QuestionText Component

Overview

The QuestionText component allows you to ask users open-ended questions and collect their text responses. Perfect for gathering names, addresses, descriptions, feedback, and any other free-form text input.

When to Use QuestionText

Ideal for scenarios like: - Collecting user names or contact information - Asking for addresses or locations - Gathering feedback or comments - Getting detailed descriptions - Open-ended survey questions - Custom text input requirements

Configuration

Store User Response

The text entered by the user can be saved to a variable for later use:

In "Store output in variable", enter a variable name:

Example: userName
Example: userAddress
Example: feedbackText

Use this variable later in your flow:

Thank you {userName} for your feedback!

Auto Transition Mode

Toggle "Auto transition" to ON when you want to: - Display a message without waiting for user input - Automatically move to the next step - Show information or instructions

When enabled: - No user input is collected - Flow immediately transitions to next component - Variable storage is disabled - Use for informational messages

Add quick navigation options for better user experience:

Go Back Button

Toggle "Go Back" to ON

Customize label (max 20 characters):

Default: "Go Back"
Custom: "Previous Step"

Allows users to return to previous step

Go On Button

Toggle "Go On" to ON

Customize label (max 20 characters):

Default: "Go On"
Custom: "Continue"
Custom: "Next"

Allows users to proceed without typing

Note: Navigation buttons are only available when auto-transition is OFF.

Input Validation

Validate user input to ensure correct format and data quality:

Enable Validation: Toggle "Input validation" to ON
Select Validation Type:
Number: Validates numeric input
Email: Validates email format
Date: Validates date in specified format
Regular Expression: Custom pattern matching
Configure Validation:
For Date: Choose preset format or enter custom Python strptime format
For Regex: Enter your regex pattern (e.g., ^[A-Za-z]+$)
Custom Error Message: Optional custom message (default includes format info)
Length Limit (Optional):
Toggle "Input length limit" to ON
Set maximum character count
Prevents overly long responses

Example Configurations: - Email Collection: Validation Type = Email - Phone Number: Validation Type = Regex, Pattern = ^[0-9]{10}$ - Birth Date: Validation Type = Date, Format = DD/MM/YYYY - Short Answer: Validation Type = Number, Max Length = 3

Add Image

Enhance your question with a visual element:

Click "Add Image"
Upload an image (max 5 MB)
Image appears above your question text
Helps provide context or visual instructions

Good for: - Showing examples - Visual instructions - Product images - Reference materials

How It Works

User Experience

Bot asks: "What is your name?"
User: Types their response
QuestionText: Captures and stores the response
Result: Text stored in your variable for later use

Message Length Limits

WhatsApp limit: 1024 characters for outgoing messages
User input: No limit on incoming text length
Messages exceeding 1024 characters will be automatically truncated with "..."

Use Cases & Examples

1. Name Collection

Configuration: - Message: "What is your full name?" - Variable: userName - Go On: OFF

User flow:

Bot: What is your full name?
User: John Smith
-> Stored in {userName}

2. Address Collection

Configuration: - Message: "Please enter your delivery address" - Variable: deliveryAddress - Go On: OFF

3. Feedback Collection

Configuration: - Message: "How was your experience with our service?" - Variable: userFeedback - Go On: ON ("Skip")

Allows users to skip if they don't want to provide feedback.

4. Information Display (Auto-Transition)

Configuration: - Message: "Thank you! Processing your request..." - Auto transition: ON - Variable: (disabled)

Simply displays the message and moves on automatically.

5. Email Collection with Validation

Configuration: - Message: "Please enter your email address" - Variable: userEmail - Input validation: ON - Validation type: Email - Go On: OFF

Ensures users provide a valid email format.

6. Date Collection with Format Validation

Configuration: - Message: "Please enter your date of birth (DD/MM/YYYY)" - Variable: userBirthDate - Input validation: ON - Validation type: Date - Date format: DD/MM/YYYY - Go On: OFF

Validates date input matches the specified format.

7. Phone Number with Regex Validation

Configuration: - Message: "Enter your 10-digit phone number" - Variable: userPhone - Input validation: ON - Validation type: Regular Expression - Regex pattern: ^[0-9]{10}$ - Go On: OFF

Ensures exactly 10 digits are entered.

Best Practices

Message Clarity

DO: - Ask clear, specific questions - Use simple language - Provide examples when helpful - Explain what format you need

DON'T: - Ask vague or ambiguous questions - Use technical jargon - Assume users know what to enter

Examples

Good:

"Please enter your email address (example: john@example.com)"
"What is your phone number? (10 digits, no spaces)"
"Describe the issue in a few sentences"

Bad:

"Enter details"
"Provide information"
"Input data"

Variable Naming

DO: - Use descriptive variable names (userName, customerEmail) - Use camelCase for consistency - Keep names concise but meaningful

DON'T: - Use generic names (var1, temp, x) - Include spaces or special characters - Use reserved keywords

DO: - Use "Go Back" for returning to previous steps - Use "Go On" or "Skip" for optional questions - Keep button labels under 20 characters - Use clear, action-oriented labels

DON'T: - Use long descriptive labels (they'll be truncated) - Leave labels empty - Use confusing button text

Technical Details

Input Validation

The QuestionText component supports built-in input validation to ensure users provide data in the correct format. Enable validation by toggling "Input validation" to ON.

