> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.whatstool.business/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.whatstool.business/bots/ask-questions/ask-text.md).
# Ask Text
**Understanding "Ask Text"**
"**Ask Text**" Card in WhatsTool Business lets bots ask users open-ended questions, making conversations more fun. Users can share their thoughts, opinions, or give info based on the questions. This user-generated text can be stored in a designated variable, allowing you to use that data in your BotFlow.
You can ask the customer a question as a **Text** or as a **Voice**.
### **Ask as Text Essentials**
Learn the basics of the "Ask as Text" option in Ask Text Card to make talking to users more interesting.
#### **Question Text**
This is the question you want to ask users. Make it clear and short so users know what you're asking.
The **Question text** can be made **Bold**, *Italic*, or ~~strikethrough~~ using the options provided. The text will add the asterisk(\*) for **Bold**, Underscore(\_) for **Italic text**, and Tilde(\~) for **Strikethrough** around the text.
### **Implementation Example:**
Imagine you are asking your customers for their **PAN Card** to evaluate their Financial profile. The Ask Text question type with validation settings will make sure users give helpful responses within a specific character limit.
For the **Question Text** you can enter: *Enter your PAN Card details to evaluate your profile.*
You have the option to **store the user response** in the variable. You can create a variable - `user_details` for example to store the user response.
Now for the **validation settings**, you could provide the **attempt** limit as 1, Validation Error Message is optional. Provide the **Action on Invalid Response**, and turn on the Additional Validation Settings.
In the additional validation settings, provide the **Minimum character, Maximum character, Regex.** The PAN Card number is of 10 digits meaning the minimum characters and the maximum characters are 10.
The first five characters of a PAN Card are letters (**in uppercase by default**), followed by four numerals, and the last (tenth) character is a letter. To capture this you could use a regex - **^\[A-Z]{5}\[0-9]{4}\[A-Z]{1}$** to make sure that the user enters a valid **PAN Number** which matches the following criteria's:
* The PAN Card number must be ten characters long.
* The first five characters must be uppercase letters.
* The next four characters must be numbers.
* The last character must be an uppercase letter.
### Sample Flow Using Ask Text Card
#### In WhatsTool Business Bot Interface:
#### In WhatsApp:
The above sample flow is for you to understand how "**Ask Text**" Card works and it's usage. It is not a representation of what can be achieved with WhatsTool Business.