Topic Flow tab

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated March 4, 2025
  • 8 minutes to read
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    Summary of Flow tab

    The Flow tab in ServiceNow’s Virtual Agent Designer enables you to build and manage conversation flows for virtual agents. It provides a graphical canvas and various design tools to create user inputs, bot responses, and utility actions that define how conversations progress. This tab supports both default diagram view and table view for flexible topic design, and integrates with Now Assist features including large language model (LLM) topics when the Now Assist Topics skill is activated.

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    Key Features

    • Navigation Bar: Switch between open topics and the home page Asset library for easy navigation within the Virtual Agent Designer.
    • Topic Header Bar: Access multiple design views including Flow, NLU Intent, Topic Properties, and Language tabs. Control topic state (active/inactive), save, test, publish, duplicate, and delete topics. Manage topic discoverability and visibility for users.
    • Palette Sidebar: Drag and drop Components (User Input, Bot Response, Utilities) and Variables (inputs, scripts, live agent variables) onto the canvas to build conversation flows. Supports LLM-compatible controls when Now Assist is enabled.
    • Canvas: Visual representation of the conversation flow with Start and End nodes. Layout adjusts automatically as you add or remove nodes.
    • Node Search: Quickly locate specific nodes within the conversation flow by name, with navigation through multiple matches.
    • Issue Warnings: Displays the count of incomplete or missing required properties in nodes, which must be resolved before publishing.
    • Property Sheet and Script Editor: Configure node-specific properties and add JavaScript scripts to control node behavior, including NLU fields for input controls.
    • Data Pill Picker: Select and insert data pills from variables into node properties for dynamic content handling.
    • Validation and Resources Tabs: Show validation issues that block publishing and provide helpful documentation and guided tours, especially for LLM-enabled topics.
    • Table View: An alternative to the graphical canvas that lists nodes in a table format for easier node management, while showing only the Variables sidebar.
    • LLM Components Guided Tour: Provides an introductory walkthrough of LLM-specific components in Virtual Agent Designer to assist topic authors.

    Practical Use and Benefits

    ServiceNow customers can use the Flow tab to design, test, and publish conversational topics that deliver automated, intelligent virtual agent interactions. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface combined with scripting and variable management allows for creating complex conversation flows tailored to business needs. Integration with Now Assist and LLM capabilities enables advanced natural language understanding and AI-powered responses.

    The Flow tab’s validation and issue tracking ensure that topics are complete and functional before they go live, reducing errors and improving user experience. The option to test conversations directly within various channels like Now Assist panel, Microsoft Teams, or Slack helps validate topic behavior in real-world environments.

    Overall, the Flow tab empowers ServiceNow customers to efficiently build sophisticated virtual agent conversations that enhance customer engagement and operational automation.

    Use the topic Flow tab to build the conversation flow. Use the controls for user inputs, bot responses, and utilities to define the flow.

    Flow tab (default view)

    Figure 1. Example Flow tab in default view
    View ofVirtual Agent Designer topic Flow tab with 10 callouts highlighted. For the text description, see the table that follows. View ofVirtual Agent Designer topic Flow tab with 10 callouts highlighted. For the text description, see the table that follows.
    Note:
    An updated Assistant Designer Asset library user interface is available when you install Now Assist in Virtual Agent and turn on the Now Assist Topics skill. This content assumes that you have activated this skill and can see the list view. If this skill is not activated, you see the legacy UI and topics page. For more information, see Virtual Agent Designer legacy topics page.
    Table 1. Legend (default view)
    Feature Description
    1. Navigation bar Tabs to navigate between your design and the home pageAsset library. You can open and navigate between multiple topics and the home pageAsset library by selecting Virtual Agent Designer or an open topic's tab. Select the close icon on a tab to close that topic.
    2. Topic header bar Tabs and design options for your topic:
    • Tabs: Each tab provides a different view for working on your conversation.
    • Table View: Option that displays a table view of the nodes in the conversation flow. You can use this option to switch between table view and diagram view as you design your conversation.
    • Active/Inactive: Option that changes the design state so that it's active (available to users) or inactive (in development and not available to users). Select it to see the following options:
      • Included in Topic Discovery: Option to make the topic discoverable via keywords, NLU, or Now LLM Service. If inactive, the topic is included when performing search fallback.
      • Included in List of Topics: Option to make the topic visible under the “show me everything” list of topics.
    • Save: Saves the current design.
    • Test: Opens the design in a chat test window so that you can preview and test the conversation. If the Now Assist panel, Microsoft Teams application, or Slack application is configured for your environment, preview options for those channels are displayed in the Test button list. Select Preview in Now Assist panel or Preview in Microsoft Teams in the list to test your topic in those environments.
    • Publish: Activates the design and makes it available to the chat clients. If you're using language-specific NLU models, select Review and publish from the Publish list to specify languages.
    • More actions on topics icon More actions icon.
      • Duplicate: Copy the current design to create an unpublished version of the design.
      • Delete: Remove the current and published version of the design.

