> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs-next.gallabox.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Ask Nodes

<Info>
  **Who can use this?**

  * Gallabox users with **Bot Builder access** (Owners and Admins included)
</Info>

<Info>
  Ask nodes pause the bot flow and wait for the customer to reply with a specific type of input — text, email, phone number, date, file, location, or a button/list selection. The response is stored in a variable for use in downstream nodes.
</Info>

## Plan Availability

| Node                 | Basic | Essential | Advanced |
| -------------------- | :---: | :-------: | :------: |
| Ask Text             |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Email            |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Number           |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Phone            |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Date             |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask URL              |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Reply Buttons    |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask List             |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Keyword Options  |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Collections List |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Address          |   ✓   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask File             |   —   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Location         |   —   |     ✓     |     ✓    |
| Ask Form             |   —   |     ✓     |     ✓    |

## How Ask Nodes Work

1. **The bot sends a question** — the customer sees the message in WhatsApp, Instagram, or Web Chat
2. **The flow pauses** — the bot waits for the customer's reply
3. **The customer responds** — the input is validated and stored in a variable you name
4. **The flow continues** — the next node uses `{{variable_name}}` to insert the value

If the customer sends the wrong type of input (e.g., text when you asked for a phone number), the bot shows your configured **retry message** and stays on the same step.

## Ask Node Types

### Text Input Nodes

#### Ask Text

Collects any open-ended text response. No format validation.

**Example:** Question: *"What's your order number?"* → stores reply in `{{order_number}}`

Use when you need free-form text — order IDs, names, notes, custom queries.

#### Ask Email

Validates that the input is a properly formatted email address (must contain `@` and a domain).

**Example:** Question: *"Please share your email address for your account"* → stored in `{{contact_email}}`

#### Ask Phone

Validates a phone number format. Supports international formats.

**Example:** Question: *"What's the best number to reach you?"* → stored in `{{customer_phone}}`

#### Ask Number

Accepts only numeric input. Can be configured with min/max values.

**Example:** Question: *"How many units would you like to order?"* → stored in `{{quantity}}`

Validation: set min=1, max=1000 to restrict range.

#### Ask URL

Validates a properly formatted URL (must start with `http://` or `https://`).

**Example:** Question: *"Share your website URL"* → stored in `{{website_url}}`

#### Ask Date

Opens a date picker on Web Chat; accepts natural language dates on WhatsApp/Instagram ("next Monday", "December 15").

**Example:** Question: *"When would you like your delivery?"* → stored in `{{delivery_date}}` in YYYY-MM-DD format

***

### Choice-Based Nodes

#### Ask Reply Buttons

Shows up to 3 tappable buttons. The customer taps instead of typing — reduces errors.

**Example:** Question: *"What do you need help with?"*\
Buttons: \[Track Order] \[Place Order] \[Talk to Agent]

The selected button text is stored in your variable. Use a Condition node to branch based on the selection.

#### Ask List

Shows a structured list of options — scrollable, can have more options than buttons.

**Example:** Question: *"Select your department:"*\
Options: \[Sales] \[Support] \[Billing] \[Returns] \[Other]

#### Ask Keyword Options

Matches the customer's typed keyword against a list of predefined triggers.

**Example:** Question: *"Type 'sales' for Sales, 'support' for Support, 'demo' to book a demo"*

If customer types "sales" → `{{keyword_response}}` = "sales" → branch to sales flow.

#### Ask Collections List

Shows WhatsApp collections (product or service categories) as selectable options.

**Example:** Question: *"Browse our categories:"* → sends a collection of category cards

***

### Advanced Input Nodes (Essential+)

#### Ask Address

Collects a structured address with fields: street, city, state, postal code, country.

**Example:** Question: *"Please share your delivery address"* → stored in `{{delivery_address}}` as structured JSON

#### Ask File

Asks the customer to upload a file — images, PDFs, or documents.