Validation Types

Number Validation
Validates that input is a valid number (integer or decimal)
Examples: 42, 3.14, -10, 0.5
Rejects: abc, 12abc, 12.34.56
Email Validation
Validates email address format
Examples: user@example.com, test.email+tag@domain.co.uk
Standard email format validation
Date Validation
Validates date input in specified format
Preset Formats:
- YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 2024-12-25)
- DD/MM/YYYY (e.g., 25/12/2024)
- MM/DD/YYYY (e.g., 12/25/2024)
- DD-MM-YYYY (e.g., 25-12-2024)
- YYYY/MM/DD (e.g., 2024/12/25)
- DD.MM.YYYY (e.g., 25.12.2024)
Custom Format: Use Python strptime format codes
- %Y for year (4 digits)
- %m for month (01-12)
- %d for day (01-31)
- Example: %Y-%m-%d for 2024-12-25
Error message includes the expected format in brackets
Regular Expression (Regex) Validation
Custom pattern matching using regex
Enter your regex pattern in the "Regex Pattern" field
Examples:
- ^[A-Za-z]+$ - Only letters
- ^[0-9]{10}$ - Exactly 10 digits
- ^[A-Za-z0-9]+$ - Alphanumeric only

Maximum Length Validation

Enable "Input length limit" to restrict the number of characters: - Set maximum length (e.g., 50, 100, 255) - Users cannot submit responses exceeding the limit - Error message indicates the maximum allowed length

Custom Error Messages

You can customize the validation error message: - Leave empty to use default messages - Default messages include format information (e.g., "Please enter a valid date in the required format (DD/MM/YYYY).") - Custom messages override defaults

Validation Behavior

Validation occurs when user submits input
Invalid input shows error message to user
User must correct input before proceeding
Valid input proceeds to next component
Stores raw user input in the variable (after validation passes)
Trims whitespace from responses

WhatsApp Limitations

Outgoing message limit: 1024 characters
User input: No character limit
Button labels: Maximum 20 characters
Variable names: Must be valid identifiers

Variable Storage

User responses are stored as: - Type: String - Encoding: UTF-8 - Whitespace: Leading/trailing whitespace removed - Empty responses: Stored as empty string

Common Patterns

Sequential Questions

Use multiple QuestionText components in sequence:

QuestionText (name) -> QuestionText (email) -> QuestionText (phone)

Optional Questions with Skip

Enable "Go On" button for optional questions:

Message: "Any additional comments? (Optional)"
Go On: "Skip"

Confirmation Flow

Collect input, then confirm:

QuestionText (collect) -> Text (confirm: "You entered: {userInput}")

Validation Pattern

Collect input, validate, retry if invalid:

QuestionText -> Formula (validate) -> (valid) Success
                                   -> (invalid) Error message -> back to QuestionText

Troubleshooting

Issue: Users send wrong format

Solution: Provide clear examples and format instructions in your question

Issue: Variable not storing

Check: - Variable name is properly configured - Auto-transition is OFF - Component is properly connected in flow

Issue: Message too long

Solution: - Keep questions concise - Split long messages into multiple Text components - Use variables to reduce repetition

Check: - Auto-transition is OFF - Flow has valid previous/next states - Button labels are under 20 characters

Need Help?

Email: contact@intalos.de

Last Updated: January 2025

QuestionText Component

Overview

When to Use QuestionText

Configuration

Store User Response

Auto Transition Mode

Navigation Buttons

Go Back Button

Go On Button

Input Validation

Add Image

How It Works

User Experience

Message Length Limits

Use Cases & Examples

1. Name Collection

2. Address Collection

3. Feedback Collection

4. Information Display (Auto-Transition)

5. Email Collection with Validation

6. Date Collection with Format Validation

7. Phone Number with Regex Validation

Best Practices

Message Clarity

Examples

Variable Naming

Navigation Buttons

Technical Details

Input Validation

Validation Types

Maximum Length Validation

Custom Error Messages

Validation Behavior

WhatsApp Limitations

Variable Storage

Common Patterns

Sequential Questions

Optional Questions with Skip

Confirmation Flow

Validation Pattern

Troubleshooting

Issue: Users send wrong format

Issue: Variable not storing

Issue: Message too long

Issue: Navigation buttons not working

Need Help?