URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated November 14, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces

    URL navigation in Conversational Interfaces allows you to control where and how chat links open within ServiceNow chat environments such as Live Agent and Virtual Agent. You can specify which portal a link opens in and define the link target, for example, opening links in pop-up windows or new tabs. This is especially useful for directing users to the appropriate interface for different record types like knowledge articles or catalog items.

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    How URL Navigation Works

    The system determines the portal for chat links by evaluating settings in a specific priority order:

    • sysparm portal parameter: If set in the chat widget URL, this portal is used.
    • Topic script variable: Portal specified in a topic script variable takes precedence.
    • Default portal for Provider Channel Identity: Configured in the Provider Channel Identity table for integrations.
    • Default portal for a table: Uses mappings defined in URL navigation Chat Settings.
    • Global default portal: Defined via system property com.glide.cs.urlredirect.default.portal.
    • Service Portal: Used as the fallback default if no other portal is specified.

    Legacy URL mappings from previous releases remain functional but can now be managed through the URL navigation settings or related tables.

    URL Mapping Types

    There are two main types of URL mappings:

    • Default mappings: System properties that define default portals for specific ServiceNow tables, such as knowledge base articles or catalog items. For example, knowledge articles default to Service Portal.
    • Custom mappings: System properties that allow defining portal and table combinations for more granular control. These mappings may include placeholders to dynamically generate URLs based on the portal and record data.

    Smart Links

    Administrators can create smart link preferences to specify how URLs open based on patterns. For instance, you can configure all knowledge base article links to open in a new browser window, enhancing user experience by controlling link behavior directly from chat settings.

    Configuring URL Navigation

    Use the URL navigation settings within Chat Settings to:

    • Change default portal mappings for specific tables.
    • Define custom portal-to-table URL mappings.
    • Create smart link preferences to control link targets (e.g., new window, pop-up, same tab).
    • Apply portal configurations consistently across chat widgets, chat channels, and messaging channels.

    This configuration ensures that when users interact with chat links, they are directed to the most appropriate portal and experience consistent navigation behavior aligned with your organization's needs.

    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 Xanadu 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.