**Example:** Question: *"Upload your ID document for verification"* → stored in `{{id_document}}` as a file reference

**Limits:** WhatsApp supports files up to 16MB; supported formats depend on the channel.

#### Ask Location

Asks the customer to share their current location. Works on WhatsApp and Web Chat.

**Example:** Question: *"Share your location to find the nearest store"* → stored in `{{customer_location}}` as lat/long coordinates

#### Ask Form

Combines multiple fields into one screen — the customer fills in all fields in one go.

**Example:** Collect booking details: name, email, phone, date, notes — all in a single form submission.

**Example configuration:**

* Field 1: Name (text)
* Field 2: Email (email)
* Field 3: Preferred date (date)
* Field 4: Notes (text, optional)

> To **request a payment** during a flow, use the [Send WhatsApp Payment node](/whatsapp/overview) — payments are a Send node, not an Ask node.

***

## Validating Input

Each Ask node has built-in validation. You can also configure retry behavior:

| Node       | Validation                              | Retry message example                                                         |
| ---------- | --------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ask Email  | Format check (`@` + domain)             | "Please enter a valid email like [name@example.com](mailto:name@example.com)" |
| Ask Phone  | Format check (digits + optional prefix) | "Please enter a valid phone number (e.g., 9876543210)"                        |
| Ask Number | Min/max numeric values                  | "Please enter a number between 1 and 1000"                                    |
| Ask Date   | Min date / max date                     | "Please choose a date in the future"                                          |
| Ask URL    | Must start with http\:// or https\://   | "Please enter a valid URL starting with https\://"                            |

## Storing Responses in Variables

Every Ask node saves the customer's response to a **variable** you name:

1. Find the **Variable name** field in the Ask node
2. Enter a descriptive name: `customer_email`, `delivery_date`, `support_topic`
3. Use `{{customer_email}}` in any downstream Send node to personalise the message

**Example flow:**

```
Ask Phone → Variable: "support_phone"
  → next node: "We'll call you at {{support_phone}} within 2 hours"
```

## Branching Based on Ask Responses

Use a **Condition node** after an Ask node to split the flow:

```
Ask Number → "How many units?"
  → Condition: {{quantity}} >= 10 → Send bulk pricing message
  → Condition: {{quantity}} < 10 → Send standard pricing message
```

For Ask Reply Buttons:

```
Ask Reply Buttons: [Track Order] [Place Order] [Talk to Agent]
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Track Order" → Track order flow
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Place Order" → Place order flow
  → Condition: {{help_topic}} = "Talk to Agent" → Assign to agent
```

## FAQs

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The bot keeps repeating the same question — what do I do?">
    The customer is either:

    1. **Sending the wrong type of input** — e.g., typing text when you asked for a phone number
    2. **Not responding at all** — the session may have timed out

    Check your retry message is clear: *"Please enter a 10-digit phone number, e.g., 9876543210."* Also check the **timeout setting** — if the customer takes too long, the session expires and the flow restarts. Consider adding a Condition node that checks if the variable is empty after a timeout and routes to a different branch or sends a "Taking too long?" message.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can customers respond with natural language dates like 'next Tuesday'?">
    Yes — on WhatsApp and Instagram, Gallabox's NLP understands natural language dates ("next Monday", "December 15", "in 3 days"). On Web Chat, the customer sees a date picker. Dates are stored in ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD) in variables, so you can use them in calculations or comparisons with a Condition node.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Ask File doesn't work on WhatsApp — why?">
    Ask File requires the customer to upload a file. WhatsApp supports file uploads, but file size and type are limited by Meta's API. For WhatsApp, an alternative is Ask Text with instructions like *"Reply with your document name and we'll send you a secure upload link."*
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I make an Ask node optional — skip if the customer doesn't respond?">
    Add a **Condition node** after the Ask node that checks if the variable is empty:

    ```
    Condition: {{customer_email}} is empty
      → true: Send "No email provided — we'll continue without it"
      → false: Send "Thanks! We've sent a confirmation to {{customer_email}}"
    ```

    You can also set a timeout in the Ask node that routes to a different branch if no response is received within the configured time.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>