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 Name	User Input	Slot JSON
DATE	tomorrow, 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" } ]`
NUMBER	one hundred, 143	`"NUMBER": [ 100, 143 ]`
DURATION	10 minutes 20 seconds	`"DURATION": { "hour": null, "minute": 10, "second": 20 }`
TEMPERATURE	50 degrees	`"TEMPERATURE": [ 50 ]`
AGE	32 years old	`"AGE": [ 32 ]`
EMAIL	info@cognigy.com	`"EMAIL": [ "info@cognigy.com" ]`
PERCENTAGE	5 percent	`"PERCENTAGE": [ 5 ]`
URL	https://cognigy.com	`"URL": [ "https://cognigy.com" ]`
MONEY	500 dollars	`"MONEY": [ { "value": 500, "unit": "$" } ]`
DISTANCE	12 kilometers	`"DISTANCE": [ { "value": 12, "unit": "kilometre" } ]`

DATE Slots

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

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`

Overview

AI Agents

Human Escalation

Platform Features

For Developers

Administration and Installation

Key Benefits

All System-Defined Slots

DATE Slots

DATE Format Handling

Invalid Date Handling

Future and Past Date Mapping

More Information

​Key Benefits

​All System-Defined Slots

​DATE Slots

​DATE Format Handling

​Invalid Date Handling

​Future and Past Date Mapping

​More Information

Key Benefits

All System-Defined Slots

DATE Slots

DATE Format Handling

Invalid Date Handling

Future and Past Date Mapping

More Information