Alexa Skill: Invocation name: How to catch the skill STARTING PHRASE?

1
votes

I'm working on my coming soon music player skill. I'd like to have different behaviour following a different skil linvocation, by example:

1. start immediately the audio streaming:

Play MyMusicSkillName

2. just introduce the skill behaviour with a welcome/help message:

Open MyMusicSkillName

My question is: There is a way to distinguish the invocation VERB, getting the invocation starting phrase (and distinguish in LaunchRequest event)? Any idea?

See documentation: https://developer.amazon.com/docs/custom-skills/understanding-how-users-invoke-custom-skills.html#invoking-a-skill-with-no-specific-request-no-intent

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1 Answers

3
votes

Unfortunately, the LaunchRequest does not provide any way to differentiate how the user opened your skill.

However, you can differentiate between a new user and a user who has used the skill before by saving something in your database such as a last_played audio. Then when you handle the LaunchRequest, you can check that user's ID in your database and if they have a last_played entry, then automatically continue playing. Or if its a new user, then provide an introduction/welcome message.

Returning users who you think want to hear the introduction message by saying "Open" instead of "Play" probably want to be reminded of what to do or what options the skill has, which you should handle in the HelpIntent anyway. So if your skill auto played for them, they should naturally ask a question of your skill that will launch the HelpIntent.