SET BOT MEMORY

Store persistent key-value data at the bot level that persists across all conversations.

Syntax

SET BOT MEMORY key, value

Parameters

Description

The SET BOT MEMORY keyword stores data that is:

• Persistent across all user sessions
• Shared between all users of the same bot
• Stored in the database permanently
• Available until explicitly updated or cleared

Bot memory is useful for:

• Configuration settings
• Global counters and statistics
• Shared state between users
• Bot-wide preferences
• Cached data that applies to all conversations

Examples

Store Simple Values

SET BOT MEMORY "welcome_message", "Hello! Welcome to our service."
SET BOT MEMORY "support_email", "support@example.com"
SET BOT MEMORY "business_hours", "9 AM - 5 PM EST"

Store Counters

current_count = GET BOT MEMORY "visitor_count"
IF current_count = "" THEN
    current_count = "0"
END IF
new_count = VAL(current_count) + 1
SET BOT MEMORY "visitor_count", STR(new_count)
TALK "You are visitor number " + STR(new_count)

Store JSON Data

user_data = '{"name": "John", "level": 5, "points": 1200}'
SET BOT MEMORY "user_profile", user_data

Dynamic Keys

today = FORMAT(NOW(), "YYYY-MM-DD")
daily_key = "stats_" + today
SET BOT MEMORY daily_key, "25"

Configuration Management

' Store bot configuration
SET BOT MEMORY "max_retries", "3"
SET BOT MEMORY "timeout_seconds", "30"
SET BOT MEMORY "api_version", "v2"

' Later, read configuration
max_retries = GET BOT MEMORY "max_retries"
timeout = GET BOT MEMORY "timeout_seconds"

Database Storage

Bot memories are stored in the bot_memories table:

• id: UUID primary key
• bot_id: Reference to the bot
• key: Memory key (indexed for fast lookup)
• value: Memory value (text)
• created_at: Timestamp of creation
• updated_at: Timestamp of last update

Performance Considerations

• Keys are indexed for fast retrieval
• Values are stored as text (no size limit in PostgreSQL)
• Updates are asynchronous to avoid blocking
• Consider using structured keys for organization

Best Practices

1. Use Descriptive Keys: Make keys self-documenting

   SET BOT MEMORY "config:email:smtp_server", "mail.example.com"
   SET BOT MEMORY "stats:daily:2024-01-15", "150"
   

2. Handle Missing Values: Always check if memory exists

   value = GET BOT MEMORY "some_key"
   IF value = "" THEN
       ' Initialize with default
       SET BOT MEMORY "some_key", "default_value"
       value = "default_value"
   END IF
   

3. Avoid Sensitive Data: Don’t store passwords or tokens

   ' BAD: Don't do this
   ' SET BOT MEMORY "admin_password", "secret123"
   
   ' GOOD: Store non-sensitive config
   SET BOT MEMORY "admin_email", "admin@example.com"
   

4. Structure Complex Data: Use JSON for complex structures

   settings = '{"theme": "dark", "language": "en", "notifications": true}'
   SET BOT MEMORY "user_preferences", settings
   

5. Clean Up Old Data: Remove unused memories periodically

   ' Remove old daily stats
   old_date = FORMAT(DATE_ADD(NOW(), -30, "days"), "YYYY-MM-DD")
   SET BOT MEMORY "stats_" + old_date, ""
   

Differences from User Memory

Error Handling

• If database connection fails, operation is logged but doesn’t crash
• Invalid bot IDs are logged as errors
• Duplicate keys update existing values
• Empty keys are not allowed

Related Keywords

• GET BOT MEMORY - Retrieve stored bot memory
• SET - Set user-scoped variables
• REMEMBER - Store user-specific memories

Implementation

Located in src/basic/keywords/bot_memory.rs

The implementation:

• Uses async database operations
• Handles updates atomically with transactions
• Validates bot ID format
• Logs all operations for debugging