helper to send a trace activity

libraries/botbuilder-core/src/turnContext.ts

@@ -341,6 +341,38 @@ export class TurnContext {
         return reference;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Asynchronously sends an activity to the sender of the incoming activity.
+     *
+     * @param name The activity or text to send.
+     * @param value Optional. The text to be spoken by your bot on a speech-enabled channel.
+     * @param valueType Optional. Indicates whether your bot is accepting, expecting, or ignoring user
+     * @param label Optional. Indicates whether your bot is accepting, expecting, or ignoring user
+     * 
+     * @remarks
+     * Creates and sends a Trace activity. Trace activities are only sent when the channel is the emulator.
+     *
+     * For example:
+     * ```JavaScript
+     * await context.sendTraceActivity(`The following exception was thrown ${msg}`);
+     * ```
+     * 
+     * **See also**
+     * 
+     * - [sendActivities](xref:botbuilder-core.TurnContext.sendActivities)
+     */
+    public sendTraceActivity(name: string, value?: any, valueType?: string, label?: string): Promise<ResourceResponse|undefined> {
+        const traceActivity: Partial<Activity> = {
+            type: ActivityTypes.Trace,
+            timestamp: new Date(),
+            name: name,
+            value: value,
+            valueType: valueType,
+            label: label
+        };
+        return this.sendActivity(traceActivity)
+    }
+
     /**
      * Asynchronously sends an activity to the sender of the incoming activity.
      *

libraries/botbuilder-core/tests/turnContext.test.js

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 const assert = require('assert');
-const { BotAdapter, MessageFactory, TurnContext } = require('../');
+const { BotAdapter, MessageFactory, TurnContext, ActivityTypes } = require('../');
 
 const activityId = `activity ID`;
 
@@ -164,7 +164,23 @@ describe(`TurnContext`, function () {
         });
         context.sendActivity('test', 'say test', 'ignoringInput').then(() => done());
     });
-
+
+    it(`should send a trace activity.`, function (done) {
+        const context = new TurnContext(new SimpleAdapter(), testMessage);
+        context.onSendActivities((ctx, activities, next) => {
+            assert(Array.isArray(activities), `activities not array.`);
+            assert(activities.length === 1, `invalid count of activities.`);
+            assert(activities[0].type === ActivityTypes.Trace, `type wrong.`);
+            assert(activities[0].name === 'name-text', `name wrong.`);
+            assert(activities[0].value === 'value-text', `value worng.`);
+            assert(activities[0].valueType === 'valueType-text', `valeuType wrong.`);
+            assert(activities[0].label === 'label-text', `label wrong.`);
+            return[];
+        });
+        context.sendTraceActivity('name-text', 'value-text', 'valueType-text', 'label-text').then(() => done());
+    });
+
+
     it(`should send multiple activities via sendActivities().`, function (done) {
         const context = new TurnContext(new SimpleAdapter(), testMessage);
         context.sendActivities([testMessage, testMessage, testMessage]).then((responses) => {