---
title: Text Input and Output
slug: /text-input-and-output
---

import Icon from "@site/src/components/icon";
import PartialParams from '@site/docs/_partial-hidden-params.mdx';

:::warning
**Text Input and Output** components aren't supported in the **Playground**.
Because the data isn't formatted as a chat message, the data doesn't appear in the **Playground**, and you can't chat with your flow in the **Playground**.

If you want to chat with a flow in the **Playground**, you must use the [**Chat Input and Output** components](/chat-input-and-output).
:::

**Text Input and Output** components are designed for flows that ingest or emit simple text strings.
These components don't support full conversational interactions.

Passing chat-like metadata to a **Text Input and Output** component doesn't change the component's behavior; the result is still a simple text string.

## Text Input

The **Text Input** component accepts a text string input that is passed to other components as [`Message` data](/data-types) containing only the provided input text string in the `text` attribute.

It accepts only **Text** (`input_value`), which is the text supplied as input to the component.
This can be entered directly into the component or passed as `Message` data from other components.

Initial input _shouldn't_ be provided as a complete `Message` object because the **Text Input** component constructs the `Message` object that is then passed to other components in the flow.

## Text Output

The **Text Output** component ingests [`Message` data](/data-types#message) from other components, emitting only the `text` attribute in a simplified `Message` object.

It accepts only **Text** (`input_value`), which is the text to be ingested and output as a string.
This can be entered directly into the component or passed as `Message` data from other components.