How to connect MS Word to microsoft's QnA Maker (VBA) - vba

Question

I am trying to connect MS Word to Microsoft's QnAMaker using VBA to help answer a wide variety of similar questions I receive.
My idea is select the question and then have vba query the answer and copy it to the clipboard (templates for replies are different, this way I can select where to output the answer).
Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
(I am using this JSON library: https://github.com/VBA-tools/VBA-JSON)
I have already applied the suggested solutions described in the issue section below: https://github.com/VBA-tools/VBA-JSON/issues/68
Sub copyAnswer()
'User Settings
Dim questionWorksheetName As String, questionsColumn As String,
firstQuestionRow As String, kbHost As String, kbId As String, endpointKey
As String
Dim str As String
str = Selection.Text
kbHost = "https://rfp1.azurewebsites.net/********"
kbId = "********-********-*********"
endpointKey = "********-********-********"
'Loop through all non-blank cells
Dim answer, score As String
Dim myArray() As String
Dim obj As New DataObject
answer = GetAnswer(str, kbHost, kbId, endpointKey)
Call ClipBoard_SetData(answer)
End Sub
Function GetAnswer(question, kbHost, kbId, endpointKey) As String
'HTTP Request Settings
Dim qnaUrl As String
qnaUrl = kbHost & "/knowledgebases/" & kbId & "/generateAnswer"
Dim contentType As String
contentType = "application/json"
Dim data As String
data = "{""question"":""" & question & """}"
'Send Request
Dim xmlhttp As New MSXML2.XMLHTTP60
xmlhttp.Open "POST", qnaUrl, False
xmlhttp.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", contentType
xmlhttp.setRequestHeader "Authorization", "EndpointKey " & endpointKey
**xmlhttp.send data**
'Convert response to JSON
Dim json As Scripting.Dictionary
Set json = JsonConverter.ParseJson(xmlhttp.responseText)
Dim answer As Scripting.Dictionary
For Each answer In json("answers")
'Return response
GetAnswer = answer("answer")
Next
End Function
Private Function json_ParseObject(json_String As String, ByRef json_Index As Long) As Scripting.Dictionary
Dim json_Key As String
Dim json_NextChar As String
Set json_ParseObject = New Scripting.Dictionary
json_SkipSpaces json_String, json_Index
...
I am encountering the following error which I am uncertain how to resolve: "This method cannot be called after the send method has been called".
The error occurs on the line: xmlhttp.send data

Answer 1

The GitHub issue you linked kind of had the answer, but it's not complete. Here's what you do (from the VBA Dev Console in Word):
In Modules > JsonConverter
Go to Private Function json_ParseObject
Add Scripting. to Dictionary in two places:
from:
Private Function json_ParseObject(json_String As String, ByRef json_Index As Long) As Dictionary
to:
Private Function json_ParseObject(json_String As String, ByRef json_Index As Long) As Scripting.Dictionary
and from:
Set json_ParseObject = New Dictionary
to:
Set json_ParseObject = New Scripting.Dictionary
In GetAnswer():
Also change from:
Dim json As Dictionary
to:
Dim json As Scripting.Dictionary
and from:
Dim answer As Dictionary
to:
Dim answer As Scripting.Dictionary
Here's my full working code:
In ThisDocument:
Sub copyAnswer()
'User Settings
Dim kbHost As String, kbId As String, endpointKey As String
Dim str As String
str = "test"
kbHost = "https:/*********.azurewebsites.net/qnamaker"
kbId = "***************************"
endpointKey = "*************************"
'Loop through all non-blank cells
Dim answer, score As String
Dim myArray() As String
answer = GetAnswer(str, kbHost, kbId, endpointKey)
End Sub
Function GetAnswer(question, kbHost, kbId, endpointKey) As String
'HTTP Request Settings
Dim qnaUrl As String
qnaUrl = kbHost & "/knowledgebases/" & kbId & "/generateAnswer"
Dim contentType As String
contentType = "application/json"
Dim data As String
data = "{""question"":""" & question & """}"
'Send Request
Dim xmlhttp As New MSXML2.XMLHTTP60
xmlhttp.Open "POST", qnaUrl, False
xmlhttp.setRequestHeader "Content-Type", contentType
xmlhttp.setRequestHeader "Authorization", "EndpointKey " & endpointKey
xmlhttp.send data
'Convert response to JSON
Dim json As Scripting.Dictionary
Set json = JsonConverter.ParseJson(xmlhttp.responseText)
Dim answer As Scripting.Dictionary
For Each answer In json("answers")
'Return response
GetAnswer = answer("answer")
Next
End Function
In Modules > JsonConverter
Private Function json_ParseObject(json_String As String, ByRef json_Index As Long) As Scripting.Dictionary
Dim json_Key As String
Dim json_NextChar As String
Set json_ParseObject = New Scripting.Dictionary
json_SkipSpaces json_String, json_Index
If VBA.Mid$(json_String, json_Index, 1) <> "{" Then
Err.Raise 10001, "JSONConverter", json_ParseErrorMessage(json_String, json_Index, "Expecting '{'")
Else
json_Index = json_Index + 1
Do
json_SkipSpaces json_String, json_Index
If VBA.Mid$(json_String, json_Index, 1) = "}" Then
json_Index = json_Index + 1
Exit Function
ElseIf VBA.Mid$(json_String, json_Index, 1) = "," Then
json_Index = json_Index + 1
json_SkipSpaces json_String, json_Index
End If
json_Key = json_ParseKey(json_String, json_Index)
json_NextChar = json_Peek(json_String, json_Index)
If json_NextChar = "[" Or json_NextChar = "{" Then
Set json_ParseObject.Item(json_Key) = json_ParseValue(json_String, json_Index)
Else
json_ParseObject.Item(json_Key) = json_ParseValue(json_String, json_Index)
End If
Loop
End If
End Function