The term slot has several meanings, but it most often refers to a period of time in a schedule or sequence. It can also describe a position, such as the job of chief copy editor or the location on an ice hockey rink. The word is also used in computer programming to reference an area of memory that can be accessed and filled by a program.
A slot can also be a position in an ice hockey game between the face-off circles, which is where a player is assigned to guard the opposing team’s goalie. A slot in this context is a place where a player can play for points or defense the most.
Online slot games use a random number generator to determine the outcome of each spin, so it’s impossible to predict the result before each spin. That’s why players should avoid strategies like waiting for a machine to “heat up” or playing at specific times. In fact, it’s against the law to fiddle with a slot machine and can lead to hefty fines.
A slot in Dialog Engine is a dynamic placeholder that either waits for content (passive) or calls out for it (active). Slots are dictated by a scenario using an Add Items to Slot action or a targeter to fill the slot with content. You can also define custom slot types to map entity values to specific responses. For example, a custom slot type that matches flight codes could be mapped to the response, “I will try my best to get you on the next flight.” You can even add synonyms for a slot type so that Dialog Engine recognizes multiple words or phrases that match the same value.