    When updating designs, the header bar displays an Unpublished Changes message until you publish the topic. Hover over the message to see a tooltip explaining the unpublished changes. For example, the changes can include your topic's main design or Natural Language Understanding (NLU) language mappings.Flow tab header bar showing Unpublished changes warning message. A tooltip detailing unpublished changes appears when you hover over the message.

    If you close the topic without saving, a Recover changes button appears on the header bar. Select this button to recover any unpublished changes that were unsaved before closing. The Recover changes button is replaced by the Unpublished changes message.Flow tab header bar showing Recover changes button after reopening an unsaved topic.

    If you add a node, then close the topic before saving or publishing, the node disappears and the button and message appear when you reopen the topic. Select Recover changes to restore the node and remove the button.Flow tab header bar showing Unpublished changes message and Recover changes button. Both appear after reopening an unsaved topic with a node added.
    3. Palette Collapsible sidebar with Components and Variables tabs.
    The Components tab shows a list of controls that you can drag onto the canvas to build a conversation. The following types of controls are available:
    • User Input: Controls used to prompt and capture information from the user in a conversation. When Now Assist is enabled and you're working with a large language model (LLM) topic, the LLM User Input section indicates which controls are LLM compatible.
    • Bot Response: Controls for showing virtual agent responses in a conversation.
    • Utilities: Controls for performing actions within a topic, such as running a script, adding different conversation paths (branches) in a topic, or adding topic blocks.
    The Variables tab includes inputs and scripts.Variables tab showing Input and Scripts in topic being viewed.
    Input section
    • Live Agent variables specified on the topic Properties tab to provide contextual information from the virtual agent session to the live agent.
    • Input variables defined by User Input controls and Utilities that are added to the flow on the canvas.
    • "Nodeless" NLU entities added by the topic author that are used as slot-filled input variables for the topic.
    Script section
    The Script section includes the scripts found in nodes on the canvas. The topic author can add further script variables to store values outside of control variables. Scripting variables enable more complex scripting scenarios.
    4. Canvas Area that displays the conversation flow graphically. As you drag a control onto the canvas, that control becomes a node in the conversation flow. Includes a related property sheet that opens in the right pane. Each flow has a Start and End node. When you add or remove controls, the layout of controls on the canvas is adjusted automatically.
    5. Node search Option for quickly finding specific nodes in the conversation flow. Select the node search icon Search icon. to expand the search field and enter the name of the node that you want to find. When a matching node is found, the node is highlighted in the flow. Use the left or right arrows to search for the previous or next node that matches the search node name.
    Figure 2. Node search showing highlighted node
    Node search, showing highlighted node in flow and highlighted search bar.
    6. Issues warning Counter showing number of issues needing correction before the topic can be published. For more information, see the Incomplete property warnings section of this documents.
    7. Node Input or output item on the canvas created by dragging a control from the Components or Variables sidebar. All controls in the conversation are represented as individual nodes on the canvas. If a node is incomplete, a counter showing the number of issues in the node appears. For more information, see the Incomplete property warnings section of this documents.
    8. Property sheet Properties specific to the selected node on the canvas. The list of properties changes based on the node you select. Each node has its own set of properties that you can define, which can include scripts that control the behavior or processing that is performed in the node. If NLU is enabled, the property sheets for Input controls contain additional NLU fields. For further information, see Virtual Agent Designer controls
    9. Data pill picker A tool for selecting data pills from input variables or script variables to use in the property field. Select the data pill picker to select from the existing variables accessible in the topic. You can also drag data pills directly into property fields.
    10. Script editor A tool for adding or editing JavaScript scripts used in a property. Provides scripting assistance, including a list of valid elements at the insertion point. Elements include function name, object names, and variable names available for the topic. For more information, see the JavaScript syntax editor.
    11. Property sheet tab Opens the property sheet view for the currently selected node on the canvas.
    12. Validation Issues tab Opens the Validation Issues view, showing the number of issues in the topic needing correction before the topic can be published. This tab appears when you try to publish an incomplete topic, and disappears when all issues are resolved. For more information, see Publish a Virtual Agent topic.
    13. Resources tab Opens the Helpful resources view, containing a link to product documentation. In an LLM topic, further resources appear including Guided tours on the canvas, and links to videos for LLM controls.

