--- sourceDocument: Australia Conversational Interfaces sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces Release : - australia ft:locale : - en-US ft:publication_title : - Australia Conversational Interfaces ft:clusterId : - convint bundleId : - convint workflow : - Platform --- # URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces # URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces {#ariaid-title1} Release version: Australia Updated March 12, 2026 ![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read Summarize ![AI sparkle icon](https://servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ai-sparkle-icon) Summarized using AI This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete. ## Summary of URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces URL navigation settings in ServiceNow Conversational Interfaces allow you to control where and how chat links open within portals. By default, links to records from specific ServiceNow tables open in predefined portals like Service Portal or Employee Service Center. You can customize these mappings to specify different portals or link targets such as pop-up windows, enhancing user experience in Live Agent, Virtual Agent, and messaging channels. Show full answer Show less ## How URL Navigation Works The system determines which portal to use for chat links based on a hierarchy of criteria: * **sysparmportal parameter:** If specified in the chat widget URL, this portal is used. * **Topic script variable:** Portal specified in the topic script takes precedence. * **Default portal in Provider Channel Identity:** Applies to prebuilt or custom chat integrations. * **Default portal for a table:** Uses default portal mappings defined in URL navigation Chat Settings. * **Global default portal:** Set via system property `com.glide.cs.urlredirect.default.portal`. * **Fallback:** If no other portal is defined, Service Portal is used by default. ## URL Mappings There are two main types of URL mappings that define how links are routed to portals: * **Default Mappings:** System properties mapping specific ServiceNow tables (e.g., Knowledge \[kbknowledge\], Catalog Item \[sccatitem\], sysuser) to default portals like Service Portal or Employee Service Center. * **Custom Mappings:** Properties that allow defining portal and table combinations with flexible patterns, enabling tailored URL generation based on portal and table context. ## Smart Links Administrators can create smart link preferences to specify how URLs open based on matching patterns. For example, all Knowledge Base articles can be configured to open in a new window, tab, chat window, or popup. This feature helps tailor the user interface and improve navigation within chat conversations. ## Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers * Configure URL navigation settings to ensure chat links open in the most appropriate portal for your organization's use cases. * Use default and custom mappings to control how records from various tables are displayed to users during chat interactions. * Leverage smart link preferences to define the target behavior of URLs, improving user flow and context switching. * Adjust provider channel identities and topic scripts to control portal selection dynamically for different chat channels and integrations. 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 {#url-navigation-ci__section_pq1_hvl_gtb} 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 prebuilt 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](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/1hH4qX4ufBudIp1sJ4v5Qw "Create a channel identifier for your custom chat integration in the Provider Channel Identities [sys_cs_provider_application] table.") 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. {#url-navigation-ci__ol_om5_tgh_fqb} ## Legacy URL mappings defined in previous releases (fallback method) {#url-navigation-ci__section_wmn_vvl_gtb} If you previously added the com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.default.\.\ property to create URL mappings that were used instead of the default URL mappings, those properties are retained after you upgrade to the Australia release. However, you can 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.\ that define the default portal used for certain ServiceNow tables. {#url-navigation-ci__table_u53_1pk_24b__entry__2} | 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) {#url-navigation-ci__ul_pwc_3n4_24b} | | 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) {#url-navigation-ci__ul_o4v_mp4_24b} | | 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) {#url-navigation-ci__ul_ikf_cr4_24b} | [Table 1. Default URL mapping properties] {#url-navigation-ci__table_u53_1pk_24b} Custom mappings : All system properties that define a portal and table combination using the format com.glide.cs.portal_url_mapping.\.\. 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 {#url-navigation-ci__ul_oc1_lq4_gqb} {#url-navigation-ci__table_wtj_ztf_b4b__entry__2} | 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}} {#url-navigation-ci__ul_rv5_bt4_24b} | | 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}} {#url-navigation-ci__ul_urw_nt4_24b} | | 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}} {#url-navigation-ci__ul_vh3_qwj_f4b} | | 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}} {#url-navigation-ci__ul_o25_ybk_f4b} | [Table 2. Custom URL mapping properties] {#url-navigation-ci__table_wtj_ztf_b4b} ## Smart links {#url-navigation-ci__section_mbv_1vl_gtb} As an admin, you can specify the target for URL links based on patterns that you specify. For example, if you need 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](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/56Ep9uYqfP8__PhPx1H_zg "Create smart links to specify where a URL should open. For example, the URL could open in a new browser window, in a new browser tab, in the chat window, or in a pop-up window."). * **[Configure URL navigation for chat links](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/bspWVjk7CGHdrJQ2vvJrUw)** Configure the portals in which links to ServiceNow records in Live Agent and Virtual Agent conversations are opened, including links in output cards and cards for Virtual Agent notifications and AI Search results. * **[Create a smart link preference](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/56Ep9uYqfP8__PhPx1H_zg)** Create smart links to specify where a URL should open. For example, the URL could open in a new browser window, in a new browser tab, in the chat window, or in a pop-up window.