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Agent Initiated Message

Sending Messages to Users

Agents can send messages to users using the _messageThread.SendChat method. This method is designed to be used within a workflow context where an agent needs to communicate with a user.

Method Signatures

// For plain text communication
public static async Task<string?> SendChat(
    string content,           // The message content to send
    object? data = null   // Optional metadata to attach to the message
)

// For structured data communication
public static async Task<string?> SendData(
    object data,        // The metadata to send
    string? content = null   // Optional message content to send
)

Usage Example

private readonly MessageThread _messageThread;

// Basic message sending
await _messageThread.SendChat("Hello user!");

// Sending a message with metadata
var metadata = new { 
    messageType = "notification",
    priority = "high"
};
await _messageThread.SendData(metadata);

Important Notes

  1. The SendChat method must be called from within a workflow context where AgentContext is properly initialized and the metadata parameter is optional, can be used to attach additional context or information to the message.
  2. The SendData method can be used to send structured information to a conversation, chat thread, or messaging system within an application.
  3. Both methods returns a Task<string?> which indicates whether the message was sent successfully.

Message Structure

When a message is sent, it is wrapped in an ChatOrDataRequest object with the following properties:

  • Text: The actual message content
  • ParticipantId: The target user's ID
  • Metadata: Any additional data attached to the message
  • WorkflowId: Automatically populated from AgentContext
  • WorkflowType: Automatically populated from AgentContext
  • Agent: Automatically populated from AgentContext

Return Value

The method returns a Task<string?> where the string value is the MessageThread ID if the message was sent successfully. The MessageThread ID can be used to reference this conversation thread in future interactions.

var threadId = await _messageThread.SendChat("Hello!");
_logger.LogInformation($"Message sent successfully. Thread ID: {threadId}");