Static Choice user input control

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 10 minutes to read

    • Use the Static Choice user input control in a Virtual Agent topic to list predefined choices available to the user. You can select only one item from a choice list.

    Choice display

    The choice list contains up to 10 items per page. When more than 10 items exist in an NLU conversation, you have the option to show the additional items and also filter the search results. The choice list prompt contains a search icon Search icon. that users can select to filter the results. When more than 10 items exist in an LLM chat conversation, a scroll bar appears. When more than 16 items exist in an LLM chat conversation, a search bar appears.

    The Static Choice control provides the option to add a header card that displays above the choice list. Header cards are supported in web and mobile channels.

    • The header card can contain a large or small image or a YouTube video card, along with descriptive text. The choice list contains up to five items by default, but the search feature is suppressed. If there are more than five items, users can choose to show the additional items.

    • To control the number of items displayed below a header card, add the com.glide.cs.web_header_picker_page_limit system property. Use the Value to specify the number of items displayed in the choice list. For details about creating a system property, see Add a system property.

    Static Choice user input control properties for LLM topic discovery

    Property Description
    Name

    Name that identifies this node in the topic flow.
    Variable name

    Name of the variable that stores the user response to this prompt. The variable name is automatically created from the Node name property.
    Allow automatic slot-filling

    Toggle to allow this node’s value to be automatically set by other nodes, as well as during topic discovery. When this toggle is activated, the Detail description field changes from dynamic Data Pill Picker and script options to a static text field.
    Detail description

    Description of the information that you need from users. If the Allow automatic slot filling toggle is deactivated, you can create a dynamic detail description by selecting the Data Pill Picker icon to define conditions, or select the Open Editor icon to enter a script. If the Allow automatic slot filling toggle is activated, you can only enter a static description.

    When the Allow automatic slot-filling toggle is inactive, the detail description includes Data Pill Picker and script dynamic options. When the toggle is active, the Detail description field becomes static.
    Choices
    Display name
    For each choice, the text that appears to the user for that choice. Use short phrases in your choice lists.
    • Slack has a limit of 30 characters for choice list labels.
    • Workplace has a limit of 20 characters for choice list labels.
    Value

    For each choice, the string that is stored in the variable when the corresponding choice is selected.
    Advanced
    Header Card

    Toggle to open a field to add cards which may include images or YouTube videos. For more information, see Insert a header card in a Static Choice or Dynamic Choice control
    Enforce user prompt

    Toggle to open a field for a custom message shown to the user instead of the message generated by the large language model (LLM). You can create custom messages in plain language, input a script, or define conditions with the data pill picker.
    Validation

    Add a script to validate the user input. For example, check if the user entered a valid email address.
    Additional instructions for LLM

    Further instructions to the LLM, such as adding data formats, restrictions, or default values for user responses. You can create additional instructions in plain language, input a script, or define conditions with the data pill picker.
    Hide or skip this node
    Conditionally use this node if No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for presenting this node in the conversation. The condition must evaluate to true.
    Allow user to skip this node if

    No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for letting users skip this node in the conversation. The condition must evaluate to true. You can set this field using either the condition builder or a script.

    If users enter a value such as skip this step when the conditions do not allow skipping, they receive a message saying the node cannot be skipped and are re-prompted to provide an answer.

    Example Static Choice user input control for LLM topic discovery

    Note:
    Virtual Agent Designer controls may display and function differently in other channels.
    Input properties List user prompt

    All basic Static choice user input fields are openly available. Select any of the advanced options to toggle them open individually.
    Figure 1. Static Choice list prompt example
    A choice list returns a list to select from.

    Static Choice user input control properties for NLU topic discovery

    Property Description
    Node name

    Name that identifies this node in the topic flow.
    Detail description

    The one piece of information needed from the user. For example, Ask the user which service catalog item they need.
    Variable name

    Name of the variable that stores the user response to this prompt. The variable name is automatically created from the Node name property.
    Prompt

    Prompt or question for the user. The prompt can be either a text string or a script that returns text. This value is used only when the default value is not specified. For example: What's your name?

    You can create rich text to alter the styling of the prompt:
    • Use single asterisks or underscores for italic text. For example, *text* or _text_.
    • Use double asterisks or underscores for bold text. For example, **text** or __text__.
    • Use triple asterisks or underscores for italic and bold text. For example, ***text*** or ___text___.
    • Use a spaced hyphen to add a bullet point to a line. For example, - text.
    • Use a spaced right angle bracket to create a block quote. For example, > text.
    • Use between one and six hash marks to create headers. For example, #text# or ######text######
    • Use brackets and parentheses to create a hyperlink. For example, [Link text](url). Add an exclamation point to a hyperlink to display an image. For example, ![alt text](image url)
    NLU entity

    Option to associate an NLU entity with the node. If an NLU entity is associated with the input variable for this node, Virtual Agent can slot-fill the specified value based on the user's utterance. Select an entity from the list of entities associated with the topic intent.

    When you specify an entity for the node, the Do not ask users to confirm recognized entity toggle switch is displayed. When enabled, users are not prompted to confirm the extracted entity.

