Activity stream in Sidebar
Summarize
Summary of Activity Stream in Sidebar
The integration of Sidebar with the activity stream allows users to create links to discussions and post messages directly related to records. This feature is available only in the Next Experience interface, not in Core UI. When a discussion is initiated, a corresponding tile is automatically added to the activity stream, providing easy access to discussions for all users with record access.
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Key Features
- Discussion Tiles: Each Sidebar discussion generates a tile in the activity stream, showing the discussion name, type, start date/time, and participant profiles.
- Posting Messages: Users can select messages from Sidebar discussions to post in the activity stream, ensuring that vital information is connected to the relevant records.
- Pinned Discussions: Users can pin discussion tiles to keep important conversations at the top of the activity stream.
- Edit and Delete Functions: Any edits made to messages or attachments in Sidebar discussions are automatically updated in the activity stream. Users can also delete messages from the activity stream through the More Actions menu.
Key Outcomes
By leveraging the Sidebar and activity stream integration, ServiceNow customers can enhance collaboration directly linked to their records, streamline conversations, and maintain an organized view of discussions. This feature improves efficiency and ensures all relevant communication is easily accessible, contributing to better task management and record-keeping.
If Sidebar is integrated with the activity stream, you can create links to discussions and post discussion messages directly to the related record as an activity stream record.
When a Sidebar discussion is created, a corresponding Sidebar discussion tile is automatically added to the activity stream. Users who have access to the record can also access the discussion from the activity stream. Sidebar users can post messages from discussions into the activity stream as Sidebar posted messages. These messages can be posted to the activity stream as editable entries that can be added and removed as necessary. For generalized information about activity streams, see Activity streams.
When you start a Sidebar discussion, a tile corresponding to the discussion is automatically added to the activity stream.
| 1 | Sidebar discussion name, type of conversation, date/time discussion started. |
| 2 | Profile pictures of the participants (if there are more than 5 participants, then a badge displays the number of additional participants whose profile photos can’t be seen.) |
| 3 | Name of user who created the Sidebar discussion. |
- Record ID
- Short description
- Type
- State
- Assigned to
- Link that opens the record
- Priority (for task-based record cards)
Starting a discussion
If you select Open Discussion, then the Sidebar panel opens and displays the Sidebar discussions. Customers and non-fulfiller roles don’t have access to the record don’t have access to the conversation tile, similar to work notes.
Posting a message
You can select any message in the Sidebar discussion panel and post it to the activity stream. When you post a message from the Sidebar discussion to the primary records activity stream, the most important information is tied directly to the record. This enables you to access collaborative conversations from a record so that you can add yourself to the discussion and view the conversation history.
If Sidebar messages posted to the activity stream aren’t appearing, ensure Sidebar discussion and Sidebar posted message are selected in the activity stream filter.
Pinning a discussion tile
To pin a discussion tile in the activity stream, select the pushpin icon to pin a discussion tile to the activity stream. Pinning a discussion tile ensures that the discussion always stays at the top of the activity stream.
Editing or Deleting a message in Sidebar
If you edit a message in a Sidebar discussion that was already posted to the activity stream, then any changes that you made to the message are reflected in the activity stream.
If you posted a message with an attachment in a Sidebar discussion and the message was already posted to the activity stream, any changes made to the attachment will be reflected in the activity stream. For example, if you post a message with an attachment in a Sidebar discussion and it’s posted to the activity stream and you later delete the attachment and replace it with a different one, the activity stream displays the new attachment.
If you delete a message in a Sidebar discussion after the original message was already posted to the activity stream, then the message is removed from the activity stream.
Deleting a message from the activity stream
To remove a message from the activity stream, select the More Actions menu for each chat bubble within a Sidebar discussion and then select Remove from activity stream.