Form

Available in Classic and VPC

Form is a feature that provides conversation components that request an answer within the pre-set options in the chatbot's answer for a more effective conversation. When composing a conversation where the user is urged to select from a range of options, use multi-link or form. With the multi-link, the only available action is going to the URL link when clicking the button. Form provides multiple choice or open-ended questions depending on the user's question and enables the continuance of conversation with feedback for the answer. Form can be used in a variety of ways such as going to a specific option or viewing a specific result depending on the user's choice.

The following shows how to create and apply a form to an answer.

• Enter the form name to load when you register an answer with the multiple choice type.
• Enter # in the input window when you register an answer with the default type. Entering # will load the form list and you can select the form you want. Alternatively, you can enter the form name in the #{FormName} format.

Types of form

There are 2 types of form.

• Multiple choice form: The type where the user chooses from multiple options.
• Open-ended form: The type where the user enters text as an answer to the chatbot's question.

Multiple choice form
Multiple choice form is the type where the user chooses from multiple options. For example, you can create a multiple choice form to request the customer to answer Yes/No, or to select a menu.

Open-ended form
Open-ended form is the type where the user enters text as an answer to the chatbot's question. In open-ended forms, the user asks a question first about a specific topic, and the chatbot responds with the open-ended form's guide message which is set in advance. When the user enters the answer, the chatbot returns the answer from the open-ended form.
Action methods can be added when entering answers for an open-ended form. A UTF-8 encoded message with X-KAA-USERMSG as a key is sent in the action method's header.

The flow of an open-ended form is as follows.

(Question about a specific topic) User: Quote inquiry 
(Form's instruction message) Chatbot: Please enter an email address to receive the guide email. The entered information is sent to the person in charge.
(User answer) User: abc@navercorp.com 
(Form's answer) The email address has been sent to the person in charge. Thank you. 

Create form

Create multiple choice form

The following describes how to create a multiple choice form.

1. From the NAVER Cloud Platform console, click the Services > CLOVA Chatbot > Domain menus, in that order.
2. Click the [Run builder] button of the domain you want to run the chatbot builder.
3. From the chatbot builder, click the Form menu.
   • The list of forms will appear.
4. # Enter the name of the form to add in the input area, and then click the [+] button.
   
5. When the Add form window appears on the right side of the page, enter information about the form.

6. Click the [Save] button.

Create open-ended form

The following describes how to create an open-ended form.

1. From the NAVER Cloud Platform console, click the Services > CLOVA Chatbot > Domain menus, in that order.
2. Click the [Run builder] button of the domain you want to run the chatbot builder.
3. From the chatbot builder, click the Form menu.
   • The list of forms will appear.
4. # Enter the name of the form to add in the input area, and then press the [Enter] key.
5. When the Add form window appears on the right side of the page, enter information about the form.

6. Click the [Save] button.

Examples of using form

There are three main methods of using forms.

• Connecting forms continuously
• Creating conversations that connect form response information with action method
• Receiving information from the user with open-ended form and sending that information with action method

Connecting forms continuously
Connecting forms continuously works in the same way you go down the sub menus of a category on a webpage. This feature is a simple method where the flow is connected according to the scenario, regardless of natural language processing.
For example, you can create three forms and connect them consecutively, and urge the user to make a choice at each stage. However, creating too many forms in this format may prevent you from grasping the scenario. That's why the chatbot builder provides a feature for following the form flow in the Scenario tab so that the form flow can easily be recognized. For more detailed example, refer to Form + form connection.

Creating conversations that connect form response information with action method
You can create a conversation where an action method is executed by the user's choice.
For example, you can compose a scenario where the question "Tell me about the weather today" will provide the form #{Select city}, and the action method called ${weather} is executed to provide the answer when the user selects Seoul. For the example of creating that scenario, refer to Form + action method combination example.

Receiving information from the user with open-ended form and sending that information with action method
A scenario can be configured where open-ended user inputs are received and the information is connected to the next turn.
For instance, a scenario can be composed where the chatbot asks the question "Please tell us your opinion" with the open-ended form #{Leave opinion}, and when the customer leaves their opinion, the chatbot runs the action method of ${customerVoc} to forward all user input to the backend service, and then responds to the customer according to the server's response. For the example of creating that scenario, refer to Form + action method connection: open-ended form.

