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Interactive elements and their settings

Interactive elements are the parts of a bit that the person or agent running a step fills in: a checklist to tick, a choice to make, a date to pick, text to write. They are what turn a step from something you read into something you do, and every answer is recorded on the trail. This article lists every element, what it is for, the settings you can give it, and what it records. For adding content to a bit in general, see Creating and editing bits; for when an element is worth adding at all, see Writing effective bits.

Adding and configuring an element​

Elements are added from the editor's toolbar (most are in its Forms group) or by typing a slash at the start of an empty line and choosing from the list. Select an element and open its properties to change its settings; changes save automatically.

Three settings are shared by most elements:

  • Element name. A short name for the answer, used wherever the answer is listed, such as the trail's step details. Up to 32 characters.
  • Label. The text shown above the element to whoever runs the step. Say what you are asking for, not what the element is: "Order number", not "Text field".
  • Required. When on, the step cannot be left, and the trail cannot be completed, until the element has an answer. See Required elements.

The elements​

Checklist​

A list of items to tick off, each one its own element.

  • Items. The text of each item. A checklist always has at least one.
  • Checked by default. Starts an item ticked.
  • Required, per item. Each item is required on its own; use Require all to make every item required at once, or Clear to undo it.

Records each item as checked or not.

A choice of one option from a list that opens on demand. Use it when the list is long or space is short.

  • Options. The choices offered, at least one.
  • Required. Available once the dropdown has at least one option.

Records the chosen option.

Radio buttons​

A choice of one option with every option visible at once. Use it for a short list where seeing all the choices helps.

  • Options. The choices offered, at least one.
  • Default option. Optionally pre-selects one option.
  • Required. Available once there is at least one option.

Records the chosen option's text. If you rename an option later, answers already given keep the old text.

Date​

A picker for a date, a time, or both.

  • Picker type. Date, Time, or Date and time.
  • Default to now. Fills in the current date or time when the step is opened.
  • Time with seconds. Shows seconds, for Time and Date and time.
  • Required.

Records the date, time, or both, without a time zone.

Text area​

Free text, from a short answer to several paragraphs.

  • Size. The number of lines and the width shown. Left unset, the box fills the width and grows with the answer.
  • Maximum length. Up to 5,000 characters; 500 by default.
  • Placeholder text. A hint shown in the empty box.
  • Spellcheck and auto-correct.
  • Validation pattern. A pattern the answer should match, such as the format of an order number, with a validation message that explains it. In Warning mode, an answer that does not match shows the message but is kept; in Enforced mode it is not saved and the person sees the message.
  • Required. An answer of only spaces does not count.

Records the text.

Searchable field​

A search box over a list you supply, for picking from more options than a dropdown can comfortably hold, such as product codes or office locations.

  • Data to search. The list itself: up to 5,000 plain entries, or up to 1,000 entries with several fields each, all of which are searched.
  • Search mode. Partial match (the default) or exact match. Search ignores upper and lower case.
  • Maximum results. How many matches are shown at once, 10 by default.
  • Multiple selection. Lets the person pick more than one item.
  • Placeholder text and no-results text.
  • Required.

Records the selected items. If you change the list after people have answered, their earlier selections keep the items they chose.

A link that records whether it was opened. An inline link sits inside a sentence; a link card shows the destination as a preview, with options to show or hide its icon, image, description and address, and an optional custom title and description. Only web addresses of safe types are accepted.

Records whether the link was opened.

Video​

A video uploaded to the bit, or embedded from a video site such as YouTube or Vimeo, with settings for its maximum width, shape (16:9, 4:3, square and others) and, for uploads, playing automatically, looping and starting muted. A video does not record whether it was watched.

Required elements​

Marking an element required makes the step wait for an answer:

  • Moving to the next step, or completing the trail on the last step, is refused until every required element on the step is answered. The person sees which ones are missing. Pausing, handing over and abandoning the trail are never blocked.
  • The rule applies to everyone running the flow, people and AI agents alike.
  • A bit is required the same way in every flow that uses it, and each visit to the step needs its own answer.
  • A checklist item ticked by default, or a radio button with a default option, counts as answered.

Require only what the process truly cannot go on without; every required element is a stop for whoever runs the step.

Choices that open or close a path​

A connection to the next step can depend on an answer. In the connection's settings, choose Enabled only when and pick a radio button, dropdown or checklist item on the same step, then the answers that open the path: the accepted options for a choice, or checked or unchecked for a checklist item. While running the flow, a path whose condition is not met stays visible but disabled, with a hint saying what it needs.

These conditions guide people running the flow in the app. An AI agent is not held to them, so when a path must never be taken without a given answer, say so in the step's content as well.

Where answers appear​

Answers save automatically as they are given, one answer per element for each visit to a step. They appear in the trail's step details, with when each was given and by whom, a person or an agent. When a trail is not active, or is not assigned to you, its elements are shown read-only.

AI agents and elements​

An AI agent running a trail sees each element on the step with its label, its settings and whether it is required, and answers them the way the settings allow: a choice must be one of the options, a date must be a real date in the picker's format, a searchable answer must come from its list. If one answer in a step is not valid, none of that step's answers are saved, so the agent can correct it and try again. Default to now does not fill a date in for an agent; it gives the date itself. Agents that write content create and configure elements with the same settings described here.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-06