    This field is available only when NLU discovery is enabled on the instance.
    Choices
    Display name
    For each choice, the text that appears to the user for that choice. Use short phrases in your choice lists.
    • Slack has a limit of 30 characters for choice list labels.
    • Workplace has a limit of 20 characters for choice list labels.
    Value

    For each choice, the string that is stored in the variable when the corresponding choice is selected.
    Advanced
    Header card

    Toggle to open a field to add cards which may include images or YouTube videos. For more information, see Insert a header card in a Static Choice or Dynamic Choice control
    Default value
    Default Value

    Predefined value for the user response to the question or prompt. The response defined in the Default value confirmation field asks the user to confirm the default value. If the user responds with no, the value becomes null. The default value can be either a text string or a script that returns text. For example, if you're using dot-walking, the default value might be: Script Variables > Last username. Or if you're using a script, the default value might be: {{vaScripts.lastUsername}}.
    Confirmation messages
    Input completion confirmation

    Bot response shown to the user when the node interaction is complete. The message can be either a text string or a script that returns text. For example, if you're using dot-walking: Thanks, (Input Variables > Username)! Or if you're using a script, the acknowledgement might be: Thanks, {{vaInputs.username}}!

    Default value confirmation

    Message that asks the user to verify that the value in the Default value field is correct. This message is used instead of a value in the Prompt field. It can contain either a text string or a script that returns text. For example, if you're using dot-walking: Are you (Input Variables > Username)? Or if you're using a script, the confirmation message might be: Are you {{vaScripts.lastUsername}}?.
    Conversation switching
    This section is available only when NLU discovery is enabled on the instance.
    Turn on to let users change the subject

    Option to enable NLU prediction for this node. If enabled, users can enter text to answer questions, regardless of the type of input control being used. Virtual Agent uses this utterance to match another existing intent, letting the user switch topics.
    Hide or skip this node
    Conditionally show this node if

    No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for presenting this node in the conversation. The condition must evaluate to true.
    Allow user to skip this node if

    No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for letting users skip this node in the conversation. The condition must evaluate to true. You can set this field using either the condition builder or a script.
    Skip reprompting if No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for letting users skip reprompting in the conversation. When a preceding node is revisited through a topic loopback or Dialog Act, the Virtual Agent bypasses this node and automatically retain its original value.

    Example Static Choice user input control for NLU topic discovery

    Note:
    Virtual Agent Designer controls may display and function differently in other channels.
    Input properties List prompt
    Figure 2. Static choice input control basic properties
    Basic properties include the node name, prompt, associated NLU entity, and a defined list of choices.
    Figure 3. Add card dialog box (Header card advanced option)
    Fields include Card type, title, description, image link, and image alt text.
    Figure 4. Web UI Static Choice list prompt
    A basic Static Choice list prompt that reads, "OK, what's the urgency of your issue?" Response include 1-High, 2-Medium, and 3-Low.
    Figure 5. Web UI Static Choice list prompt with more than 10 items
    Static Choice list in the web UI with the header, "Here are the breakfast items," followed by a list of more than 10 items.
    The choice list displays 10 items per page. When 10 or more results are returned, the following occurs:
    • The list includes a link at the end of the list to show more results.
    • A search icon displays in the prompt for filtering search results. Select the icon to open a search box and enter the filter.
    Figure 6. Web UI Static Choice list with header card
    Example Static Choice list. The header title reads "From your neighborhood candy store," followed by an embedded video and a list of five items.
    The choice list contains five items per page. When five or more results are returned, the list provides an option to show more results.
    Note:
    The search feature is suppressed when a header card is used.

    Channel support

    Table 1. Channel support for the Static Choice user input control
    Channel LLM support NLU/keyword support Constraints
    Web UI Not supported Supported None
    Mobile UI Not supported Supported None
    Now Assist panel Not supported Supported None
    Microsoft Teams Supported Supported None
    Slack Not supported Supported Header cards aren’t supported.

    When a choice list has three or fewer choices, Slack displays the list as buttons.
    Workplace Not supported Supported Header cards aren’t supported.
    Facebook Messenger Not supported Supported In a quick reply, the label has the maximum character limit of 20 characters. You can view only 13 quick replies at a time. If there are more than 13 quick replies, the pagination format is used to view more options. The default value of the maximum number of replies for a page is set in the sn_va_fb_messenger.max_quick_replies system property. This property is located in the System Property [sys_properties] table.
    SMS Twilio Supported Supported Header cards aren’t supported.
    LINE Not supported Supported In a quick reply, the label has a maximum limit of 20 characters. You can view only 13 quick replies at a time. If there are more than 13 quick replies, the pagination format is used to view more options. The default value of the maximum number of replies for a page is set in the sn_va_line.max.picker.choices system property. The property is located in the System Property [sys_properties] table.
    WhatsApp (powered by Twilio) Supported Supported None
    WhatsApp Not supported Supported Header cards aren’t supported.

    The prompt or body text has a maximum limit of 1,024 characters.

    For list buttons:
    • Each button label can have a maximum of 24 characters.
    • Only 10 list buttons are visible at a time.
    • If there are more than 10 buttons, the system automatically uses pagination to show additional options.
    Apple Messages for Business Not supported Supported None
    Alexa (Voice) Not supported Supported For screen devices, use touch scroll. For nonscreen devices, use voice pagination.