Document that ReminderScheduled doesn't work for certain channels

[zfallahnejad]

rasa 1.2.4
rasa-sdk 1.2.0
Python 3.6.5
Operating system: Ubuntu
I defined an action to reset the value of a couple of slots. These slots were filled by a form action (like restaurant_form). I want to reset these slots, two minutes after someone filled the form. I used ReminderScheduled to call my action. But nothing happened. Is there something wrong?

class ResetRestaurantSlots(Action):

    def name(self):
        return "action_reset_restaurant_slots"

    def run(self, dispatcher, tracker, domain):
        return [SlotSet("cuisine", None), SlotSet("num_people", None), SlotSet("outdoor_seating", None), SlotSet("preferences", None), SlotSet("feedback", None)]

def submit(
        self,
        dispatcher: CollectingDispatcher,
        tracker: Tracker,
        domain: Dict[Text, Any],
    ) -> List[Dict]:
        """Define what the form has to do
            after all required slots are filled"""

        # utter submit template
        dispatcher.utter_template("utter_submit", tracker)
        return [ReminderScheduled('action_reset_restaurant_slots', datetime.now() + timedelta(minutes=2), kill_on_user_message=False)]

[sara-tagger]

Thanks for raising this issue, @tabergma will get back to you about it soon✨

Please also check out the docs and the forum in case your issue was raised there too 🤗

[tabergma]

I could reproduce the issue with the formbot example.

The _schedule_reminders function (https://github.com/RasaHQ/rasa/blob/master/rasa/core/processor.py#L413) seems to correctly schedule the event, however, handle_reminder (https://github.com/RasaHQ/rasa/blob/master/rasa/core/processor.py#L241) is not called.

[tabergma]

Setting the log level to debug for all libraries gives you the following output:

...
2019-09-19 17:44:22 WARNING  asyncio  - Executing <Handle <TaskWakeupMethWrapper object at 0x150f9c6d8> created at /Users/tabergma/.virtualenv/rasa/lib/python3.6/site-packages/aiohttp/helpers.py:656> took 18.421 seconds
2019-09-19 17:44:22 DEBUG    apscheduler.scheduler  - Looking for jobs to run
2019-09-19 17:44:22 INFO     apscheduler.scheduler  - Removed job 4e7e7d8c-daf4-11e9-a28c-acde48001122
2019-09-19 17:44:22 DEBUG    apscheduler.scheduler  - No jobs; waiting until a job is added
2019-09-19 17:44:22 WARNING  asyncio  - Executing <Handle functools.partial(<function AsyncIOScheduler.wakeup at 0x139083048>, <apscheduler.schedulers.asyncio.AsyncIOScheduler object at 0x1510e8588>) created at /Users/tabergma/.virtualenv/rasa/lib/python3.6/site-packages/apscheduler/schedulers/asyncio.py:21> took 0.001 seconds
Run time of job "action_reset_restaurant_slots__sender_id:default (trigger: date[2019-09-19 17:44:18 CEST], next run at: 2019-09-19 17:44:18 CEST)" was missed by 0:00:03.484885
2019-09-19 17:44:22 WARNING  asyncio  - Executing <Handle <TaskWakeupMethWrapper object at 0x1503cdd68> created at /Users/tabergma/.virtualenv/rasa/lib/python3.6/site-packages/sanic/server.py:770> took 0.001 seconds
...

This is after the ReminderScheduled should have been executed. The log indicates that the job execution was missed. The warning WARNING asyncio - Executing <Handle <TaskWakeupMethWrapper object at 0x150f9c6d8> created at /Users/tabergma/.virtualenv/rasa/lib/python3.6/site-packages/aiohttp/helpers.py:656> took 18.421 seconds can be found all over the logs. According to the web the event loop is blocked by long-running blocking (synchronous) code (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47414080/aws-iot-python-sdk-and-asyncio/47415716#47415716).

[JEM-Mosig]

Same issue on rasa init bot with minimal modifications. This feature is critical for Carbon Bot. I'll look into it today, but any help is welcome.

[JEM-Mosig]

When I add the logger to the __scheduler, I get

Bot loaded. Type a message and press enter (use '/stop' to exit): 
Your input ->  hi                                                                                                                                                                                     
...
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.processor  - Action 'action_set_reminder' ended with events '['BotUttered(text: Setting reminder to trigger at 2019-11-06T13:15:51.651269, data: {"elements": null, "quick_replies": null, "buttons": null, "attachment": null, "image": null, "custom": null}, metadata: {})', 'ReminderScheduled(action: action_react_to_reminder, trigger_date: 2019-11-06 13:15:51.651269, name: 299b3288-008f-11ea-8922-acde48001122)']'
2019-11-06 13:15:46 INFO     rasa.core.jobs  - Scheduler started
2019-11-06 13:15:46 INFO     rasa.core.jobs  - Added job "action_react_to_reminder__sender_id:default" to job store "default"
...
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.lock_store  - Deleted lock for conversation 'default'.
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.jobs  - Looking for jobs to run
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.jobs  - Next wakeup is due at 2019-11-06 13:15:51.651269+01:00 (in 4.948948 seconds)
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.jobs  - Looking for jobs to run
2019-11-06 13:15:46 DEBUG    rasa.core.jobs  - Next wakeup is due at 2019-11-06 13:15:51.651269+01:00 (in 4.948672 seconds)
Setting reminder to trigger at 2019-11-06T13:15:51.651269
Your input ->                                             

and then nothing happens. As Tanja pointed out, there is probably something blocking the event loop.

[JEM-Mosig]

The problem seems to be the command line, because it works just fine within Rasa X, whereas if I run on rasa shell I get

Task exception was never retrieved
future: <Task finished coro=<configure_app.<locals>.run_cmdline_io() done, defined at /Users/johannes/rasa/rasa/rasa/core/run.py:123> exception=TimeoutError()>

after waiting for a bit for the reminder to trigger.

[wochinge]

I think the problem is that reminders don't work for certain channels (same as for the external actions / intents)

[wochinge]

Changing this to a docs issue then.

[JEM-Mosig]

Changing this to a docs issue then.

@wochinge If we only document that this doesn't work, how should people test reminders and external events if they also are not supposed to run rasa x on the command line? E.g. for the reminderbot demo? #5189 (comment)

[erohmensing]

@JEM-Mosig are you handling documenting which channels don't work in your PR?

[wochinge]

I mean their are plenty of other channels available where reminders work with, right?

[JEM-Mosig]

It is not clear to me how I could run rasa shell with another channel. At least there is nothing about that in the docs.

[wochinge]

It is not clear to me how I could run rasa shell with another channel. At least there is nothing about that in the docs.

Not with rasa shell but with rasa run (rasa shell is just shorthand for rasa run --channel ...)