Using link unfurling in Virtual Agent

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Using link unfurling in Virtual Agent

    Link unfurling in ServiceNow Virtual Agent enhances conversations by generating content-rich previews when supported links are shared in chat widgets, mobile devices, or various channels. These previews can include text, images, and videos, improving user engagement and context. The feature works asynchronously and does not disrupt the conversation flow, even if delays or unavailability occur due to external factors such as website availability or security policies.

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    Key Features

    • Support Criteria: Link unfurling is supported only if the link’s host/domain is listed in the Hostname allow list table and the page contains standard Open Graph (OG) tags (e.g., og:image) in the metadata.
    • Platform Specifics: Currently, link unfurling with OG tags is supported on the ServiceNow chat widget and mobile devices. Support and requirements may differ for other platforms or channels; consult channel-specific documentation for details.
    • Content Types: Supports image, video, and text-based OG tags. If both image and video tags are present, the video preview is prioritized.
    • Configuration: Administrators can add OG tags to ServiceNow UI pages to enable rich previews and manage the Hostname allow list to control which domains can be unfurled.
    • Disabling Unfurling: Link unfurling is enabled by default and can be disabled by setting the system property com.glide.cs.enablelinkunfurling to False.

    Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

    Enabling link unfurling allows your Virtual Agent and chat interfaces to display rich previews of shared links, enhancing user experience and comprehension during interactions. By maintaining the Hostname allow list, you control which external domains are permitted for link preview generation, ensuring security and relevance. Adding OG tags to your own ServiceNow UI pages can further optimize the content displayed when internal links are shared. Be aware that some external factors may affect preview availability, but these do not impact chat continuity.

    Virtual Agent supports link unfurling on the chat widget, mobile devices, and various channels. Link unfurling generates a content-rich preview when a supported link is shared in a conversation with a user, a virtual agent, or in a text-based bot response.

    If the link is supported on the chat widget or channel, the generated content-rich previews can include text, images, and videos.
    Note:
    Factors such as website availability, security policies, or response time of the link you want to unfurl are unpredictable. As a result, link unfurling may be delayed or unavailable. However, these performance-related issues don’t impact the user and don't affect the conversation flow.

    How to determine if a link is supported

    The ServiceNow user interface currently supports link unfurling for OG tags only. A link is supported only if all the following conditions are met:
    • The host or domain is included in the Hostname allow list table.
    • The link uses standard, compliant Open Graph (OG) tags in the page header as metadata. For example, og:image.
    • The link was shared in a conversation with a user, a virtual agent, or in a text-based bot response.
      Note:
      These conditions apply only to the chat widget and mobile devices on the ServiceNow® platform. Support requirements and conditions for clients on other platforms can vary. For client-specific support and requirement conditions, see the documentation for the client you're using.
    Tip:
    Admins can add OG tags to ServiceNow UI pages by following the instructions in the Adding meta tags to ServiceNow UI Pages Knowledge Base article.
    When a link meets the specified criteria, the ServiceNow software does the following:
    • Asynchronously fetches, if available, the OG tag at the provided link.
    • Attaches a card-based, content-rich preview of the link based on the OG tag.

    The time required to complete these and any other required tasks can vary, depending on your network configuration and system performance.

    Supported OG tags

    The ServiceNow user interface supports image, video, and text-based OG tags. When both an image OG tag and a video OG tag are fetched, the video is used instead of the image in the card-based, content-rich preview.

    Note:
    The specific OG tags supported on channels can vary. For example, the OG tags supported on Slack may be different from the OG tags supported on Microsoft Teams, or Workplace from Facebook. For details about the OG tags supported on channels, see the documentation for the channel you're using.

    Disabling link unfurling

    Link unfurling is automatically enabled by default. To turn it off, Maint users change the com.glide.cs.enable_link_unfurling system property to False.