Match comments with keyword lists

A keyword list is a named set of words you save once and point many campaigns at. Attach one to a condition node by setting the node’s match type to Keyword list, and every message that reaches the condition is checked against the list: messages that match leave the Match output, everything else leaves No Match. Editing the list changes every condition node that points at it.

What you need first

• A campaign open on the canvas with a trigger node connected to a condition node. See Build a campaign on the canvas.
• A short set of words you expect people to comment or send. You can add and remove keywords later without touching the campaigns that use the list.

What is in a keyword list?

Two things: a name you pick it by, and the keywords themselves. AFP cleans up the keywords when the list is saved.

Part of a list	What it holds	What AFP does with it
Name	The label the list appears under in every keyword-list picker	Must be unique among the lists your account can see. A duplicate name is rejected when you save.
Keywords	The words and phrases matched against the text of a comment or DM	Leading and trailing spaces are trimmed, blank entries are dropped, and repeated entries are collapsed to one. A list with no keywords is rejected.

Lists are sorted by name everywhere they appear, the manager loads them a page at a time, and its search box filters on the name — not on the keywords inside a list.

Whether a keyword has to appear as a whole word, and how the two strings are compared, are matching rules rather than list settings. Keyword matching rules covers them alongside the other match types a condition node offers.

How do I create a keyword list?

Lists are created in the keyword list manager, which opens as a dialog over the app and also exists as its own settings page. A list created in either place is available to every campaign your account can reach.

1. Open the keyword list manager.
2. Click New keyword list.
3. Type a name for the list.
4. Enter the keywords, one entry per word or phrase.
5. Save the list.

The saved list appears immediately in every keyword-list picker, including the one on the condition node you are about to configure.

Two saves are refused, each with an explanation rather than a silent failure: a name that another visible list already uses, and a list with no keywords in it.

How do I attach a list to a condition node?

1. Click the condition node on the canvas to open its settings.
2. Set the match type to Keyword list.
3. Choose the list from the dropdown. It is populated with every list your account can see, sorted by name.
4. To invert the test, turn on reverse matching. The Match output then takes the messages that contain none of the keywords.
5. Click Save to write the campaign’s graph.

Note

Choosing a list in the node settings changes the campaign in your browser only. The reference reaches AFP when you save the campaign, and each save writes a new version of the graph. New executions run the newest saved version.

Can I attach a keyword list to a trigger node?

No — keyword matching belongs to the condition node. A trigger node decides which events start the campaign: which post to watch, and whether one person may start the campaign more than once. It has no keyword setting. A trigger connects only to a condition, so the condition is where the text of a message is examined.

Can one list serve several campaigns?

Yes, and that is the reason to use a list instead of typing words into each condition node. Every keyword-list picker in the product reads the same set of lists, so a single list can back any number of condition nodes across any number of campaigns and pages.

Reuse cuts both ways: one edit changes every condition node that points at the list. When two campaigns need to diverge, create a second list rather than editing the shared one.

Lists belong to an account. If your account sits under a master account, the picker shows the lists that master account owns alongside your own personal lists, and the unique-name check covers both sets. See Manage profiles under one account.

What happens when I edit a list a live campaign uses?

Editing a list — renaming it, adding keywords, removing keywords — applies to every campaign that references it, with no need to re-save those campaigns. The same unique-name check runs as when you created the list, and editing never moves a list between owners.

New executions use the edited keywords straight away: the next comment or DM that reaches a condition node pointing at the list is judged against the new words.

An execution that is already parked at a condition waiting for a reply keeps the keyword set it started with for the rest of its life. A reply that arrives after your edit is matched against the old words, and that ends when the execution ends. Test and debug a campaign shows how to see which executions are parked.

What happens if I delete a list a campaign still references?

Deletion is refused while a campaign references the list directly: AFP answers with Can't remove this keyword list, because it's used for campaigns and the list stays. Deleting a list does nothing to your account or profiles — only the list is removed.

Caution

A condition node’s reference to a list lives inside the campaign’s saved graph, and deleting a list that only a condition node references is not refused. That condition then finds no list and sends every message down its Match output, so a campaign that used to filter starts replying to everything. Before deleting a list, point every condition node that uses it at another list or another match type, and save each of those campaigns.

Why is my keyword list not matching?

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Every message takes the Match branch	The condition node points at a list that has been deleted, or at one with no keywords in it — both fall through to a match	Attach a list that exists and has keywords, or change the match type, then save the campaign
The No Match branch runs for a message that clearly contains a keyword	Reverse matching is on, which inverts the test	Turn reverse matching off and save
Saving the list is refused for the name	Another list your account can see already uses that name	Rename the list
Saving the list is refused for the keywords	The list was submitted with no keyword entries	Add at least one keyword, then save
A keyword you typed is missing from the saved list	Blank entries are dropped and repeats are collapsed when the list is saved	Re-open the list and check the keywords it kept
Edits do not affect a conversation already under way	The execution is parked at a condition and keeps the keyword set it started with	Wait for that execution to end; the next one uses the new keywords
Searching the list manager for a keyword finds nothing	Search filters list names only	Search by the name of the list
The condition never runs at all	The campaign is saved but not active, or the trigger did not fire	Switch the campaign to active, then read its execution history

Related

• Keyword matching rules — the match types and how message text is compared.
• Test and debug a campaign — confirm which branch a condition took.
• Node types — every node you can add from the palette.
• Get started — the path from signup to a live campaign.