10.0: Replace snippets with a fully customizable draft generator using interactions

[jstanden]

Introduction

Let's assume your team composes and replies to clients daily using a couple different snippet templates. That works great if all you need to do is paste some text into the current message.

However, you may find yourself also wanting to associate other presets with each template, like: group/bucket, status, waiting until time, custom fields, formatting, attachments, and so on.

With Cerb 10, you can use interactions to generate a draft and instantly resume it. That gives you full control over every aspect of the draft.

In this guide we'll create an interaction shortcut on a workspace that generates a draft with presets.

Import the example package

Navigate to Setup -> Packages -> Import.

Paste the following package:

{
  "package": {
    "name": "Draft generator automation example",
    "requires": {
      "cerb_version": "10.0.0"
    }
  },
  "records": [
    {
      "uid": "automation_draft_gen",
      "_context": "automation",
      "name": "wgm.example.draft.generator",
      "description": "An example of generating a draft with presets",
      "extension_id": "cerb.trigger.interaction.worker",
      "script": "start:\n  await/type:\n    form:\n      title: Compose\n      elements:\n        sheet/prompt_type:\n          label: What type of message would you like to send?\n          required@bool: yes\n          default: exampleWelcome\n          data:\n            0:\n              key: exampleWelcome\n              name: Example welcome letter \n              description: Send a welcome letter to a new trial user.\n            1:\n              key: exampleFollowup\n              name: Example call follow-up\n              description: After a sales call, send a summary with next steps.\n          schema:\n            layout:\n              headings@bool: no\n              filtering@bool: no\n              paging@bool: no\n              title_column: name\n            columns:\n              selection/key:\n                params:\n                  mode: single\n              text/name:\n              text/description:\n  \n  decision:\n    outcome/exampleWelcome:\n      if@bool: {{prompt_type == 'exampleWelcome'}}\n      then:\n        record.create:\n          output: draft_record\n          inputs:\n            record_type: draft\n            fields:\n              type: mail.compose\n              worker_id: {{worker_id}}\n              params:\n                subject: Welcome to the product!\n                owner_id: {{worker_id}}\n                status_id: 1\n                ticket_reopen: tomorrow 8am\n                content@text:\n                  Welcome to the product!\n                  \n                  Have you seen these time-saving tips?\n                  https://product.example/link/\n                  \n                  #signature\n                  \n    outcome/exampleFollowup:\n      if@bool: {{prompt_type == 'exampleFollowup'}}\n      then:\n        record.create:\n          output: draft_record\n          inputs:\n            record_type: draft\n            fields:\n              type: mail.compose\n              worker_id: {{worker_id}}\n              params:\n                subject: Follow-up to our call\n                format: markdown\n                owner_id: {{worker_id}}\n                status_id: 1\n                ticket_reopen: 1 week 8am\n                content@text:\n                  Thanks for the great call!\n                  \n                  To summarize, we discussed:\n                  \n                  * \n                  \n                  #signature\n                  \n  # See: https://cerb.ai/docs/automations/triggers/interaction.worker/#awaitdraft\n  await/draft:\n    draft:\n      output: draft_result\n      uri: cerb:draft:{{draft_record.id}}\n\n  # If sent or saved, show the record link\n  outcome/sent:\n    if@bool: {{draft_result.status in ['compose.sent','compose.draft']}}\n    then:\n      await:\n        form:\n          elements:\n            sheet:\n              label@text:\n                {{\n                  draft_result.status == 'compose.sent'\n                  ? 'Message sent:'\n                  : 'Draft saved:'\n                }}              \n              data:\n                0@json: {{draft_result.record|json_encode}}\n              schema:\n                layout:\n                  filtering@bool: no\n                  headings@bool: no\n                  paging@bool: no\n                  title_column: id\n                columns:\n                  card/id:",
      "policy_kata": "commands:\n  record.create:\n    deny/type@bool: {{inputs.record_type is not record type ('draft')}}\n    allow@bool: yes"
    }
  ]
}

Click the Import button.

Add the interaction to your workspace

If you have an existing dashboard you'd like to use, you can navigate there and skip the next step.

Create a new workspace and dashboard

Navigate to Search -> Workspace Pages -> (+).

Select Empty Workspace from the library.

Set the owner to yourself for a private workspace, or Cerb for a shared one (or a role/group).

Name the workspace Compose.

Click the Create button.

Filter the pages worklist with:

sort:-updated

Click on the new Compose page to open it.

Click on the Add button to create a new tab.

Select Dashboard from the library.

Name the new tab Templates.

Click the Create button.

Import the widget

Click the Add Widget button.

Select the Import tab.

