Using link unfurling in Virtual Agent

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    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 Using link unfurling in Virtual Agent

    Link unfurling in Virtual Agent enhances user interactions by generating content-rich previews when supported links are shared in conversations. This feature is available on the web client, mobile devices, and various channels, providing previews that may include text, images, and videos. However, performance may vary due to factors like website availability and security policies, though these do not disrupt conversation flow.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • Support Conditions: Link unfurling is supported only for links that meet specific criteria:
      • Included in the Hostname allow list table.
      • Utilizes standard Open Graph (OG) tags in the page header.
      • Shared in a user or text-based bot conversation.
    • OG Tags Support: The system supports various OG tags, including image, video, and text. If both image and video OG tags are present, the video will be prioritized in the preview.
    • Disabling Feature: Link unfurling is enabled by default but can be disabled by setting the com.glide.cs.enablelinkunfurling system property to False.
    • Configuration Table: The Hostname allow list [syscshostnameallowlist] table is used to manage which hosts and domains can be unfurled.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing link unfurling, ServiceNow customers can enhance user experience with rich content previews, improving engagement and information sharing in conversations. Proper configuration ensures that only approved links are unfurled, allowing for a secure and efficient communication process within the platform.

    Virtual Agent supports link unfurling on the web client, 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 web client 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 web client 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.