Stage Two - Testing Stage
UAT Channel Deployment
UAT channel refers to any channel with testing purpose and not a production channel. The purpose for UAT is to test for any anomalies or hidden issues and to fix them before public release. You should deploy your new or updated build on a UAT channel before adding to a production channel, so that you can keep the differences between the two builds to a bare minimum. This makes it easier to detect potential conflicts between the two builds and produce a more accurate testing result. If you do not have an extra channel, please deploy the new or updated build to the priority group of the production channel for testing.
Deploying a New Build
If you are starting from scratch with a new build, you can deploy the UAT channel as if you are deploying to a production channel. Here is a checklist for your reference when you are setting up the UAT channel:
| Item | Description | Order |
|---|---|---|
| Update Post ID | Update the Facebook Post ID of the comment reply trigger created for the UAT purpose; Applicable to comment reply chatbot for Facebook Messenger only | 1 |
| Update Attachment ID/Media ID | The attachment IDs/Media IDs for UAT and Production Facebook Page/WhatsApp number are differentl; Remember to create one set of IDs for each channel; You will need to change back to Production attachment ID/Media ID before you deploy to Production Channel. | 2 |
| Add Channel Details | Add description and name to explicitely express the purpose of this UAT channel | 3 |
| Add Webhooks | Add inbound/outbound webhooks; Applicable to use cases which need a copy of chat record from Stella (i.e. Custom Inbox) | 4 |
| Connect Platform | Connect to a messaging platform; It should be the same type as the one in the Production Channel | 5 |
| Set Up Get Started/Persistent Menu | Set up the Get Started Button & Persistent Menu (Applicable to Web Chat & Facebook Messenger Platform only) | 6 |
| Update Core Version | You can change the core version of your tree build; A newer core version is released from time to time with updates to existing features or new features | 7 |
| Set Up Default Tree | Add the new tree build & the corresponding Global node to the default tree. Unless specified by priority groups or business availability, Stella will run the default tree for all users | 8 |
| Set Up Live Chat Tree | Add the new tree build to the Live Chat Tree; If your build has live chat capability, Stella will run the Live Chat Tree when live chat mode is turned on for the specific user | 9 |
| Set Up Off Tree | Add the new tree build to the Off Tree. If you have set the business availability for your chatbot, Stella will run the off tree during non-office hour for all users. | 10 |
| Set Up Channel Metadata | Add metadata for channel-wide adoption; This metadata can include data source ID, API path for an advanced function or even a basic greeting response; A metadata like data source ID is probably applied in multiple actions or responses across your tree build. | 11 |
| Set Up Business Availability | Add your chatbot/live chat operating hours and mark exceptions (public holiday); You may handle non-office hour scenarios using this.channel.on. If it is false, it refers to the non-office hour case (this.channel.on === false). | 12 |
| Set Up Live Chat Setting | You can set an idle timer to execute a node during live chat mode; This is mainly used to end live chat automatically; Skip this if your build does not have live chat capability | 13 |
Remember to copy the same channel settings to the production channel.
Update Existing Production Build
If you already have an existing production build, you should always keep any UAT channel settings as similar to that of the production channel as possible. For example, both should have the same type of messaging platform. Here are the procedures to set up your UAT channel:
- Record all the production channel settings.
- Apply the production channel settings to your UAT channel.
- Add the new tree build.
- Update the UAT channel settings to fit the new tree build's function accordingly.
Priority Group Setup in Production Channel
Priority group allows a specific group of users to override the default tree (Public-released) and run a priority group tree setup (Updated build) in a channel. This allows bot creators to whitelist themselves and test their UAT-proved build or new build in a production environment before public release.
However, only some of the channel settings can be changed in a priority group. Here is a checklist for your reference when you are setting up the priority group:
| Item | Description | Order |
|---|---|---|
| Update Post ID | Update the Facebook Post ID of the comment reply trigger; This post should be created in the production Facebook Page; Applicable to comment reply chatbot for Facebook Messenger only | 1 |
| Update Attachment ID/Media ID | The attachment IDs/Media IDs for UAT and Production Facebook Page/WhatsApp number are different; Remember to create one set of IDs for each channel; You will need to change back to Production attachment ID/Media ID before you deploy to Production Channel. | 2 |
| Create Priority Group | Whitelist any existing chatbot subscribers to a priority group. | 3 |
| Add Priority Group to Tree Settings | Add the newly created Priority Group to the Tree Settings, so that you can set up a specific Priority Group tree settings for the whitelisted subscribers | 4 |
| Update Core Version | You can change the core version of your tree build; A newer core version is released from time to time with updates to existing features or new features | 5 |
| Set Up Priority Group Default Tree | Add the new tree build & the corresponding Global node to the default tree of your priority group. Stella will run the default tree for the priority group users | 6 |
| Set Up Priority Group Live Chat Tree | Add the new tree build to the Live Chat Tree; If your build has live chat capability, Stella will run the Live Chat Tree when live chat mode is turned on for the specific user | 7 |
| Override Off Tree | You cannot customize the Off Tree in a priority group; You can only override and stop the Off Tree in the Default settings from activating during non-office hour | 8 |
| Set Up Channel Metadata | Add metadata for channel-wide adoption; This metadata can include data source ID, API path for an advanced function or even a basic greeting response; A metadata like data source ID is probably applied in multiple actions or responses across your tree build. | 9 |