AlexaRuby

Since I have now some spare time, I plan to completely revise this project and make it at least up to date with the latest Alexa custom skills API.
Maybe even more.

Originally forked from damianFC's AlexaRubykit, this gem implements a convenient back-end service for interaction with Amazon Alexa API.

To install and use gem in your project just add this to your Gemfile:

gem 'alexa_ruby'

And bundle it with:

$ bundle install

Or install it as a separate gem:

$ gem install alexa_ruby

Gem provides a possibility to easily handle requests from Amazon Alexa service and build responses to given requests.

AlexaRuby usage is quite simple, to start you need to require gem in your ruby file and pass it JSON request from Amazon Alexa service.
Here and below all examples will be based on Roda routing tree framework, but you can use any other -- AlexaRuby is a framework independent gem.

require 'roda'
require 'alexa_ruby'

class App < Roda
  route do |r|
    r.post do
      r.on 'alexa' do
        alexa = AlexaRuby.new(r.body.read)
      end
    end
  end
end

Request structure validations can be disabled:

AlexaRuby.new(request, disable_validations: true)

If needed, you can validate request signature and Amazon SSL certificates chain. To do so specify several parameters:

AlexaRuby.new(
  request,
  certificates_chain_url: url,
  request_signature: signature
)

After initializing new AlexaRuby instance you will have a possibility to access all parameters of the received request.

Notice that user data exists in two scopes -- session and context.

Notice that user data exists in two scopes -- session and context.

To build a response take your freshly initialized alexa and start using alexa.response methods.

It is possible to add one attribute to session scope:

alexa.response.add_session_attribute('key', 'value')

Exception will be raised if attribute already exists in the session scope.
If you want to overwrite it, call:

alexa.response.add_session_attribute('key', 'value_2', true)

You can also add a pack of attributes. To overwrite all existing ones call:

alexa.response.add_session_attributes(key: 'value', key_2: 'value_2')

To add new attributes and save existing ones call:

alexa.response.merge_session_attributes(key: 'value', key_2: 'value_2')

Supported card types are: Simple, Standard and LinkAccount.

card = {
  type: 'Standard', title: 'Test', content: 'test',
  small_image_url: 'https://test.ru/example_small.jpg',
  large_image_url: 'https://test.ru/example_large.jpg'
}
alexa.response.add_card(card)

Supported directives:

• AudioPlayer.Play
• AudioPlayer.ClearQueue
• AudioPlayer.Stop

To start the whole new playback call:

params = { url: 'https://my-site.com/my-stream', token: 'test', offset: 0 }
alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(:start, params)

To enqueue new audio file call:

params = { url: 'https://my-site.com/my-stream', token: 'test', offset: 0, play_behavior: :enqueue }
alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(:start, params)

To replace all previously enqueued audio files call:

params = { url: 'https://my-site.com/my-stream', token: 'test', offset: 0, play_behavior: :replace_enqueued }
alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(:start, params)

To clear all:

alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(:clear)

To clear only enqueued tracks and keep the playing one:

alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(
  :clear,
  clear_behavior: :clear_queue
)

To stop playback call:

alexa.response.add_audio_player_directive(:stop)

alexa.response.json

Ask user a question and wait for response (session will remain open):

question = 'What can I do for you?'

alexa.response.ask(question)                  # will add outputSpeech node
alexa.response.ask(question, question)        # outputSpeech node and reprompt node
alexa.response.ask(question, question, true)  # outputSpeech node, reprompt node and both will be converted into SSML

alexa.response.ask!(question)                 # will add outputSpeech node and return JSON encoded response object

Tell something to user and end conversation (session will be closed):

speech = 'You are awesome!'

alexa.response.tell(speech)               # will add outputSpeech node
alexa.response.tell(speech, speech)       # outputSpeech node and reprompt node
alexa.response.tell(speech, speech, true) # outputSpeech node, reprompt node and both will be converted into SSML

alexa.response.tell!(speech)              # will add outputSpeech node and return JSON encoded response object

Run all tests with:

$ rake test

Please, feel free to open an issue in case of any bugs.

You are always welcome to open an issue with some feature request or bug report. Also you can add new features by yourself. To do so, please, follow that steps:

1. Fork master branch of this repo
2. Add a new feature branch in your forked repo and write code
3. Write tests
4. Add pull request from your branch to alexa_ruby develop branch

All development is made only in develop branch before being merged to master.

AlexaRuby is released under the MIT license.