This widget belongs to the EasyVista category in the widget library. It uses an EasyVista Discussions data source to implement a discussion forum for topics related to Service Manager.

• Discussions work in the same way as in Service Manager.  See the description.
• Discussions can be related to a specific Service Manager object, e.g. an incident or a problem.

Notes

    See General remarks on widgets.

• Characteristics of the list of discussions:
  • When a reply is added to a discussion, the discussion will appear at the top of the list.
  • Discussions are sorted by reverse chronological order.
  • Unread and read discussions are separated in the display. Unread discussions are considered read once they are displayed.
  • The ten most recent discussions are displayed by default. You can click Display More at the bottom of the list of discussions to see the next ten discussions.
  • Each discussion is identified by an icon specific to its type.

    example  for a Question discussion.

  • The photo displayed next to the discussion or reply is downloaded from the logged-in user's personal information. If this photo was not specified:
    • Then the photo used is the one specified in Service Manager.
    • If the user does not exist in Service Manager, no photo will be displayed.

• Discussions created or updated in Service Manager and in Service Apps are automatically synchronized, either in real-time or based on the automatic refreshment interval of the data source.
  • The Discussion widget can be linked to a list of Service Manager objects using a Data Viewer widget. If this is the case, the Master/Detail section of the EasyVista Discussions data source will only display discussions related to the current object. See the procedure.

    example  You want to display only discussions related to problem P170730_00004

  • The widget can display all discussions or only those the logged-in users are authorized to see via a filter applied to the EasyVista Discussions data source. These can be discussions for the user domain or higher-level domain, discussions of one of their groups, discussions to which they are invited, or discussions they author.

• The moderator profile that authorizes you to manage your own discussions and access Administration > Manage Discussions in the menu can only be applied to logged-in users defined in Service Manager.

Example

Discussion widget

Description

(1): Search field for entering keywords. (2): Field for creating a new discussion. (3): Discussion thread displaying a photo of the author on the left. (4): Separation between unread discussions at the top and read discussions at the bottom. (5): Read and closed discussion displayed on a gray background. (6): Read and open discussion displayed on a white background. : Used to open the list of options. : Icon indicating the type of discussion, e.g. event, question or information. : Used to delete the reply. Reply, Update, Follow, Unfollow links: Used to add or modify a reply and follow or unfollow a discussion.

Best Practice

• If there are numerous discussions, you should not specify the Widget Height property in the Theme section. This means that the vertical scrollbar of the browser will be used instead of the widget's.
• You can modify the graphic properties of the different widget elements, e.g. font, size, alignment, or color, using the Theme section once you have selected the relevant element.
• You can display the total number of discussions and unread discussions using specific fields in the EasyVista Discussions data source.

  example  

  • You want to display the number of unread discussions using a Menu widget.  See the procedure.
  • You want to display the total number of discussions using Standard Service Workplace Template.  See the procedure.

List of properties

Content

DataSource

• This widget must be associated with an EasyVista Discussions data source.
   

Read Only: Used to indicate if logged-in users can only read discussions (box is checked) or if they can also create and reply to discussions (box is not checked).

• If you select Read Only, the field (2) for creating a new discussion, the   icon for accessing the list of options and the links will be hidden.

Show Search Bar: Used to indicate if the search field (1) should be displayed (box is checked) or not (box is not checked). 

• If the field is visible, it will automatically appear at the top of the widget. It cannot be moved.
• You can modify the graphic properties of the field, e.g. font, size, alignment, or color, using the Theme section once you have selected the Search Area element.

Allow Follow: Used to indicate if the Follow / Unfollow links allowing users to follow or unfollow discussions are displayed (box is checked) or not (box is not checked). When users follow a discussion, they will receive a notification when any update is made to the discussion.

• When the property is enabled, links will be displayed only for discussions not authored by the user.

SearchPlaceholder

New Conversation Placeholder: The text displayed in the field for creating a new discussion (2) is automatically cleared once the user starts typing.

Theme

     See the description of properties.

Procedures

How to implement a Discussion widget

1. Define the data source for the widget using an EasyVista Discussions data source.

• If the discussion is related to a specific Service Manager object, specify the Master/Detail section.

2. Define the Discussion widget.

• Select the EasyVista Discussions data source from the Data Source drop-down list.
• Select the properties of the widget.
• Define the graphic properties of the widget by selecting the required elements in the Theme section.

3. Switch to execute mode and check the workability of the widget.

• Go to Service Manager and create a discussion or add a reply. Check that updates are correctly made in your app.
• If the widget is accessible in edit mode, create a discussion via the app and check that it appears in Service Manager.

How to display discussions related to a specific Service Manager object

1. Add an EasyVista data source and select the parent query displaying the list of objects you want.

2. Add a Data Viewer widget and link it to the previously created EasyVista data source.

3. Add an EasyVista Discussions data source and specify the Master/Detail section.

• Master Data Source: Select the EasyVista data source created in step 1.
• Master Field: Select the PK key.
• Detail Field: Select the FK_ID_TABLE_NAME key.

4. Add a Discussion widget and link it to the previously created EasyVista Discussions data source.

5. Switch to execute mode and check the workability of the Discussion widget by clicking records displayed in the Data Viewer widget.

How to display the number of unread discussions using a Menu widget

1. Add a Menu widget to the app. Note: Do not specify the Data Source For New Request field.

2. Click Add Item in the Data section and add the Number of unread discussions menu item.

3. Configure the counter for unread discussions.

• Click .
• Select the Indicator tab and tick the Show Indicator box.
• Select the EasyVista Discussions data source linked to the Discussion widget.

• Click [ # ] next to Field.
  The Data Picker will open.

• Click in the NB_NOT_READ field.
• Select row (# Row) 0 in the # Row drop-down list and click .

• Configure the indicator and its position as regards the text.
• Click OK.

4. Go to Service Manager. Log in using a user authorized to access and create discussions.

5. Return to Service Apps. Switch to execute mode and check that the counter is working correctly.

How to configure the total number of discussions in the Standard Service Workplace template

1. Go to the 17.0 My Discussions page and display the KPI widget.

2. Click  next to the My Discussions menu option.

3. Select the Indicator tab.

 The Field field selected in the Data Picker will point to the COUNT_COLUMN field.