Microsoft (MS) Teams (Azure Bot)
MS Teams Azure bot Service provides an integrated development environment for bot building. Its integration with Power Virtual Agents, a fully hosted low-code platform, enables developers of all technical abilities to build conversational AI bots—no code needed.
At the end of this document you will learn how to setup a new Microsoft Teams bot.
In order to setup MS Teams Azure bot, you need to follow the steps below:
Create an Azure App (Azure Bot)
NOTE: The "Azure Bot" can be created on either Aisera's OR on the customer's Azure portal.
Aisera Azure Portal: Aisera has always access to change settings, i.e. messaging endpoint, make branding changes, create new secrets, check for errors, etc.
Customer's Azure Portal: Any change needs to be done on the customer's end.
Login on https://portal.azure.com.
Click on All Resources.
Choose Create Resources.
Select Azure Bot from the drop down menu.
6. Set values for the following deployment parameters:
Bot Handle:
<customerName><Environment><bot>Subscription: (select one)
Resource group: (create one with the same name as Bot handle)
New Resource group Location: West US
Type of App: Multi Tenant
Create a new Microsoft App ID
NOTE: Make sure you create a new Microsoft App ID, as shown above, instead of using an existing app registration.
Click the Create button.
NOTE: Please wait for 2-5 minutes until the deployment is complete.
Your deployment is complete when you see the following window:
Continue on to set up resources for the bot.
Click on Go to Resource.
9. Select Channels.
10. Choose Microsoft Teams.
11. Select the MS Teams Workspace where you want to deploy the application/bot. The Commercial Workspace is commonly chosen.
NOTE: For Government organizations, select Microsoft Team Government. The configuration is the same for both of these workspaces.
12. Navigate to the Bot Profile wndow to set the required values:
Icon: upload the color icon (png, square, max 30K, 192x192px).
Display Name: Set Bot-Name.
Description: optional.
13. Navigate to the Configuration window and set the values for:
Messaging endpoint: Use the MS Teams endpoint if Aisera's chatbot-server-url here. Use a vanity url (Aisera Devops can confirm the correct URL)
https://<chatbot-server-url>/teams/receive. Example: https://chatbot.acme.aisera.cloud/teams/receiveMicrosoft App ID: Copy this ID, we will use it later.
14. Navigate to the Manage window and get a new Client Secret.
15. Delete an existing secret.
16 Create a new Client Secret and copy it (we will use it later).
17. Set the Expiration to 24 months.
2. Create the Manifest
In order to use an app/bot in MS Teams, we need to upload a manifest.zip bundle in a Team workspace. Download the zip file: MS Teams Channel Manifest file.zip
The manifest is a zip-file which includes 3 files:
Color.png → Logo 192x192px, full-color icon.
Outline.png → Logo 32x32px, transparent.
Manifest.json → JSON file with configuration.
A useful guide for how to design the icon can be found here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/platform/concepts/build-and-test/apps-package#icons
2.1 Edit/Create the manifest.json
The manifest contains basic configuration of an app.
Important: Modify the following fields:
id: Use the "Microsoft App Id".
bots > botId: Use the "Microsoft App Id".
name > short: Display name (by convention: Aisera App (<cluster>)
name > full: Display name (by convention: Aisera App (<cluster>).
description > short: You may add a description. * In case we don't want to display the <cluster> in 'Display Name', please add the cluster it is running on here.
description > full: You may add a description. * in case we don't want to display the <cluster> in 'Display Name', please add the cluster running on here.
It's a best practice to use an existing manifest file for a faster approach.
Example of a manifest.json file:
{
"$schema": "https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/json-schemas/teams/v1.14/MicrosoftTeams.schema.json",
"version": "1.0.0",
"manifestVersion": "1.14",
"id": "8c919e46-6cec-4144-ae4a-17385450eb14",
"packageName": "com.package.name",
"name": {
"short": "T-mobile Virtual Agent",
"full": "T-mobile Virtual Agent"
},
"developer": {
"name": "Aisera Inc",
"mpnId": "",
"websiteUrl": "https://www.aisera.com",
"privacyUrl": "https://www.aisera.com/privacy",
"termsOfUseUrl": "https://www.aisera.com/termsofuse"
},
"description": {
"short": "T-mobile Virtual Agent automates complex and standard IT requests and HR tasks.",
"full": "T-mobile Virtual Agent automates complex and standard IT requests and HR tasks, directly in Microsoft Teams, so you can work more efficiently using chat. With T-mobile Agent you can resolve automatically routine actions via chat, and find answers for frequently asked questions."
},
"icons": {
"outline": "outline.png",
"color": "color.png"
},
"accentColor": "#FFFFFF",
"staticTabs": [
{
"entityId": "conversations",
"scopes": [
"personal"
]
},
{
"entityId": "about",
"scopes": [
"personal"
]
}
],
"bots": [
{
"botId": "8c919e46-6cec-4144-ae4a-17385450eb14",
"scopes": [
"personal",
"team",
"groupchat"
],
"isNotificationOnly": false,
"supportsCalling": false,
"supportsVideo": false,
"supportsFiles": true
}
],
"validDomains": []
}
3. Create a channel in Admin UI and add it to the Aisera app
Use the following steps to create an MS Teams channel for your bot.
Create a new MS Teams channel.
Set values for the following parameters:
Name
Microsoft App ID (from Creating Azure App section)
Microsoft App Client Secret (from Creating Azure App section) Important: makes sure you use the Secret Value , NOT the Secret ID.
Team Tenant ID (get the Tenant ID from the Teams workspace as shown below)
Navigate to Teams in the main navigation menu.
Select Get link to team
Copy the link after
tenantId=
Click OK and add the channel to the appropriate app in the Aisera Admin UI.
4. Upload the Manifest file on MS Teams
Please use one of the following two options:
4.1 Upload through Teams Admin Center OR
4.2 Upload through Microsoft Teams client
4.1 Upload through Teams Admin Center
Log in to https://admin.teams.microsoft.com/ . You will need an account with the required permission to add the app to a workspace.
Navigate to Teams apps > Manage Apps and click on + Upload new app and upload the manifest.zip file.
4.2 Upload through Microsoft Teams client
Log in to your company Microsoft teams app. You will need to have permissions to add a custom app.
Select Apps on the left vertical menu and then select Manage your apps.
Click on the “Upload an app”, choose “Upload an app to your org’s app catalog” and upload the manifest.zip
Find the Virtual Agent app in the Microsoft Teams client.
Click Add to a team.
Select a channel and click on Set up a bot.
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