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System-Defined Slots

System-Defined Slots refer to predefined Slot types that the system automatically detects in user inputs. These Slots are used to categorize and recognize specific types of data, such as dates, times, durations, and more.

Key Benefits

  • Automatic Extraction. Cognigy.AI automatically detects and categorizes user input into predefined Slots, reducing manual configuration.
  • Data Consistency. By using system-defined Slots, Cognigy.AI ensures all extracted data is consistently formatted and accurate.
  • Simplified Integration. System-defined Slots simplify the handling of complex data types, enabling smooth integration with backend systems.

All System-Defined Slots

In the JSON object, all system-defined Slot names are capitalized for easy identification.

List of System-Defined Slots

Slot NameUser InputSlot JSON
DATEtomorrow, August 1st at 5pm 
"DATE": [
        {
        "start": {
            "day": 2,
            "month": 6,
            "year": 2018,
            "hour": 12,
            "minute": 0,
            "second": 0,
            "millisecond": 0,
            "text": "tomorrow",
            "weekday": 6,
            "dayOfWeek": "Saturday",
            "ISODate": "2018-06-02T12:00:00Z"
        },
        "end": null
        }
    ]
next week 
"DATE": [
        {
        "start": {
          "year": 2021,
          "month": 12,
          "day": 13,
          "hour": 0,
          "minute": 0,
          "second": 0,
          "milliseconds": 0,
          "weekday": 1,
          "dayOfWeek": "Monday",
          "ISODate": "2021-12-13T00:00:00+01:00",
          "plain": "December 13, 2021",
          "grain": "week"
        },
        "end": null,
        "text": "next week"
        }
    ]
NUMBERone hundred, 143 
"NUMBER": [
      100,
      143
    ]
DURATION10 minutes 20 seconds 
"DURATION": {
      "hour": null,
      "minute": 10,
      "second": 20
    }
TEMPERATURE50 degrees 
"TEMPERATURE": [
      50
    ]
AGE32 years old 
"AGE": [
      32
    ]
EMAILinfo@cognigy.com 
"EMAIL": [
      "info@cognigy.com"
    ]
PERCENTAGE5 percent 
"PERCENTAGE": [
      5
    ]
URLhttps://cognigy.com 
"URL": [
      "https://cognigy.com"
    ]
MONEY500 dollars 
"MONEY": [
        {
        "value": 500,
        "unit": "$"
        }
    ]
DISTANCE12 kilometers 
"DISTANCE": [
        {
        "value": 12,
        "unit": "kilometre"
        }
    ]

DATE Slots

DATE Slot detection depends on the time zone you set in the Project or through Actions.

Supported Input Patterns and Formats
Languages Supported input pattern examples
English Now, Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday, Last Friday, Last night
17 August 2013 - 19 August 2013
This Friday from 13:00 - 16.00
5 days ago
2 weeks from now
Sat Aug 17 2013 18:40:39 GMT+0900 (JST)
2014-11-30T08:15:30-05:30
Day after tomorrow
Days before yesterday
Next Tuesday
German Jetzt, Heute, Morgen, Gestern, Vorgestern
Letzte Nacht, Heute Nacht, Diese Nacht, Morgen Vormittags, Gestern Abend
Nach einem Tag, In einer Woche
15/01/2021, 15.01.2021, 15. Jan 2021, Freitag den 15. Januar 2021
17.08.2013 - 19.08.2013, 17.08.2013 bis 19.08.2013
Kommenden Montag
Dutch Nu, Deze Nacht, Deze Vannacht, Gisteren, Morgen, Gisteravond, Eergisteren, Overmorgen
Morgen Middag, Deze Ochtend, Gisteren Voormiddag, Deze Namiddag, Morgen Avond, Overmorgen Nacht
Binnen Een Dag, Na een halve Maand
15/01/2021, 15.01.2021, 15. Jan 2021, Vrijdag de 15de Januari 2021
17.08.2013 - 19.08.2013, 17.08.2013 tot 19.08.2013
Laatste/vorige/volgende/komende Woensdag
Japanese 今日, 当日, 昨日, 明日, 今夜, 今夕, 今晩, 今朝
２０１６年２月１７日です
Sat Aug 17 2013
01/30/2018
French 15.04.2023 12:00
15 aout 2015
15 aout 2015 a 12 octobre 2016
aujourd'hui, demain, hier
hier soir, demain après-midi
avant-hier
vendredi prochain
Other languages For languages like Finnish, Cognigy.AI supports standard date formats but has limited support for casual expressions. For example:
ylihuomenna (the day after tomorrow) — the system correctly matches it to a DATE Slot, but inconsistencies may arise due to limitations with casual expressions.
kolme viikkoa sitten (three weeks ago) — the system identifies it as a DURATION Slot instead of a DATE Slot.
kuukauden päästä (in one month) — the system doesn't recognize this input, highlighting a gap in handling relative time expressions in Finnish.

DATE Format Handling

DATE Slot parsing follows the NLU language set in the Flow. Different regions use different date formats for slash-separated dates. The table outlines the format handling:

Languages Slash date format ordering
Default (English UK, German, Universal, and more) Dates follow day/month/year (dd/mm/YYYY) order.
English US, Japanese, Chinese Dates follow month/day/year (mm/dd/YYYY) order. However, if the system detects an invalid date, for example, 13/01/2023 in mm/dd/YYYY format, it automatically falls back to dd/mm/YYYY.

For a full list of country-specific date formats, refer to the Date_format_by_country page on Wikipedia.

Invalid Date Handling

Cognigy.AI automatically checks all dates from user inputs. If a date is invalid, it won't be assigned to the DATE Slot.

The system ensures:

  • Leap year validation: February 29, 2024 is valid, but February 29, 2023 isn't.
  • Correct month-day mapping: April 31 is invalid.
  • Fallback correction for ambiguous formats: 13/01/2023 defaults to dd/mm/YYYY if mm/dd/YYYY is invalid.

Future and Past Date Mapping

DATE Slot detection applies the current year by default unless specified otherwise. The system follows these rules:

Scenario User Input Today's Date Processing Logic DATE Slot Result
Date is in the current month, no year provided "July 21" July 26, 2023 Since the input date falls within the current month and no year is provided, the system assumes the current year. "year": 2023, "month": 7, "day": 21
Date is in a past month, no year provided "March 30" July 26, 2023 The input date has already passed in the current year. Since no year is specified, the system assumes it refers to the next occurrence in the upcoming year. "year": 2024, "month": 3, "day": 30
Date is in a past month, with a specific year provided "March 30, 2021" July 26, 2023 The input includes a specific year, so the system directly assigns that year without modification. "year": 2021, "month": 3, "day": 30

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