URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces

    URL navigation settings in ServiceNow Conversational Interfaces allow you to control where and how chat links open during Live Agent and Virtual Agent interactions. This capability enables you to specify particular portals for opening links, such as Service Portal or Employee Service Center, and to define the link target behavior, including opening in pop-up windows or new tabs. This configuration applies across chat widgets, chat channels, and messaging channels, enhancing user experience by directing users to the most appropriate portal context for different record types.

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    How URL Navigation Works

    • The system determines which portal to use for chat links by evaluating multiple sources in a specific order: sysparm portal parameter in the instance URL, portal defined in a topic script variable, default portal from the Provider Channel Identity table for chat integrations, default portal mappings in Chat Settings for specific tables, a global default portal system property, and finally, Service Portal as the fallback if no other portal is defined.
    • Legacy URL mappings from previous releases are still supported but are now manageable through the URL navigation settings or the URL Navigation [syscsportalurlmapping] table.

    URL Mapping Types

    There are two main types of URL mappings:

    • Default mappings: System properties that specify default portals for common ServiceNow tables such as Knowledge Base articles (kbknowledge), Catalog Items (sccatitem), and user records (sysuser). For example, Knowledge Base articles default to Service Portal.
    • Custom mappings: Properties that allow you to define specific portal and table combinations beyond the defaults. These mappings can specify URLs with placeholders for dynamic data, supporting flexible navigation scenarios across different portals and record types.

    Smart Links

    Administrators can create smart link preferences to control the target behavior of URLs based on patterns. For instance, you can configure all knowledge base article links to open in a new browser window or pop-up, improving usability and user workflow within chat conversations.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    • Use URL navigation settings to tailor where chat links open, ensuring users access records in the most appropriate portal context.
    • Leverage default and custom URL mappings to control navigation for specific tables, enhancing consistency and usability in chat interactions.
    • Implement smart link preferences to define link behaviors, such as opening in new tabs or windows, aligning with your organization’s user experience standards.
    • Configure Provider Channel Identity settings to specify default portals for pre-built or custom chat integrations.

    By effectively managing URL navigation, ServiceNow customers can streamline user access to records during conversational interactions, maintain consistent portal experiences, and improve overall engagement within chat and messaging channels.

    Use URL navigation settings to specify where and how chat links open. You can configure certain links to open in a specific portal. You can also specify the link target, such as a popup window.

    Your base system instance provides default portals in which chat links to records from certain ServiceNow tables are opened automatically. For example, Service Portal is the default portal used to display knowledge records from the Knowledge [kbknowledge] table and also catalog items from the Catalog Item [sc_cat_item] table.

    Use URL navigation in Chat Settings to change these default mappings, as well as define custom mappings that map a portal URL to a specified ServiceNow table. The portal configurations apply to the chat widget, chat channels, and messaging channels.

    How URL navigation works

    To determine the portals to be used for chat links, the system evaluates the following information in the order listed:
    1. sysparm portal parameter - If you specified a sysparm_portal parameter in the instance URL for the chat widget, that portal is used.
    2. Topic script variable - If you specified a portal in a topic script variable, that portal is used.
    3. Default portal for Provider Channel Identity - If you specified a default portal in the Provider Channel Identity [sys_cs_provider_application] table for pre-built chat integrations or custom chat integrations, that portal is used. The default portal applies to the chat and messaging channels for the provider. For details on configuring the Provider Channel Identity, see Create a channel identifier for your custom chat integration in Custom chat integration framework.
    4. Default portal for a table - Uses the portal value in the default portal mapping listed in URL navigation Chat Setting.
    5. Global default portal - If you defined a global default portal using the com.glide.cs.url_redirect.default.portal system property, that global portal is used.
    6. Service Portal - If you didn't define a global portal using the com.glide.cs.url_redirect.default.portal property, Service Portal is used.

    Legacy URL mappings defined in previous releases (fallback method)

    If you previously added the com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.default.<portal_value>.<table_name> property to create URL mappings that were used instead of the default URL mappings, those properties are retained after you upgrade to the Yokohama release. However, you can now view the mappings using URL navigation in Chat Settings or the URL Navigation [sys_cs_portal_url_mapping] table. There are two types of URL mappings.

    Default mappings
    All system properties with the format com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.portal.<table_name> that define the default portal used for certain ServiceNow tables.
    Table 1. Default URL mapping properties
    Property Description

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.portal.kb_knowledge

    		 Default portal context (URL mapping) to use for Knowledge Base articles.
    • Type: string
    • Default value: sp (Service Portal)

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.portal.sc_cat_item

    		 Default portal context (URL mapping) to use for Service Catalog items.
    • Type: string
    • Default value: sp (Service Portal)

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.portal.sys_user

    		 Default portal context (URL mapping) for sys_ user records.
    • Type: string
    • Default value: esc (Employee Service Center)
    Custom mappings
    All system properties that define a portal and table combination using the format com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.<portal_name>.<table_name>. These mappings are retained as custom mappings. When the portal or table is specified with _default, it indicates that any portal or table is used.
    The system determines the URL for custom mappings by evaluating the following values:
    • Portal and table/parent table
    • Portal and any table
    • Any portal and table/parent table
    • Any portal and any table
    Table 2. Custom URL mapping properties
    Property Description

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping._default.kb_knowledge

    Default for Knowledge URL mapping.

    • Type: string
    • Value:/{{portal}}?id=kb_article&sys_id={{data.sys_id}}

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping._default.sc_cat_item

    Default for Catalog Item URL mapping.

    • Type: string
    • Value: /{{portal}}?sys_id={{data.sys_id}}&id={{data.table_name}}&table={{data.table_name}}

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping._default.sys_user

    Default for User URL mapping.

    • Type: string
    • Value: /{{portal}}?id=user_profile&sys_id={{data.sys_id}}

    com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping._default._default

    Default URL mapping for records other than knowledge articles, Service Catalog items, People (sys_user) records, publication records, and task records.

    • Type: string
    • Value: /{{portal}}?sys_id={{data.sys_id}}&id=form&table={{data.table_name}}

    Smart links

    As an admin, you can specify the target for URL links based on patterns that you specify. For example, if you want all KB articles to open in a new window, you can configure the mapping in general chat settings. For more information, see Create a smart link preference.