Triggering messages from URL parameters

How automatic triggering works

When the chat widget finishes loading, the script runs the following actions:

• Waits a short period to help ensure that the chat widget finishes its initialization.

• Reads query parameters from the current page URL, for example, https://yoursite.com?data=hello.

• Automatically sends the extracted value as a chat message.

This technique is useful for pre‑populating conversations, deep‑linking to specific chat flows, or automating context-aware interactions.

Step 1: Query the data to send to the chat instance

Create the onChatLoad function to run after the chat widget fully loads. It does the following actions:

• Uses a pageload flag to help ensure that automatic logic runs only once.

• Waits 5 seconds to help ensure the chat widget UI is initialized.

• Extracts the data query parameter from the URL by using the URLSearchParams API.

• Sends the extracted value into the chat by using instance.send().

• Stores the chat instance globally if you need it later.

function onChatLoad(instance) {
    
    let pageload = false;
    if (!pageload){
        setTimeout(() => {
            const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
            const data = params.get('data');
            if (data) {
                instance.send(data);
            }
        }, 5000)
        pageload = true;
    }
    chatInstance = instance;
}

Step 2: Test your script

Add the script to your webpage and include a data query parameter in the URL. For example:

https://mywebsite.com/deep-link?data=generate%20a%20sample%20email

After the chat widget loads, it automatically sends the following message through the instance.send() function.

generate a sample email

Full script

Use the following script to apply the code from this tutorial to your chat widget:

<script>
function onChatLoad(instance) {

    let pageload = false;

    if (!pageload) {
        setTimeout(() => {
            const params = new URLSearchParams(window.location.search);
            const data = params.get('data');
            if (data) {
                instance.send(data);
            }
        }, 10000)
        pageload = true;
    }
    chatInstance = instance;
}

window.wxOConfiguration = {
    orchestrationID: "your-orgID_orchestrationID",
    hostURL: "https://dl.watson-orchestrate.ibm.com",
    rootElementID: "root",
    showLauncher: false,
    deploymentPlatform: "ibmcloud", // Required for IBM Cloud 
    crn: "your-org-crn", // Required for IBM Cloud. Learn how to get the CRN in https://cloud.ibm.com/docs/key-protect?topic=key-protect-retrieve-instance-ID&interface=ui
    chatOptions: {
        agentId: "your-agent-id",
        agentEnvironmentId: "your-agent-env-id",
        onLoad: onChatLoad // Callback function when the chat widget is loaded
    },
};
    setTimeout(function () {
        const script = document.createElement('script');
        script.src = `${window.wxOConfiguration.hostURL}/wxochat/wxoLoader.js?embed=true`;
        script.addEventListener('load', function () {
            wxoLoader.init();
        });
        document.head.appendChild(script);
    });
</script>