README.md

DIAL Overlay

DIAL Overlay is a library designed for using AI DIAL Chat in an overlay format. It allows you to set up and interact with the chat via an iframe event-based protocol.

Public Classes to Use

• ChatOverlay - a class which creates an iframe with DIAL and enables the interaction with it (send/receive messages). Types for configuration options is ChatOverlayOptions. Use it if you need nothing more than 1 iframe and API to for interaction.
• ChatOverlayManager - a class which provides an overlay factory, different styles and animation for overlay (for example: opening animation, auto placement, fullscreen button, etc.). Types for configuration options is ChatOverlayManagerOptions. Use it if what you need is several iframes with API and you want it placed with predefined styles options.

Prerequisites

AI DIAL Chat application configuration:

• IS_IFRAME: set this flag to true to enable Overlay.
• ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS: list all hosts where you are using the Overlay library. Note: For development purposes you can set *.

IS_IFRAME=true
ALLOWED_IFRAME_ORIGINS=http://localhost:8000

Integration with AI DIAL Chat

Follow these steps to integrate the Overlay library with the AI DIAL Chat application:

1. Install the Overlay library

npm i @epam/ai-dial-overlay

2. Add a file to the serving folder in your application or just import it in code

import { ChatOverlay, ChatOverlayManager, ChatOverlayOptions } from '@epam/ai-dial-overlay';

3. Create an instance of ChatOverlay (to use just one overlay and nothing more) or ChatOverlayManager (if you want to create more than one ChatOverlay, or additional style options, like positions, animations, etc.)

ChatOverlay:

const container = document.create('div');
document.body.appendChild(container);

const run = async () => {
  const overlay: ChatOverlayOptions = new ChatOverlay(container, {
    // required, url of host application, needed for security reasons
    hostDomain: window.location.origin,
    // required, url of hosted DIAL application
    domain: 'https://your-hosted-overlay-domain.com',
    // optional, theme, 'light' | 'dark'
    theme: 'light',
    // optional, name of model that could be by default
    modelId: 'gpt-4',
    // optional, if DIAL doesn't respond in requestTimeout ms, overlay will throw an exception
    requestTimeout: 20000,
    // optional, features that should be enabled
    enabledFeatures: ['conversations-section', 'prompts-section', 'top-settings', 'top-clear-conversation', 'top-chat-info', 'top-chat-model-settings', 'empty-chat-settings', 'header', 'footer', 'request-api-key', 'report-an-issue', 'likes'],
    // optional, styles for loading which are showing until overlay installing settings
    loaderStyles: {
      background: 'black',
    },
    // optional, class for loader
    loaderClass: 'overlay__loader',
    // optional, id of the conversation to be selected at the start
    overlayConversationId: 'some-conversation-id',
    // optional, if DIAL should redirect to sign in the same browser window
    signInInSameWindow: false,
  });

  // overlay loaded application and ready to send and receive information from the application
  await overlay.ready();

  // return messages from the first selected conversation
  const { messages } = await overlay.getMessages();

  // send message to the first selected conversation
  await overlay.sendMessage('Hello chat!');

  // set system prompt. For chat gpt is first message like { role: 'system', message: "be patient and supportive!"}.
  await overlay.setSystemPrompt('Be patient and supportive!');

  // set overlay options on the fly
  await overlay.setOverlayOptions({
    hostDomain: window.location.origin,
    domain: 'https://your-hosted-overlay-domain.com',
    theme: 'dark',
    modelId: 'statgpt',
    requestTimeout: 11111,
  });

  // subscribing to GPT_START_GENERATING event
  const unsubscribe = overlay.subscribe('@DIAL_OVERLAY/GPT_START_GENERATING', () => console.log('Starting...'));

  // to unsubscribe use a callback returned by the subscribe method
  unsubscribe();
};

ChatOverlayManager:

The same principle applies to ChatOverlayManager as for ChatOverlay but with minor changes. Specify overlay displaying options and id for a new instance.

