The Chat Input component is designed to facilitate the intake of user messages within an AI workflow. It acts as an entry point where users or external systems can provide text-based input, which is then processed by subsequent components in the workflow.

What Does This Component Do?

This component is primarily responsible for capturing chat messages or user input from the Playground interface. It’s ideal for scenarios where human or application input is needed to trigger or direct the flow of your AI processes.

Inputs

• Input Details:
  • Accepts a Message type input, typically a text string.
  • Not required to be filled out by default; can be left empty.
  • The input is traced both as input and as metadata, supporting better tracking and debugging of workflow runs.

Outputs

The component produces two possible outputs that can be connected to other components:

• Message: The primary output, representing the chat text submitted by the user.
• File: Supports file attachments, providing a response if the user uploads a file alongside their message.

Why Is This Component Useful?

• User Interaction: It enables interactive workflows by receiving live input from users, making it possible to create conversational bots, virtual assistants, or data intake forms.
• Flexibility: Since it handles both text and file inputs, you can design flows that process not just messages but also handle document uploads or attachments.
• Integration Point: Acts as the gateway for human-in-the-loop processes where manual input or validation is required before proceeding to automated steps.

Typical Use Cases

• Chatbots: Collect user questions or commands to be processed by language models.
• Customer Support: Intake user queries and attachments (like screenshots or documents) for support ticketing systems.
• Data Collection: Gather structured or unstructured input from end-users in various AI-driven applications.

Summary Table

This component is a foundational building block for workflows that require real-time or user-driven data, providing both textual and file input capabilities to downstream AI processes.