Paste the following widget:

{
    "widget": {
        "uid": "workspace_widget_draft_generator",
        "_context": "cerberusweb.contexts.workspace.widget",
        "label": "Draft Generator",
        "extension_id": "core.workspace.widget.form_interaction",
        "pos": 1,
        "width_units": 4,
        "zone": "content",
        "params": {
            "interactions_kata": "interaction/compose:\r\n  label: Compose\r\n  uri: cerb:automation:wgm.example.draft.generator\r\n  icon: send\r\n  #hidden@bool: no\r\n  after:\r\n    refresh_widgets@list: Draft Generator"
        }
    }
}

Click the Save Changes button.

Using the interaction

Click the Compose button to start the interaction.

Select the type of message to send:

The compose editor will open with several presets:

• Subject
• Owner
• Status
• Reopen at
• Content

This could also include any other draft field.

From there you can finish the draft and send it.

As an interaction, you can also prompt for worker input before the draft is created and after the message is sent. You can provide inputs based on the current record being viewed.

For instance, if the compose button is on a card or profile (email, contact, org) you can also default the 'To:' and 'Org:' fields, and start the message with "Hello {{first_name}}".

How it works

Navigate to Search -> Automations.

Edit the wgm.example.draft.generator automation.

start:
  await/type:
    form:
      title: Compose
      elements:
        sheet/prompt_type:
          label: What type of message would you like to send?
          required@bool: yes
          default: exampleWelcome
          data:
            0:
              key: exampleWelcome
              name: Example welcome letter 
              description: Send a welcome letter to a new trial user.
            1:
              key: exampleFollowup
              name: Example call follow-up
              description: After a sales call, send a summary with next steps.
          schema:
            layout:
              headings@bool: no
              filtering@bool: no
              paging@bool: no
              title_column: name
            columns:
              selection/key:
                params:
                  mode: single
              text/name:
              text/description:
  
  decision:
    outcome/exampleWelcome:
      if@bool: {{prompt_type == 'exampleWelcome'}}
      then:
        record.create:
          output: draft_record
          inputs:
            record_type: draft
            fields:
              type: mail.compose
              worker_id: {{worker_id}}
              params:
                subject: Welcome to the product!
                owner_id: {{worker_id}}
                status_id: 1
                ticket_reopen: tomorrow 8am
                content@text:
                  Welcome to the product!
                  
                  Have you seen these time-saving tips?
                  https://product.example/link/
                  
                  #signature
                  
    outcome/exampleFollowup:
      if@bool: {{prompt_type == 'exampleFollowup'}}
      then:
        record.create:
          output: draft_record
          inputs:
            record_type: draft
            fields:
              type: mail.compose
              worker_id: {{worker_id}}
              params:
                subject: Follow-up to our call
                format: markdown
                owner_id: {{worker_id}}
                status_id: 1
                ticket_reopen: 1 week 8am
                content@text:
                  Thanks for the great call!
                  
                  To summarize, we discussed:
                  
                  * 
                  
                  #signature
                  
  # See: https://cerb.ai/docs/automations/triggers/interaction.worker/#awaitdraft
  await/draft:
    draft:
      output: draft_result
      uri: cerb:draft:{{draft_record.id}}

  # If sent or saved, show the record link
  outcome/sent:
    if@bool: {{draft_result.status in ['compose.sent','compose.draft']}}
    then:
      await:
        form:
          elements:
            sheet:
              label@text:
                {{
                  draft_result.status == 'compose.sent'
                  ? 'Message sent:'
                  : 'Draft saved:'
                }}              
              data:
                0@json: {{draft_result.record|json_encode}}
              schema:
                layout:
                  filtering@bool: no
                  headings@bool: no
                  paging@bool: no
                  title_column: id
                columns:
                  card/id:

First, the interaction prompts the worker to choose a message type ("welcome letter" or "call follow-up") in await/type. These are just examples that you can modify to meet your needs.

The choices are displayed as a sheet and the worker's selection is saved as the prompt_type placeholder.

After the worker makes a selection, the decision runs different logic depending on their choice. The outcome/exampleWelcome and outcome/exampleFollowup outcomes use record.create to create a draft record.

The draft is then resumed by the await/draft: state, which opens the compose editor and starts a continuation to wait for the response.

Finally, if the draft was sent (compose.sent) or saved (compose.draft), the corresponding message or draft record is displayed in another sheet with a link to its card.

Customizing the interaction

Add new message types (presets) to the data: property in sheet/prompt_type: near the top of the automation.

For each message type, add an outcome/: to the following decision:. Like the current examples, this should compare the prompt_type to the key of your message type. From there you can customize the default fields for a new draft of that type.

That should be it!

You can use the same approach for reply presets on ticket record profiles.