🪄 What is the Format Component?
The Format component is one of the most powerful tools in your flow builder. It works as an "intelligent processor" that uses Artificial Intelligence to fix, interpret, or extract specific data before saving it.
It's ideal for situations where the information you receive (whether from a user or an external system) comes disorganized, in incorrect formats, or trapped within a long text or photograph. Additionally, it has the incredible ability to extract multiple different pieces of data in a single step and save them in their respective fields automatically.
⚙️ Working Modes: Text and Image
This component is "multimodal," which means it can work with two different types of formats depending on your needs:
📝 1. Text Mode
Used to process logic and clean text strings.
Typical use cases: Extract a name, email, and phone number from a long message written by the customer, summarize a complaint, or extract a specific confirmation code (ex. "Hi, my order code is AB-1234" → Extracts only "AB-1234").
📸 2. Image Mode (Document Reader)
Uses computer vision to "read" the text that appears within a photograph (OCR technology).
Typical use cases: Extract the identification number, name, and date of birth from a photo of an ID card, or read the total amount to pay in a photo of an invoice.
🛠️ How is it configured?
Whether you use text mode or image mode, the configuration always consists of two main steps:
General AI Instruction (Prompt): Here you give the main order to the Artificial Intelligence about what it should analyze in general.
Save Destinations: Here you define the fields or variables where the cleaned information will be saved. You can configure multiple repeatable rows to extract several pieces of data in a single step.
If you configure only 1 destination: The system works directly by saving the result of your general instruction.
If you configure 2 or more destinations: Each row will require a mandatory "save instruction". This tells the AI exactly what piece of information goes in each place.
Auto-fill tip: If your destination is an Information Field, the instruction will be pre-filled automatically with the description you configured for that field when you created it (you can edit it if you wish). If it's a Flow Variable, the space will be blank for you to write the instruction manually.
🥇 Golden Rules and Best Practices
To get the most out of this component and avoid unexpected results, follow these tips:
Write exact prompts: AI is very conversational. To prevent it from saving unnecessary text, use imperative instructions: "Return ONLY the number, without greetings, without explanations or extra words."
Take advantage of Multiple Extraction: If you need to extract 3 different pieces of data from a photo of an ID (Name, Date of Birth, and ID Number), you don't need to place multiple Format components in a row. Simply use a single component, add three rows to your "Save Destinations" and give each row its specific instruction. The AI will do the heavy lifting in a single execution, keeping your flow short and easy to read.
Protect the integrity of customer data: If you use AI to generate a greeting, a summary, or extract temporary data, always save it in a dynamic "Flow Variable". Avoid using the customer's fixed information fields (such as Name or Last Name) unless you're sure you want to permanently update their profile.
⚠️ Limitations to keep in mind
Mandatory instructions in multiple mode: If you decide to extract more than one piece of data (2 or more destination rows), the system will require that each row has its own instruction. You won't be able to save or publish your flow if you leave any instruction blank.
Quality matters: In Image mode, the precision of extraction depends entirely on how legible the photo sent by the user is (good lighting, without blur, and without strong reflections).
Take your automation to the next level! 🚀
The Format component allows you to leave behind strict and rigid validations, reducing the size of your flows. By integrating Artificial Intelligence directly into your steps, your bot gains the ability to understand, read, extract, and interpret customer information almost as a human would. ✅