# Response Selectors: How to reply multiline texts?

**URL:** <https://forum.rasa.com/t/response-selectors-how-to-reply-multiline-texts/28412>\
**Category:** Rasa Open Source\
**Created:** [May 4, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://forum.rasa.com/t/response-selectors-how-to-reply-multiline-texts/28412 "2020-05-04T18:22:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![solyarisoftware](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.rasa.com/solyarisoftware/32/8464_2.png) [@solyarisoftware](https://forum.rasa.com/u/solyarisoftware)\
**Post date:** [May 4, 2020, 6:22pm UTC](https://forum.rasa.com/t/response-selectors-how-to-reply-multiline-texts/28412/1 "2020-05-04T18:22:47Z")

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Hi all, cc @ dakshvar22,

I would like to use Response Selector for a FAQ system where **answers are multiline texts** , not just a single lines.

Take this Q/A example, where question is:

> How to follow people on Twitter?

and the corresponding answer (real example from twitter FAQ:

> ```
> 1. Find a Tweet from the account you’d like to follow. 
> 2. Hover your mouse over their name.
> 3. Click the **Follow** button.
> 
> OR 
> 
> 1. Navigate to a Tweet from the account you’d like to follow. 
> 2. Tap the icon located at the top of the Tweet.
> 3. Tap **Follow** from the selection menu.
> 
> ```

How can I manage this textual answer with `data/responses.md` Response Selector markdown format?

As far as I undersatnd (please tell me I’m wrong) I can just have 1 line for the answer. If true, the only solution I found is to insert `\n` char explicitly. So the mentioned case could be:

```
(venv) $ cat data/responses.md

## ask languages
* faq/ask_how_to_follow_people_on_twitter
  - 1. Find a Tweet from the account you’d like to follow.\n 2. Hover your mouse over their name.\n 3. Click the **Follow** button.\n \n OR \n\n 1. Navigate to a Tweet from the account you’d like to follow.\n 2. Tap the icon located at the top of the Tweet. \n 3. Tap **Follow** from the selection menu.

## ask blablabla
* faq/ask_blablabla
  - blablabla\nblablabla\nblablabla

```

Pretty unreadable, isn’t it? It “works” but I don’t like that for many reason:

- the answers on `data/responses.md` file become unreadable!
- I need to write a script that convert FAQs in markdawn substituting newline with `\n`s.
- using rasa cli commands (`rasa shell`) conversation tests, I got the unreadable single line compacted texts 😕

* * *

My 2 questions:

1. Can I have FAQ answers in responses.md that are composed by a multi-line text (reported “as” wrote in the markdown file, possibly avoiding to insert `'\n'`)?

2. What’s the best way to manage Response Selectors answers in case of long texts answers (say many lines of text ~ a page/paragraph)?

What do you think? Thanks for your help

giorgio

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**Author:** ![dakshvar22](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.rasa.com/dakshvar22/32/3993_2.png) [@dakshvar22](https://forum.rasa.com/u/dakshvar22)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 7:17am UTC](https://forum.rasa.com/t/response-selectors-how-to-reply-multiline-texts/28412/2 "2020-05-11T07:17:52Z")

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Hi @solyarisoftware, good points!

> Can I have FAQ answers in responses.md that are composed by a multi-line text (reported “as” wrote in the markdown file, possibly avoiding to insert `'\n'` )

Currently no, and that is a known limitation. That should be address once response selector comes out of the experimental mode. The training data format is one of the central pieces that needs revamp.

> What’s the best way to manage Response Selectors answers in case of long texts answers (say many lines of text ~ a page/paragraph)? Change Request, It could be great if I could just mention **external texts path/filenames in responses file** ; like this:

I think that’s linked to your first question. Your change suggestion is a valid one and we’ll take that into consideration.

Thanks

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![solyarisoftware](https://dub1.discourse-cdn.com/flex013/user_avatar/forum.rasa.com/solyarisoftware/32/8464_2.png) [@solyarisoftware](https://forum.rasa.com/u/solyarisoftware)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2020, 10:46am UTC](https://forum.rasa.com/t/response-selectors-how-to-reply-multiline-texts/28412/3 "2020-05-11T10:46:42Z")

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thanks @dakshvar22 for your feedback. I’ll propose that change requests on github repo, jut to formalize/take trace.