Forms - Contextual Apps
A form can be linked to Service Apps apps.
- Apps will be called from the right sidebar. It will be opened in a slide-out window.
- The information displayed by the apps is specific to the current record in Service Manager and is based on the exposed properties linked to fields in the form.
Examples
- App displaying all incidents for the recipient of the current incident
- App retrieving information from a Self Help knowledge base based on the title of a ticket.
See the use case.
Notes
- The information can come from Service Manager and Self Help.
- The display of Self Help information requires:
- A Self Help license
- A configured Self Help connector that uses an API key
Caution
- Only fields which have an alias and which are displayed in the main form presentation can be linked to a Service Apps exposed property. See the procedure.
Description of the screen
Access: 
In the top banner of the form, select Edit Form > Contextual Apps. See the procedure.
Docked bar title: Name of the app displayed in the right sidebar.
Docked bar description: Description of the app displayed when the cursor hovers over the app name.
Page...: Click the field to display the list of app pages.
- Select the page to be displayed when the app is run.
Exposed properties: List of the app's exposed properties used by the form. Each exposed property can correspond to one field in the form selected from the Value list.
- You must first define exposed properties for the app.
Procedure: How to link a contextual app to a form
See the use case: Retrieve information from a Self Help knowledge base based on the title of a ticket via a contextual app.
Step 1: Add a new contextual app to the form.
1. Open the form you want.
2. Click 
in the top banner and select Edit Form.
The main form presentation or conditional form presentation will appear.
3. Click Contextual Apps.
The list of apps that are already linked to forms will appear.
4. Click 
.
The list of apps you are authorized to access will appear.
5. Click the app you want to link to the form.
6. Specify its properties.
- Enter the name of the app to be displayed in the right sidebar of the form.
- Enter the description to be displayed when the cursor hovers over the app name.
- Select the app page to be displayed when it is run in the form.
Step 2: Map the Service Apps exposed properties with the relevant fields in the form.
1. Click Add exposed property.
2. Enter the alias of the exposed property as defined in the app.
3. Select the field where the exposed property is used from the Value drop-down list.
Only fields with an alias that are present in the main form presentation will appear.
4. Repeat the procedure to specify all exposed properties to be used in the form.
What to do if the field you want is not available in the Value drop-down list?
a. Check that the field has an alias. If this is not the case:
- Click
next to the field.
The Properties Inspector of the field will appear.
- Click
next to the Alias field.
- Specify the name of the field in different languages.
- Click Apply Changes and click Close Inspector.
- Click Save in the form editor.
- Check that the field appears in the Value drop-down list. Alternatively, proceed to b.
b. Check that the field is present in the main form presentation.
Note: The name of the form presentation and its type, i.e. main or conditional, are displayed at the top of the form editor.
If this is not the case:
- Click and drag the move handle of the field
to add it to the form presentation.
- Click Save.
- Check that the field appears in the Value drop-down list. Alternatively, proceed to c.
What to do if the form opens a conditional form presentation?
Check that the field is present in the conditional form presentation. If this is not the case:
- Click and drag the move handle of the field to add it to the conditional form presentation.
- Click Save.
Step 3: Add the contextual app in the form.
1. Click Save to docked bar.
2. Close the window.
You will return to the form editor.
3. Click Save and Close.
The app will be added to the right sidebar of the form.
4. Click the app and check that the contextual information in the form is correctly displayed.
Use case: Search in Self Help contextual information to a ticket title
In Service Apps
Step 1: Implement a Self Help project in the app.
See the detailed procedure
1. Create a Self Help connector that points to your Self Help project.
2. Create an EasyVista Self Help data source and name it DS Self Help.
3. Create a Self Help widget and point it to the DS Self Help data source.
Step 2: Add the Search Value exposed property of the data source.
1. Click 
or 
to open the Exposed properties dialog box and click Exposed properties.
2. Add the Search Value exposed property of the data source so that a search can be run on specific values.
- Click Add Properties.
- Select the Search Value property of the DS Self Help data source and click OK.
The data source's exposed property will be added to the list of exposed properties already used in the app.
- (optional) Modify the default value of the alias and give it a meaningful name so that you can identify the exposed property easily, e.g.Search Value in Self Help.
- Click Close.
Note: You do not need to complete the Content/Value column. The value to be retrieved from the data source is determined dynamically in Service Manager based on the title of the current ticket.
In Service Manager
Step 3: Add the contextual app to Service Manager.
1. Open the Incident form.
2. Click in the top banner and select Edit Form.
3. Click Contextual Apps.
4. Click to add the app you have previously created.
- Enter the name of the app to be displayed in the right sidebar of the form. Enter the description to be displayed when the cursor hovers over the app name.
- Select the app page where the Self Help project is implemented.
Step 4: Configure the app's exposed property.
1. Click Add exposed property.
2. Enter the alias you assigned to the exposed property in the app, i.e.Search Value in Self Help.
3. In the Value column, select the Title field of the Incident form.
Irrespective of the Incident form, a search will automatically be run in the Self Help project of the app using the title of the current ticket.
4. Click Save to docked bar.
Step 5: Test the contextual app in the Incident form.
1. Close the window and click Save and Close.
The app will be added to the right sidebar of the Incident form.
2. Click the app and check that Self Help information relating to the ticket title is correctly displayed.
