Workspace navigation sidebar doesn't appear

[Luca Armienti1]

Hi,

Newbie question here, probably. I can't make the navigation sidebar appear, working on the UI Builder on a Workspace app shell. It should work with a simple configuration, reading here:

https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/rome-application-development/page/administer/ui-builder/task/portal-navigation-menu-settings.html

And this is what i've done:

But the results are always like this, without left navigation sidebar: 

What could be? 

[Simon Midtvedt · Accepted solution]

Hi Luca,

I have struggled with the same thing lately, and I think I may have found a solution/work-around.

The problem for me was that the UX Page Property "chrome_toolbar" was not configured correctly (as Ashley sniffed out too). For whatever reason, the property was set to type "string" for me. Please see my below checklist for a possible solution.

Solution:

1. In the navigation filter, go to Experiences and open your experience. 
   
   
2. Under the related list "UX Page Properies", find the property called "chrome_toolbar". 
   
   
3. Make sure that it is Type "json" and formatted like the following example:
   
   

   [
      {
         "id":"home",
         "label":{
            "message":"Home",
            "translatable":true
         },
         "icon":"home-outline",
         "viewportInfo":{
            
         },
         "routeInfo":{
            "route":"home"
         },
         "group":"top",
         "badge":{
            
         },
         "presence":{
            
         },
         "availability":{
            
         },
         "order":100
      },
      {
         "id":"list",
         "label":{
            "message":"List",
            "translatable":true
         },
         "icon":"list-outline",
         "viewportInfo":{
            
         },
         "routeInfo":{
            "route":"order-lists"
         },
         "group":"top",
         "badge":{
            
         },
         "presence":{
            
         },
         "availability":{
            
         },
         "order":200
      }
   ]​

I hope this can be of some help!

Regards,

Simon

[adiddigi]

If this solution worked for you, great! We are on Rome and this solution doesn't work. Just tried all options, but unable to find out why UI Builder does what it does. 

[Rhodri]

Hi

Ignore the below, see my response to Ryan below it appeared to be something else.

Just to let you know we are on San Diego, initially I followed the answer on this post and it didn't work. I ran the text through a JSON formatter before pasting it back in.

I raised this with NOW support and one of their agents helped me, it turns out the JSON is quite sensitive to format, he tidied it up for me. (see my original on left, and the amended version on the right which is now working)

[ryanlitwiller]

@Rhodri any update from NOW support? Can you provide which JSON formatter you used? I'm also on San Diego and facing the same issue.

[Rhodri]

1. Check for "empty" records under UX page properties (if found, delete)

2. Modify the "chrome_toolbar" UX page property to be of type JSON.

Hey Ryan, 

After a little more messing around, I tried afresh with a new Workspace and simply couldn't replicate what the now support agent did. After a bit of snooping I found that they'd deleted a record as well as reformatting (although I no longer think the formatting plays a part).Eventually I think I've identified what was causing the issue:

"App navigator > Experiences" and pick your workspace.

Then check for any "name is "(empty)"" records under UI page properties. Delete these (if there are any) and then make sure the format type on the "chrome_toolbar" is JSON.

It seems that while doing certain things in UI builder it was making these blank records and this was causing the issue. I'm convinced it's nothing to do with the format of the JSON, because as soon as you modify the side menu in UI builder it goes back to being compact format anyway.