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question

tillo-de avatar image
tillo-de asked

onLaunch vs onIntent - getting echo to launch an intent right away

I'm fiddling with my first web services and am impressed with the simplicity of the APIs. Good job! Currently I'm stuck with something very simple. I can do: - "Alexa, open Tillo" <- onLaunch is called, Tillo says something welcoming - "When does my bus go" <- The intent "Bus" is called, Tillo says something about the time. What I can't do is do this all in one phrase: - "Alexa, ask Tollo when does my bus go" -> I still get to onLaunch, I can't find a way to get to the intent directly. I've tried very simple utterances like: Bus time to the bus Bus when does the bus go Bus bus Bus my bus They all work well after an onLaunch event, but none works with an "Ask" or "Tell" phrase. Am I missing something obvious about choosing what type of conversation the skill supports? Thanks, Till
alexa skills kit
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Greg Crawford avatar image
Greg Crawford answered
Have you tried the word "and" between your opening phrase and the utterance? For example: "Alexa open Tillo AND check time to bus"
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jjaquinta avatar image
jjaquinta answered
Or "to" like: Alexa, ask Tollo to when does my bus go"
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tillo-de avatar image
tillo-de answered
Thanks for your replies! I did try "TO", "AND" and the like. The solution in the end was this: Choosing a different invocation name! The invocation name "tillo" is not understood in a sentence, it't only understood at the end of a sentence or surrounded by long pauses, which cause an onLaunch event. If I choose a plain english invocation name it works beautifully!
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