Creating Mentions in Webex Spaces via API: Is it Possible to Mention

[caroljankins5]

Greetings! I'm currently working on an integration project with Webex and I'm trying to figure out whether it's possible to include a mention when creating a new message in a Webex space via API.

While I have successfully retrieved messages with mentions and have seen how it utilizes the mentionedPeopleId field, I have been unable to find any documentation on including a mention when creating a new message, which leads me to believe it may not be possible.

I have also attempted to utilize markdown formatting, but it seems that there is no markdown that would enable me to include a mention in the message. I have tried including "@(display name)" or "@(email)" in the markdown in the request body, but this has only resulted in the literal text being posted rather than resolving to an individual.

Our team frequently uses busy chat rooms where members have configured notifications for @mentions only. In order to enhance our workflow, we would like to be able to post a message to these channels via our integrated application and mention the individual who the message is relevant to. This way, the mentioned individual can receive a notification for that specific message while ignoring other irrelevant messages in the channel.

If anyone has any insights or possible solutions for this problem, it would be greatly appreciated. thanks you!

[ponambur]

Hi, i stumbled upon this post and have been looking for a solution for this exact problem. Sending "@email|<person name>" or "@personId" in the markdown only send the it as a plaintext. Wondering if @caroljankins5 was able to resolve the issue?

If someone could help me with this, your help is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

[sandiban]

Hi @ponambur,
Thanks for your patience!
No, that's not the way to send a Email highlight through the "markdown" parameter while creating a message through API.
The format/tag should be as below - 

<@personEmail:mike@example.com>

 Kindly tryout this way and while the message is posted on the Webex space/1-1 chat, that person would be marked as a email mention.
So, a complete message would be like this - 

"markdown": "Hey, how are you <@personEmail:mike@example.com>!!"

You can find a similar sample as well here, in API Documentation - https://developer.webex.com/docs/api/v1/messages/create-a-message Kindly check the "Example" tab, next to "Try it" tab on the right hand side, blank panel.
Try this out and let us know how it goes.

Regards!
Sandip

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[jrolfe]

I've looked at other posts from caroljankins5 and found that all four of them are also copies (with minor modifications) of other posts made just before.  Cisco, you've got a bot, or possibly a bad actor with a more nefarious purpose, acting in your forums.  Possibly someone scraping the forums looking for devs posting API keys or credentials or something else, but trying to disguise themselves as a regular user by making the occasional post that's just a modified copy of someone else's.
Other examples:
Original post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/webex-calling/third-party-headsets-integration-with-webex-calling/m-p/4741477
Copycat post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/cisco-remanufactured-equipment-discussions/third-party-headsets-integration-with-webex-calling/td-p/4741808

Original Post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/xr-os-and-platforms/kindly-elaborate-the-differrence/td-p/4737882
Copycat post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/xr-os-and-platforms/ios-xr-difference-username-in-admin-and-global-config-mod/td-p/4737684

Original post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/vpn/vpn-connection/td-p/4721155
Copycat post:
https://community.cisco.com/t5/vpn/vpn-troubleshoot/td-p/4721174

[jrolfe]

I'm not sure if there is some ChatGPT thing or what's going on here, but this is almost an exact duplicate of a question I posted a few hours before this one.  Only a few words have been changed. 

https://community.cisco.com/t5/webex-for-developers/include-a-mention-when-creating-a-new-message-via-api/m-p/4780781#M1929

This makes me highly suspicious of bot activity or something to that effect going on in these forums.  There is clearly WAY too many similarities to be a coincidental posting.  The posting of the exact question with the same details, in almost the exact way with the same structure and wording, but with a few words changed, looks to me like an intentional copy with the intent to modify it just enough to not get picked up as a direct copy.

[dtibbe]

See https://developer.webex.com/docs/basics#formatting-messages section Mentions.

Hi <@personEmail:banderson@example.com|Bobby>, your order has been processed.

We should get <@personId:Y2lzY29zcGFyazovL3VzL1BFT1BMRS9mNWIzNjE4Ny1jOGRkLTQ3MjctOGIyZi1mOWM0NDdmMjkwNDY|Jose> to look at that right away.

Is the syntax you're looking for