ChatOverlayManager.createOverlay({
    id: 'test',
    position: 'left-bottom',
    width: 300,
    height: 300,
    zIndex: 6,
    ...ChatOverlayOptions
});

ChatOverlayManager.removeOverlay('test');
ChatOverlayManager.hideOverlay('test');
ChatOverlayManager.showOverlay('test');
...
ChatOverlayManager.getMessages('test');
ChatOverlayManager.sendMessage('test', 'Hi chat!');
...

Internal Structure

Information in this section can be useful for overlay developers or anyone interested in its technical implementation.

Overlay communication, as all iframe communication, is implemented using javascript post message.

There are 2 parts of implementation:

1. ChatOverlay library
2. DIAL postMessage listeners

ChatOverlay

Main methods and practices that allow us to communicate with AI DIAL:

1. ChatOverlay is the class which in constructor creates an iframe and sets the origin of the deployed version of DIAL. That is how it works for the end user:

const overlay = new ChatOverlay({domain: "https://overlay-domain.com", ...});

overlay.getSomething().then(...);

2. Overlay uses Task - a class which contains Promise with external function resolve. It is needed for cases when you want to resolve promise not only in this way Promise((resolve) => resolve(...)), but also like this: currentPromise.complete()

Main logic that is used there:

let complete;

const promise = new Promise((resolve) => {
  complete = resolve;
});

complete(); // we can resolve promise outside the constructor callback

3. Overlay uses DeferredRequest. Its principle is similar to the one of Task, but contains an additional business logic. For example: a timeout for completing a task, generating uuid of request, payload of request, matching request algorithm, etc.
4. Overlay includes a Task which is called this.iframeInteraction. When this.iframeInteraction is completed, it means that we can receive and send messages. There is a method ready(), it displays this.iframeInteraction.ready().
5. For communication, ChatOverlay uses a method send(). Things to know about this method:
   1. It generates a new DeferredRequest, inputs the required information into this.requests, and sends a post message.
   2. It entirely relies on this.ready(). No requests will be processed until this.ready().

...send method...
await send() {
    await this.ready();

    ...
    // it shouldn't be executed until this.ready()
    this.requests.push(new DeferredRequest(...));
}

6. In window.addEventListener('message', this.process), this.process checks that the message contains a payload that can be matched with any request in this.requests or just an event. Prior to all this, it is necessary to check that application has sent us @DIAL_OVERLAY/READY and we can complete this.iframeInteraction.

...handle post message...

if (event.data.type === "@DIAL_OVERLAY/READY") {
    this.iframeInteraction.complete();
    return;
}

7. In constructor, we send a configuration to the application (it's handshake, we will get a ready event, after we will say our domain and additional information), this.send() depends from this.iframeInteraction. Note: nothing is sent, until we get the '@DIAL_OVERLAY/READY'!

    constructor() {
        ...
        this.setOverlayOptions({...});
    }

8. Method subscribe just adds a callback to this.subscriptions. In this.process, we call this.processEvent if we don't have requestId. Returns the callback which removes callback from this.subscriptions

subscribe(eventType: string, callback: () => void) {
    this.subscriptions.push({ callback, eventType });
}

9. We are showing the loader until AI DIAL Chat notifies that OverlayOptions is installed.

DIAL Chat

This part includes main methods and practices for communication with the host. Business logic related to overlay is located in overlay.epics.ts, overlay.reducers.ts and has own slice.

1. postMessageMapperEpic: the main epic that parses post messages and dispatches the necessary actions to other internal epics to separate business logic.
2. notifyHostAboutReadyEpic: sends '@DIAL_OVERLAY/READY' to the host.
3. setOverlayConfigEpic: listens when the host sends a configuration (incl. hostDomain, to not broadcast information to other participants of the host page).

Other epics are self-explanatory.

To add a new method:

1. Add action to the overlay slice.
2. Add dispatch action to postMessageMapper.
3. Add epic which gets all needed information from the common store and sends the result using sendPMResponse.

To add a new event:

1. Add epic which gets the necessary information.
2. Send the result to the host using sendPMEvent.

Overlay sandbox

To experiment with overlay, refer to overlay sandbox samples