Form + form connection

When having to lead the user's choice through a set scenario, forms can be connected continuously or connected with conversations. In this example scenario, the chatbot shows a multiple choice form of recommended services when the user asks for a service recommendation, and lets the user go to the service's page when they click an option in the form.
Forms can be connected as follows.

1. Complete the preliminary preparation.
   • Create a game service form.
   • Create a mobile and web service form.
2. From the chatbot builder, click the Form menu.
3. Enter the form name, and then press the [Enter] key.
   • Form name: Service recommendation
4. Enter information when the form creation window appears.
   • Type: Multiple choice
   • Button type: Multiple choice button
   • Answer: Enter "Select the service type you want"
   • Button: Enter button names arbitrarily and select Text answer
     Enter the form to be connected to the text answer area in the #{Form name} format.
   • The #{Service recommendation} form can be called by entering the #{game service} form or #{mobile and web service} form.
5. Click the [Save] button.

Form + conversation connection

Conversations can be connected to forms. For example, you can call the "mobile service" conversation or "web service" conversation from the #{mobile and web service} form.
Forms and conversations can be connected as follows.

1. Complete the preliminary preparation.
   • Create the mobile service conversation.
   • Create the web service conversation.
     From the chatbot builder, click the Form menu.
2. Enter the form name, and then press the [Enter] key.
   • Form name: Service recommendation
3. Enter information when the form creation window appears.
   • Type: Multiple choice
   • Button type: Multiple choice button
   • Answer: Enter "Select the service type you want"
   • Button: Enter button names arbitrarily and select Connect conversation.
4. Select a conversation to connect.
   • Entering the name of an unregistered conversation creates a new conversation in that name.
5. Click the [Save] button.

Form + action method connection: multiple choice form

This is a scenario where the chatbot provides the #{select city} form to the user's question "Tell me about the weather today," and runs the ${weather} action method to give the answer when the user selects a city.

The following shows how to create the form to follow the above scenario.

1. From the chatbot builder, click Entity > the [Create entity] button, and create city entities.
   • Entity name: Enter a city
   • Representative term: Enter "Seoul" and "New York"
   • Please refer to Entity for how to create entities.
2. From the chatbot builder, click Action method > the [Create action method] button, and create an action method.
   • Name: ${weather}
   • URL: Assume that it's been developed to send the value of the current temperature when city=city name is sent using the GET method. Enter city=$[city] in the argument value to be sent in the call URL to create the action method.
   • For how to create action methods, refer to Action method.

3. Create a form in the Form menu of the chatbot builder.

   • Form name: #{select city}
   • Form type: Multiple choice
   • Answer: Enter "Select the city of your current residence."
   • Button: Enter a city name in each button, and enter the ${weather} action method as the text answer.
   • The action method of ${weather} is called when Seoul is selected or when Seoul is entered as text.

4. From the chatbot builder, click Conversation list > [Create conversation] button to create a conversation.

   • Enter "Tell me about the weather today" in the question registration area
   • Enter #{select city} in the answer registration area

5. Click the Conversation model build button to build, and complete conducting the test.

Form + action method connection: open-ended form

Open-ended form is a feature which enables the chatbot to receive the text the user entered themselves as answers and connect them to the next scenario, or send the user's utterance with an action method.
The example used is a scenario to request opinions for improvement from the customer who gave a feedback expressing dissatisfaction. Create an action method to receive the user opinion, and use the action method to create a form. Configure the chatbot to run this form when the user selects No as a feedback response from Common message's feedback menu.
The following shows how to create the open-ended form to follow the above scenario.

1. From the chatbot builder, click Action method > [Create action method] button, and create the {deliveruserimprovementopinion} action method.
   • The action method encodes the user's message responded in the open-ended form in UTF-8. It then includes X-KAA-USERMSG as the key value in the action method header and sends it.
2. Click the Form menu from the chatbot builder, and then create the form.
   • Form name: #{userimprovementopinion}
   • Type: Open-ended
   • Answer: "We apologize for your inconvenience. Please give us your opinion, and we will make improvements."
3. Enter the message to be sent to the customer along with the action method in the answer when returning the response to the user.
   • "${deliveruserimprovementopinion} Thank you for your thoughtful feedback."
4. From the chatbot builder, create a feedback message in Common message > [Feedback] tab.
   • Feedback message: Has the problem been solved?
   • Response when clicking the Y/N feedback: Select Use response message
   • Select Use response message > select the No button action as the text answer, and enter the #{userimprovementopinion} open-ended form