after a client performs a certain action or for regular broadcasts.

Context and Problem

In many scenarios, you need to send messages to users not immediately, but after a certain time or on schedule. For example:

Reminder to user to continue dialog after a few days
Regular news or update broadcasts
Deferred messages after performing certain actions

Action autobroadcast__create solves this task by allowing creating scheduled broadcasts directly in the bot scenario.

Key Concepts

What is autobroadcast

Autobroadcast is a scheduled message broadcast to a user, which can be:

One-time — sent once at the specified time
Recurring — sent regularly on schedule (daily, weekly, etc.)

Configuration Parameters

Action autobroadcast__create accepts the following parameters:

template_id or alias — one of them is required: broadcast template ID or alias name for transition
one_time — whether the broadcast is one-time (supports placeholders)
send_after — time in natural language format ("2 days", "1 week", etc.)
weekday, monthday, daytime — parameters for recurring broadcasts (used if send_after is not specified)

Natural Language Parsing

The send_after parameter supports natural language parsing, allowing specifying time in a convenient format:

"2 days" — in 2 days
"3d" — in 3 days
"after 1 week" — in 1 week
"1 month" — in 1 month
"5 hours" — in 5 hours
"7" — in 7 days (number is interpreted as number of days)

Approach Options

One-Time Broadcast vs Recurring

One-time broadcast (one_time: true):

✅ Pros: Simple setup, suitable for reminders and one-time messages
❌ Cons: Need to create new broadcast for each case

Recurring broadcast (one_time: false or without parameter):

✅ Pros: Automatic repetition, suitable for regular broadcasts
❌ Cons: Need to configure schedule, can accumulate many active broadcasts

Using template_id vs alias

Template ID:

Used for sending ready broadcast template
Suitable when you need to send a standard message

Alias:

Used for transitioning user to a specific alias in the scenario
Suitable when you need to launch part of the scenario from a specific point

Adopted Solutions

Required Choice Between template_id and alias

The system requires specifying either template_id or alias, but not both simultaneously. This ensures configuration clarity and avoids conflicts.

Placeholder Support

Parameters one_time, weekday, monthday, daytime support placeholders, allowing dynamically setting broadcast time based on user data or context.

Canceling Broadcasts

To cancel a scheduled broadcast, action autobroadcast__remove is used, which accepts template_id or alias to identify the broadcast.

Implications for Users and Implementation

For Integrators

When using autobroadcast__create in scenarios, it's important to:

Determine broadcast type — one-time or recurring
Choose between template_id and alias — depending on scenario needs
Configure send time — use natural language for convenience
Handle case of no free operators — add limit event to handle situations when broadcast cannot be executed

Common Errors

Error: Both parameters template_id and alias are specified simultaneously
Problem: System does not know what exactly to send
Solution: Use only one of the parameters

Error: No parameter specified (template_id or alias)
Problem: System does not know what to send
Solution: Must specify one of the parameters

Error: Using recurring broadcast without schedule configuration
Problem: Broadcast may not work correctly
Solution: Specify weekday/monthday/daytime or send_after with one_time: false

Limitations

One user can have a limited number of active autobroadcasts (depends on system settings)
Autobroadcast executes only for active users (who have not deleted the bot)
Send time is calculated based on server time

Usage Examples

Subscription to Regular Broadcast

{
  "alias": "daily_news",
  "weekday": "1",
  "daytime": "09:00",
  "one_time": false
}

This will create a broadcast that sends daily at 09:00.

User Reminder

{
  "alias": "reminder_continue",
  "send_after": "2 days",
  "one_time": true
}

Reminder to user to continue dialog in 2 days.

Using Broadcast Template

{
  "template_id": 42,
  "send_after": "1 week",
  "one_time": true
}

Will send broadcast template with ID 42 in one week, one-time.

How-to: Configure Automatic Broadcast — configuration through Broadcast module UI
How-to: Create Broadcast Template — creating templates for use with template_id