Ask for Information
The Ask for Information action defines a request for a specific value that is sent to a specified user or group of users, as well as the means of communication. This action can communicate with users within Tonkean or an outside system.
Name the Action Block
Select the action title or the blue pencil icon, 
, and provide a descriptive title for the action.
Turn Action Block On or Off
By default, action blocks are enabled and turned on. Select the toggle in the top right of the action panel to disable or turn it off.
When building a module, remember you can toggle actions on and off rather than deleting them.
Who should Tonkean module ask?
Select Business Groups to choose users from within your organization or Custom to specify custom recipients.
Business Groups
Business groups are collections of users that participate in business processes and perform a specific function.
Select the insert field button, 
, to select from existing business groups:
Select whether to send the message as a group message, as defined on the Group communication method screen, or as a direct message to each individual member of the business group:
Custom
Person
Flow item's owner - The owner of the item in the workflow, which corresponds to the the basic field Owner. To set a value for the Owner field, add an Assign Owner action block earlier in the workflow or add a value manually by navigating to Business Reports > [Module Name], select the Owner column, and select Default Settings.
Specific people - Any person authenticated within Tonkean in your organization. This field allows one to many people. Select the field to see a list of available people or begin typing and the field will autofill suggestions.
If you select a Slack or Microsoft Teams communication tool, you have the option to Reply in Thread, where the message is sent as a reply to an existing thread instead of as a new message.
Email from field - Retrieve a person from a specified data source, form field, or other locations. Begin typing and the field will autofill suggestions or select the Insert Field button,
, to select current fields, matched entities, flow items fields, or formula fields.
If you select a Slack or Microsoft Teams communication tool, you have the option to Reply in Thread, where the message is sent as a reply to an existing thread instead of as a new message.
Channel
Public - Select from all available channels in the selected communication tool (for example, all the public channels in a Slack or Teams workspace). In order for this option to be available, configure the permissions accordingly for the application by selecting your User Icon and navigating to Board Settings > Data Sources.
Private - Select from any private channels you're a member of in the selected communication tool. Enter the name of the private channel and then select the Check button.
You don't need to include the hashtag, "#". It's automatically added to the field.
If you select a Slack or Microsoft Teams communication tool, you have the option to Reply in Thread, where the message is sent as a reply to an existing thread instead of as a new message. This option is not available when sending the message as an email.
Custom - Select a channel (public or private) that corresponds with an existing custom field.
If you select a Slack or Microsoft Teams communication tool, you have the option to Reply in Thread, where the message is sent as a reply to an existing thread instead of as a new message. This option is not available when sending the message as an email.
Text message
Add information to help clarify the purpose for contacting the individual or group. Type into the field for short messages or hover over the field to display the Editor tab.
HTML is only accepted for email messages due to limitations in Slack and Microsoft Teams. Markdown is valid for all communication methods.
Select this tab to open the Edit HTML Content rich text editor.
In addition to rich text, select the Insert field button, , to include current fields, matched entities, flow items fields, or formula fields.
Select the tooltip icon, 
, to see Markdown formatting information.
Choose on what to ask
Select the field whose value you're requesting from the recipient from the dropdown. You can choose from existing fields in the workflow, default fields, or custom fields from data sources.
Monitor thread messages
Turn on the Monitor thread messages toggle to keep track of all the replies in this thread. Turning on this toggle creates a new "New message on Thread" block in the workflow.
Common use cases for this function include collecting all the responses to a question and storing them for logging or audit purposes, sending attachments in users' replies to a connected data source (Google Drive, Dropbox), or leveraging NLP to listen for particular phrases and then take specified actions in response to those phrases.
Select the Select data storage dropdown to choose a storage location for any attachments that are received from replies within this thread.
Add data of fields to the message
In addition to including free text in a message, you can add more structured data to a message by including data from any field Tonkean is monitoring.
Select + Add field to add a Search data field dropdown from which you can select from any existing field (basic fields or fields from a data source) or create a new field.
Any fields included in the message display at the bottom of the message, regardless of communication type.
Select Manage Fields to open the Fields panel on the left side of the screen. In this panel, you can add new fields and configure existing fields.
Select the kebab beside the data field to configure the fields to display inline (side-by-side) or to delete a field.
Display settings
Turn on the Display settings toggle to create a link to this item in the corresponding business report.
The link displays at the bottom of the notification. Recipients can select the link to view the item in the relevant business report:
Specify the color of fields and buttons in the message by selecting a color from the color picker.
