Create selectable menus using the List Option block
Overview
The List Option block lets your bot offer chatters a list of selectable items. The item the chatter selects is saved as a variable to be used as you see fit. You can create the list of options manually, or populate the list with saved variables.
Here are some additional use cases for the List Option block:
Selecting a product (e.g., retail item selection)
Selecting items from an order list (e.g., to indicate an item missing from a delivery)
Identifying reasons for requesting an agent during the handoff process
Note
The List Option block works a bit differently on social media platforms. Rather than seeing a list of options that they can click, chatters will see the options in a numbered list. To make a selection, they can respond by typing either the name of the option or the corresponding number.
Use the List Option block
On the Ada dashboard, go to Build > Answers.
Select an Answer or create a new one, then drag and drop the List Option block from the block drawer into the Answer editor.
In the text field at the top of the block, enter a message prompting the chatter to make a selection. It could be as simple as "Pick an option," but should also include specific instructions when necessary. This bubble will appear right before the list of options.
Under Options Source, choose how you want to populate the list items. Then, depending on your choice, configure how you want the list items to appear under Option Setup.
Click Manual to use a static list of options. You can type these out yourself, or use variables.
Click Dynamic to use a dynamic list of options from an API response. In this case, you must save an array from the API response so you can use all instances of an attribute in the array to appear as your list options.
Select the Multiple Select checkbox to allow chatters to select more than one option.
Under Error Answer, choose an error Answer to display to your chatters in the event that an error occurs.
Under Save Response as Variables/a Variable, create or select a variable to save chatters' responses in, so you can use them later in your Answer or Answer flow. For more information about the types of variables you can save responses in, see Understand variable types.
Note
If you turned on Multiple Select, you must save the response in a List type variable.
Under Capture Settings, choose whether you want to allow chatters to advance through the Answer without making a selection.
Turn on the Response Required toggle to ensure that chatters provide a response before being able to advance through the Answer.
If they don't, and they click Never mind instead, they'll quit the Answer entirely and redirect to the Cancel Capture Answer.
If the Response Required toggle is off, chatters will see a Skip button that they can use to move on to the next block in your Answer.
If you turned on the Response Required toggle, a Show Cancel Button toggle appears. Turn this toggle on to show chatters a Cancel button, which will then redirect them to the Cancel Capture Answer.
A completed List Option Block looks like this. Then, you can use the variables you saved in subsequent Answers:
Understand variable types
When creating a target variable for your options list, the variable type you choose depends on whether you allow the chatter to select only one item from the options list or multiple items. If you have multiple select enabled, you must save the response in a List variable.
Text – A Text target variable can be used with any type of option variable.
Number – To use a Number target variable, all option variables in the list must be number variables.
Yes or No – The Yes or No target variable can only be used when the option variables in the list are also yes or no variables.
List – If you allow your chatters to select more than one item from the options list, you must save their selections as a List variable. Items collected in a List variable are separated by semicolons.
Once collected using the multiple select functionality, List variables can be used as you would any other variable. Here are a few examples:
Added to a block to relay the information back to the user, with each item separated by semicolons (e.g. "The items your shipment was missing are: lipstick; mascara; blush.")
In a Conditional block
Example: When asking a chatter to indicate items missing from an order, assume you have separate sets of instructions for chatters missing one item versus those who are missing multiple items. You can use the Conditional block to serve one set of instructions if the list length equals one item, and the second set of instructions if the list length equals two or more items.
Nesting in other blocks
You can nest the List Option block in other Operations blocks, such as the Conditional block or the Scheduled block. This is useful if you want to provide different lists of options to the chatter based on conditionals or a predetermined schedule.
Have any questions? Contact your Ada team—or email us at help@ada.support.