Use AIML with virtual agent

ITSMA Service Management End User Chat virtual agent uses Artificial Intelligence Markup Language (AIML) to receive end user's questions, search for answers, and then return solutions. You can define a series of AIML configuration records in Service Management to represent a variety of responses that a virtual agent may provide to an end user. These responses and their corresponding questions can be published to an AIML file, which is a simple text file saved in the chat service folder.

Follow these steps to update the out-of-box AIML configuration for a virtual agent:

1. Log on to Service Management as a system administrator.
2. From the System Navigator, click System Administration > Ongoing Maintenance > Collaboration > Service Desk Chat Bot.
3. Click Search to display a list of existing virtual agents.
4. Select a virtual agent, and then click Edit AIML to display a list of AIML configuration forms that are used by this virtual agent.

5. Select an AIML configuration record, and then fill in the fields as necessary. See the following table for details.

   Label	Description
   Category ID	The system-generated unique ID for this AIML category. AIML objects are composed of knowledge units called categories.
   Bot ID	The system-generated unique ID for this virtual agent.
   Input Pattern Text	Each AIML category contains a single pattern element that represent the user's question. Type a string of characters intended to match one or more end user inputs. You can use the asterisk (*) wildcard in this field. Note This field is greyed out if you select Any Word in the Input Matching Type list.
   Input Matching Type	Select a matching type from the drop-down list. Depending on your selections, the input pattern syntax may match an infinite number of user inputs. Refer to the following explanations: Select Starts With The Text, the system appends a caret (^) to the pattern text when publishing the configuration to an AIML file. Select Ends With The Text, the system adds a caret (^) before the pattern text when publishing the configuration to an AIML file. Select Contains The Text, the system adds a caret (^) before the pattern text and then appends a caret (^) to the pattern text when publishing the configuration to an AIML file. Select Exactly Matching The Text, the system uses the pattern text directly when publishing the configuration to an AIML file. Select Any Word, the system generates an asterisk (*) for the pattern text when publishing the configuration to an AIML file.
   That Pattern Text	Type a string of characters intended to specify the virtual agent’s previous utterance. Note This field is greyed out if you select Any Word in the That Matching Type list.
   That Matching Type	See the explanations in Input Matching Type.
   Topic Pattern Text	Type a string of characters intended to specify the name of an AIML topic group.
   Template	Each AIML category contains a single template element that represent the virtual agents response. Type your AIML template, which may consist of literal texts, variables, conditional responses, random responses, customized tags, and so on. See Example: an AIML template with customized tags for more information.

6. Click Save to save your updates to the existent AIML configuration record. Otherwise, click Add to save your updates as a new AIML configuration record.
7. Click Back to return to the Service Desk Chatbot definition form.
8. Click Publish AIML to publish the configuration to an AIML file, which is stored in the <chat service installation directory>\bots\<virtual agent ID>\aiml directory.