    Helpful resources tab in an LLM topic, showing guided tour, video, and product documentation links.

    Flow tab with Table View enabled

    Most of the functionality of the Flow tab is the same in Table View. The following figure and table highlight the differences.

    Figure 3. Example Flow tab in Table View
    Table view of Virtual Agent Designer Flow tab with variables, search table, and Table toggle highlighted. For the text description, see the table that follows.
    Table 2. Legend (Table View)
    Feature Description
    Palette: Variables sidebar The Components tab is not shown. Only the Variables sidebar is visible.
    Table view A list of table rows, where each row corresponds to a node in the conversation flow. You can add nodes in this section. When you add or remove nodes, the table rows adjust automatically. A node can be any of the following controls, aside from the Start and End nodes:
    • User Input: Controls used to prompt and capture information from the user in a conversation.
    • Bot Response: Controls for displaying virtual agent responses in a conversation.
    • Utilities: Controls for performing actions within a topic, such as running a script, adding different conversation paths (branches) in a topic, or adding topic blocks.

    Select Add new node to add a node. You can specify the type of control in the dialog box.
    Search table Option for searching nodes in the conversation (table).

    LLM components guided tour

    When you create or open a non-read-only LLM topic, a dialog box appears and displays an option to take a guided tour of the LLM components in Virtual Agent Designer. Select the close icon to close the window or Start guided tour to be shown the various components. You can also take a tour by selecting Guided tour for LLM enabled nodes in the Helpful resources tab.

    To stop seeing the dialog box open each time you open an LLM topic, select Do not show this again before closing the dialog box or starting the tour. To restore the dialog box, navigate to All, then enter sys_cb_user_preference_list.do. On the Designer User Preferences page, find the LLM_INTRO_MODAL_ENABLED preference. Open its Value field and set it to true.

    Figure 4. LLM guided tour dialog box
    Introducing LLM components dialog box with the Do not show this again and Start guided tour options.

    Incomplete property warnings

    Controls on the canvas have required properties. If required properties are missing, Virtual Agent Designer displays the total number of missing required properties and the controls that are missing them. All incomplete warnings must be addressed to test or publish the topic.

    In the following example, the topic is missing two required properties. Two nodes are affected, and each is missing one property. The Text response node is missing the Message response.

    Figure 5. Flow tab with incomplete properties
    Virtual Agent Designer Flow tab view with incomplete properties. Number of incomplete nodes is shown in the canvas. The sidebar and each node show the number of incomplete entries.

    Point to the incomplete message to see a tooltip that describes what is missing.

    Figure 6. Select the message to get more information
    Virtual Agent Designer properties, with incomplete message selected to show missing items in the node.