A reader opens a clinical document and asks "what dose should I give?". The assistant has no idea whether the patient is four years old or forty, so the answer covers everything and helps nobody. The reader could have said so in the question. They usually do not.
Helpers solve this by asking first. They are short, guided questions attached to a document's chat, and the answers travel along with the reader's next message so the assistant can tailor its reply. Patient age and weight on a clinical document. Device model on a support manual. The point is not to collect data — that is what forms are for. The point is that the assistant knows who it is talking to before it answers anything.
What readers see
When helpers are enabled, a button appears with the document's chat tools, labeled with whatever section title the admin chose — Patient Information, for instance — with a small count showing how many questions there are. In the compact tools list it is labeled Form, described as Guided form input. Chat tools and the sidebar covers the rest of that strip.
Selecting it opens a panel with the questions in it. A short note at the top explains the purpose: what you enter is sent with your messages so answers can be more relevant, and you can skip anything that does not apply. The panel shows the section title, the admin's optional description, and each question in order, with required ones marked by an asterisk. Done closes the panel and keeps your answers.
The step-by-step wizard
Admins can present the same questions as a wizard instead. It opens automatically the first time a reader clicks into the message box of a new conversation, titled with the section title or Before you chat by default, introduced with a line such as "Answer these questions so the assistant can tailor responses to your situation."
Questions are grouped into panels, with a progress bar and a Step 1 of 3 style counter. Next advances after checking the current panel's answers, Back returns to the previous one, and on the last panel the button reads Continue to chat. Pressing Enter inside a question does the same thing as the primary button. Return to chat or the close control dismisses the wizard at any time.
Dismissal behaves sensibly. If every question is optional, dismissing is final. If any question is required and the reader has answered nothing, it reopens the next time they click into the message box. Once the first message is sent, the wizard stays out of the way.
Reviewing and sending answers
Once anything is filled in, a compact summary strip appears near the message box, titled with the section title and listing each answered question and its value. Readers can remove a single answer with the control beside it, select Clear all to erase everything, or select Add more to reopen the wizard when it is enabled. A note underneath reminds them: "This information will be included with your question to the assistant."
When the next message goes out, the answers are added to it as a labeled list, visible at the top of the message bubble. Values are rendered readably: choices show their display label, checkboxes show Yes or No, numbers carry their unit ("72 kg"), and dates are formatted as dates. Nothing is hidden from the reader.
How long answers last
Helper answers are attached to the next message, then the form clears. The summary strip disappears, though the assistant continues to remember the context from that earlier message for the rest of the conversation. Answers are also cleared when a reader starts a new conversation, switches documents, or reloads the page. If the situation changes mid-conversation, the reader reopens the helper form and enters fresh values before the next question.
Building helpers
Helpers are configured per document, in the document editor's Helpers tab. Changes save automatically — toggles and field changes save immediately, text edits save a moment after you stop typing, and a Saving... / Saved successfully! indicator tracks it. See the document settings tour for how to get to the editor.
Four settings sit above the fields:
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Enable Helpers | The master switch, off by default. When off, readers see no helper button at all, and the other settings are hidden. |
| Wizard on first message | Shows the step-by-step wizard when a reader first clicks into the chat box on a new conversation. |
| Section Title | The heading readers see on the button, panel, and summary. Defaults to "Patient Information". |
| Description | Optional text below the title, and the wizard's introduction. Basic HTML is supported — bold, italic, underline. |
Below that, the Helper Fields section offers Add Helper Field to create a question and Add Section Break to insert a divider. Breaks matter more than they look: when the wizard is on, each break starts a new wizard panel and its label becomes that panel's heading. Fields before the first break appear under the section title.
Field properties and types
Each field opens in its own editor window. Every field has a Field Type and a Label (required — the question text readers see). Input fields also offer Placeholder hint text, a Required field toggle that adds the asterisk and blocks wizard progress until answered, and a Custom Validation Message to replace the standard error text. Depending on type you also get Unit (shown beside the value and included when the answer is sent), Min Value and Max Value, Step, Options, and Default Value.
| Type | What readers get |
|---|---|
| Number | A numeric box with the unit shown inside. Takes unit, min, max, step. Out-of-range entries are rejected. |
| Text | A single-line box, optionally with a unit. |
| Select Dropdown | A dropdown starting at "Select an option...". Needs at least one option. |
| Checkbox | A single checkbox, sent as Yes or No. The placeholder text becomes its label, defaulting to "Check if applicable". |
| Radio Buttons | One choice from a visible list. |
| Date | A date picker, sent as a formatted date. Can have a default value. |
| Range Slider | A slider showing minimum, maximum, and current value with its unit. Min and max are required, defaulting to 0–100. |
| Break | A section heading and divider, not a question. Starts a new wizard panel. |
Options on dropdowns and radios each have a stored value and a display label, so you can change the wording readers see without breaking anything that references the value.
Conditional display
Any input field can be shown only when conditions on other fields are met. Turn on Show this field conditionally, then use Add Condition to build rules. Each rule names another field, an operator, and usually a value: equals, does not equal, contains, greater than, less than, is checked (true), and is not checked (false). Show "Trimester" only when "Pregnant" equals "Yes". Show "Pediatric Dose" when "Age" is less than 12. When the referenced field is a dropdown or radio, the editor offers its options in a picker so you cannot mistype a value, and a field cannot reference itself.
With more than one rule you choose how they combine: All conditions match (AND) or Any condition matches (OR). Hidden fields are not shown, are not required even if marked required, and their values are left out of what is sent to the assistant — so a stale answer in a field that later became hidden never colors the response.
Ordering, publishing, and preview
Drag the handle on the left of each row to reorder; that order is the order readers see. Each row has a status button to Publish or Unpublish the field. Unpublished fields carry a DRAFT badge and are visible only to admins in the live chat, which is the practical way to test a question on the real document before releasing it. The trash control deletes a field after a confirmation, and a Preview panel below the list shows a simplified rendering as you build.
One piece of advice worth taking: keep the form short. A handful of well-chosen questions gets far better completion than a long questionnaire. If you genuinely need length, use section breaks and turn the wizard on so readers see a few questions at a time rather than a wall of them.