Activity stream in Sidebar
Summarize
Summary of Activity stream in Sidebar
When integrated with the activity stream, the Sidebar enables ServiceNow users to link discussions directly to related records and post messages from Sidebar discussions as activity stream entries. This integration is available exclusively with Next Experience, not Core UI, allowing seamless collaboration within records through discussion tiles that appear automatically in the activity stream.
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Key Features
- Sidebar Discussion Tiles: Automatically created in the activity stream when a Sidebar discussion starts, these tiles display the discussion name, type, start date/time, participant profile pictures (with a badge if more than five participants), and the creator’s name.
- Primary Record Card: Attached to each discussion tile, showing essential record details such as Record ID, short description, type, state, assigned user, priority (for tasks), and a direct link to open the record.
- Posting Messages: Users can post any message from Sidebar discussions to the activity stream, ensuring important collaborative conversations are directly tied to the record and accessible to users with record access.
- Filtering: To view Sidebar messages in the activity stream, ensure that filters for Sidebar discussion and Sidebar posted message are selected.
- Pinning Discussions: Discussion tiles can be pinned using a pushpin icon to keep them at the top of the activity stream for easy reference.
- Editing and Deleting Messages: Edits to Sidebar messages or attachments posted in the activity stream are automatically updated there. Deleting a message in Sidebar also removes it from the activity stream. Messages can also be manually removed from the activity stream via the More Actions menu.
Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
This integration enhances collaboration by connecting discussion threads directly with related records, improving visibility and context for team members. It enables quick access to conversation histories and allows flexible control over which messages appear in the activity stream. Pinning important discussions improves prioritization, while seamless editing and deletion keep the activity stream accurate and relevant.
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)
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.