These docs are for version 1.x of Rasa Open Source.

## User Guide

- [Installation](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/installation/)
- [Tutorial: Rasa Basics](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/rasa-tutorial/)
- [Tutorial: Building Assistants](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/building-assistants/)
- [Command Line Interface](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/command-line-interface/)
- [Architecture](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/architecture/)
- [Messaging and Voice Channels](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/messaging-and-voice-channels/)
- [Evaluating Models](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/evaluating-models/)
- [Validate Data](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/validate-files/)
- [Running the Server](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/running-the-server/)
- [Deploying your Rasa Assistant](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/how-to-deploy/)
- [Cloud Storage](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/user-guide/cloud-storage/)

## NLU

- [About](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/about/)
- [Using NLU Only](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/using-nlu-only/)
- [Training Data Format](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/training-data-format/)
- [Choosing a Pipeline](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/choosing-a-pipeline/)
- [Language Support](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/language-support/)
- [Entity Extraction](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/entity-extraction/)
- [Components](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/nlu/components/)

## Core

- [About](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/about/)
- [Stories](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/stories/)
- [Domains](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/domains/)
- [Responses](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/responses/)
- [Actions](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/actions/)
- [Policies](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/policies/)
- [Slots](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/slots/)
- [Forms](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/forms/#)
- [Retrieval Actions](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/retrieval-actions/)
- [Interactive Learning](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/interactive-learning/)
- [Fallback Actions](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/fallback-actions/)
- [Knowledge Base Actions](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/knowledge-bases/)

## Conversation Design

- [Dialogue Elements](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/dialogue-elements/dialogue-elements/)
- [Small Talk](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/dialogue-elements/small-talk/)
- [Completing Tasks](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/dialogue-elements/completing-tasks/)
- [Guiding Users](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/dialogue-elements/guiding-users/)

## API Reference

- [Action Server](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/action-server/)
- [HTTP API](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/http-api/)
- [Jupyter Notebooks](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/jupyter-notebooks/)
- [Agent](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/agent/)
- [Custom NLU Components](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/custom-nlu-components/)
- [Rasa SDK](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/rasa-sdk/)
- [Events](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/events/)
- [Tracker](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/tracker/)
- [Tracker Stores](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/tracker-stores/)
- [Event Brokers](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/event-brokers/)
- [Lock Stores](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/lock-stores/)
- [Training Data Importers](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/training-data-importers/)
- [Featurization of Conversations](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/api/core-featurization/)
- [Migration Guide](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/migration-guide/)
- [Rasa OSS Change Log](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/changelog/)

## Migrate from (beta)

- [Dialogflow](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/migrate-from/google-dialogflow-to-rasa/)
- [Wit.ai](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/migrate-from/facebook-wit-ai-to-rasa/)
- [LUIS](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/migrate-from/microsoft-luis-to-rasa/)
- [IBM Watson](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/migrate-from/ibm-watson-to-rasa/)

## Reference

- [Glossary](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/glossary/)

## Versions

viewing: 1.7.1

# Forms

One of the most common conversation patterns is to collect a few pieces of
information from a user in order to do something (book a restaurant, call an
API, search a database, etc.). This is also called **slot filling**.

If you need to collect multiple pieces of information in a row, we recommended
that you create a `FormAction`. This is a single action which contains the
logic to loop over the required slots and ask the user for this information.
There is a full example using forms in the `examples/formbot` directory of
Rasa Core.

When you define a form, you need to add it to your domain file.
If your form’s name is `restaurant_form`, your domain would look like this:

```
forms:
  - restaurant_form
actions:
  ...
```

## Configuration File

To use forms, you also need to include the `FormPolicy` in your policy
configuration file. For example:

```
policies:
  - name: "FormPolicy"
```

## Form Basics

Using a `FormAction`, you can describe _all_ of the happy paths with a single
story. By “happy path”, we mean that whenever you ask a user for some
information,
they respond with the information you asked for.

If we take the example of the restaurant bot, this single story describes all of the
happy paths.

```
## happy path
* request_restaurant
    - restaurant_form
    - form{"name": "restaurant_form"}
    - form{"name": null}
```

In this story the user intent is `request_restaurant`, which is followed by
the form action `restaurant_form`. With `form{"name": "restaurant_form"}` the
form is activated and with `form{"name": null}` the form is deactivated again.

The `FormAction` will only request slots which haven’t already been set.
If a user starts the conversation with
I’d like a vegetarian Chinese restaurant for 8 people, then they won’t be
asked about the `cuisine` and `num_people` slots.

Note that for this story to work, your slots should be [unfeaturized](https://legacy-docs-v1.rasa.com/1.7.1/core/slots/#unfeaturized-slot). If any of these slots are featurized, your story needs to
include `slot{}` events to show these slots being set.

## Custom slot mappings

If you do not define slot mappings, slots will be only filled by entities
with the same name as the slot that are picked up from the user input.
Some slots, like `cuisine`, can be picked up using a single entity, but a
`FormAction` can also support yes/no questions and free-text input.
The `slot_mappings` method defines how to extract slot values from user responses.

Here’s an example for the restaurant bot:

```
def slot_mappings(self) -> Dict[Text, Union[Dict, List[Dict]]]:
    """A dictionary to map required slots to
        - an extracted entity
        - intent: value pairs
        - a whole message
        or a list of them, where a first match will be picked"""

return {
        "cuisine": self.from_entity(entity="cuisine", not_intent="chitchat"),
        "num_people": [
            self.from_entity(
                entity="num_people", intent=["inform", "request_restaurant"]
            ),
            self.from_entity(entity="number"),
        ],
        "outdoor_seating": [
            self.from_entity(entity="seating"),
            self.from_intent(intent="affirm", value=True),
            self.from_intent(intent="deny", value=False),
        ],
        "preferences": [
            self.from_intent(intent="deny", value="no additional preferences"),
            self.from_text(not_intent="affirm"),
        ],
        "feedback": [self.from_entity(entity="feedback"), self.from_text()],
    }
```

## Validating user input

After extracting a slot value from user input, the form will try to validate the
value of the slot. Note that by default, validation only happens if the form
action is executed immediately after user input. This can be changed in the
`_validate_if_required()` function of the `FormAction` class in Rasa SDK.

## Handling unhappy paths

Of course your users will not always respond with the information you ask of them.
Typically, users will ask questions, make chitchat, change their mind, or otherwise
stray from the happy path.

The way this works with forms is that a form will raise an `ActionExecutionRejection` if the user didn’t provide the requested information.
You need to handle events that might cause `ActionExecutionRejection` errors
in your stories. For example, if you expect your users to chitchat with your bot,
you could add a story like this:

```
## chitchat
* request_restaurant
    - restaurant_form
    - form{"name": "restaurant_form"}
* chitchat
    - utter_chitchat
    - restaurant_form
    - form{"name": null}
```

## The requested_slot slot

The slot `requested_slot` is automatically added to the domain as an
unfeaturized slot.

## Handling conditional slot logic

Many forms require more logic than just requesting a list of fields.
For example, if someone requests `greek` as their cuisine, you may want to
ask if they are looking for somewhere with outside seating.

You can achieve this by writing some logic into the `required_slots()` method.

## Debugging

The first thing to try is to run your bot with the `debug` flag.

## Images