How Does Agile Desktop Work?

The Interaction Framework lets Agile Desktop load multiple projects that interact with each other using a decoupled publish-subscribe system. Each project can interact with the interaction component to initiate new interactions and activities or it can be notified of new interactions or activities.

Agile Desktop supports multiple concurrent interactions or serial single interactions. For instance, in a contact center, the interaction will typically be the call itself, whereas in the back office the interaction will be the current transaction. Note that the Interaction-Activity framework also forms the foundation for analytics projects and will be available outside the Agile Desktop solution offering.

Defining contexts

Interactions expose a context, a shared set of data that can be updated throughout the call or transaction. Any automation can update the interaction context at any time or subscribe to context updated events. Whenever an activity, application usage, or application detail event is sent to the server, it will automatically capture and send the associated interaction context.

Initiating activities

Interactions also allow automations to initiate activities or be notified of activities. This lets automation developers participate in shared activities, such as search, without the need for a single, coordinating parent project. Activities can include a shared set of data that all automations can read or update. Whenever an activity is executed in the interaction-activity framework, an activity event is raised. The activity event includes the current context data. All activities are subsequently available to business analysts to attach to notes, offers, and so on.

Configuring the interaction

The interaction.xml file defines the context, activities, and associated plug-ins. These definitions are used at design time to populate a set of methods to update the context and to execute activities. Studio creates these methods for your convenience. The definitions are retrieved at run time to populate notes, shortcuts, and so on.

Keep in mind that the interaction-activity framework does not enforce the accuracy of activity and context definitions. If an activity is raised that is not in the definition, it is ignored by all participants that do not recognize it.

These definitions are also used by Agile Desktop plug-ins to render shortcuts, data, and so on.

Synchronizing the configuration

The interaction.xml configuration file is versioned and stored on the Deployment Portal so it can be shared by automation authors and business analysts. When using the interaction component in a solution, the default interaction.xml file is added to solution. You can either edit it or browse to select a different one.