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Dynamic Conversation Properties: How to Add & What They Do

2022-03-18 17:19:59

There are several locations in OneDesk where you can insert properties which will update dynamically in response to unique information about the item, project, or timesheet the message is being sent about. These dynamic properties can be used in email templates, saved replies, the item merge menu, macros, and workflow automations.

Adding Dynamic Properties - Email Templates

To insert dynamic properties in an email template which is then sent out as part of a workflow automation, go to more applications -> administration -> emails -> automated emails, and choose to create a new email template.

In the email template creation screen, select the “properties” dropdown, and choose the property you wish to add. You can choose to add item properties for your tickets and tasks, project properties for your projects, or timesheet properties for timesheets. These properties will change depending on what the template is being sent about.

Properties Explained In Detail - Email Templates

Each property added in an email template will update dynamically in response to the item, project, or timesheet it is relating to. Here is what will show up dynamically if each property is inserted:

Item Properties

ID - The item’s ID number (eg. Ticket ID #123)
Type - The item’s type (eg. Ticket, Task, etc.)
Item Name - The name of the item
Description - The complete description of the item
Truncated Description - The description of the item, only including text
Portfolio Names - The name(s) of any portfolio the item belongs to
Attachment Links - Provides links to download any attachments added in the item’s detail panel (Not attached in conversations)
Project - What project the item belongs to
Lifecycle Status - What lifecycle status the item has
Priority - The priority in stars (0-5) of the item
% Complete - The percentage complete (0-100) of the item
Organization URI - The URI of your organization (eg. yourorganizationXXXXXX)
Assignee(s) - The names of any assignees of the current item
Author - Who created the item
Requester(s) - Whoever is marked as a requester of the item
Follower(s) - Whoever is marked as a follower of the item
Customer Requester Organizations - Which customer organizations are requesters of the item
Administrator Name - The administrator of the OneDesk account
All Conversations - Shows all conversations which have gone on in the item
Latest Message - Shows the last message which was sent in the item
Planned Work - The planned work of the item
Actual Work - The actual work of the item
Planned Cost - The planned cost of the item
Actual Cost - The actual cost of the item
Planned Duration - The planned duration of the item (date range)
Scheduled Start Date - The scheduled start date of the item
Actual Start Date - The actual date the item was started on
Scheduled Finish Date - The scheduled date to finish the item
Actual Finish Date - The actual date the item was finished
Created Date - The date the item was made inside OneDesk
URL of Item in OneDesk Main Application - A link to the item inside the main OneDesk app
Recent Requester - Who the most recently marked requester is of the item
Time Until SLA Breach - How much time is left until the added SLA is breached
SLA Breach Time - The time the SLA was breached (if applicable)
SLA Name - The name of the SLA attached to the item
SLA Breaching Metric - What SLA metric resulted in a breach (eg. first reply, next reply, etc.)
Successors - What items are marked as successors to the current item
Predecessors - What items are marked as predecessors to the current item
Linked Items - All linked items set for the current item (predecessors, successors, related, blockers, duplicates)
Requester Satisfaction Survey URL - A URL of any sent satisfaction surveys for the item
URL of Item on Portal - Provides an access link to the item on the Customer Portal
URL of Item on Knowledgebase - Provides an access link to the item on the Knowledgebase

Project Properties

ID - The project’s ID number
Name - The project’s name
Type - The project’s type (out of 10 possible types)
Portfolio Names - The name(s) of any portfolios the project belongs to
Portfolio Types - The type(s) of any portfolios the project belongs to (out of 10 possible types)
Lifecycle Status - The project’s lifecycle status
All Conversations - Shows all conversations which have gone on in the project
Latest Message - Shows the latest message which was sent in the project
Description - Shows the complete project description
Truncated Description - Shows only the text of the project description
Attachments - Shows links to attachments for the project (attached in the detail panel, not in conversations)
Agile Capacity - Show the agile point capacity for the project
Total Points - Shows how many agile points the project has at the given moment
Visibility Type - Show whether the project is marked as discoverable or private
Follower Users - Shows internal users which are following the project
Follower Customers - Shows customers which are following the project

Timesheet Properties

Item Name - Shows the name of the item the timesheet is being submitted for
Project Name - Shows the name of the project the timesheet is being submitted under
Assignee - Shows the assignee(s) of the item the timesheet is being submitted for
Actual Work - The work submitted in the given timesheet (eg. timesheet for 3 hours submitted on ticket that already has 2 hours of work, property shows the 3 hours submitted, not 5 hours total)
Completion - Shows the percent complete that was set in the timesheet
Start Date - Shows the start date set in the timesheet
Finish Date - Shows the finish date set in the timesheet
Billing Type - Shows whether the timesheet was set to billable or non-billable
Approval Status - Shows whether the timesheet was approved or not
Requester - Shows any marked requesters of the item which the timesheet is submitted under
Note - Shows any notes set on the timesheet

Adding Dynamic Properties - Saved Replies

To add dynamic properties to saved replies in the OneDesk messenger, first select the item you want to create a reply for, and then the “Tools” button from the top of the interface when in the tickets, tasks, or projects application. Select either add a new saved reply, or edit a saved reply you have existing.

In the resulting menu selecting “Insert Property” brings up the list of dynamic properties available for messages in OneDesk.

Properties Explained in Detail - Saved Replies

Some saved reply properties are different than those available for email templates. Here is a list of the available properties and what they will dynamically show:

URL of Item on Portal - Provides a URL to access the item on the Customer Portal
URL of Item in OneDesk Main Application - A link to the item inside the main OneDesk app
Company Name - The name of the requester organization
Name - The item name
Administrator Name - The name of the account administrator
All Conversations - Shows all conversations which have been in the item
Latest Message - Shows the last message to be sent in the item
Project - Shows the project the item belongs to
Author - Shows who created the item
Details - Shows the description of the item
Percentage Complete - Shows the percent complete (0-100) of the item
Created Date - Shows the date the item was created
Linked Items - All linked items set for the current item (predecessors, successors, related, blockers, duplicates)
Priority - The priority in stars (0-5) of the item
Scheduled Duration - The scheduled duration of the item
Scheduled Work - The scheduled work the item will take to complete
Scheduled Start Date - The scheduled start date of the item
Scheduled Finish Date - The schedule finish date of the item
Actual Work - The actual work submitted to the item at the given moment
Actual Start Date - The actual start date of the item
Actual Finish Date - The actual date the item was finished
Assignments - Shows whoever is assigned to the item
Successors - What items are marked as successors to the current item
Predecessors - What items are marked as predecessors to the current item
ID - The item’s unique ID
Planned Cost - The planned cost of the item
Actual Cost - The actual cost of the item
Type - The item’s type (eg. Ticket, Task, etc.)
Lifecycle Status - The lifecycle status of the item
Time Until SLA Breach - Shows how long until an SLA breach will occur down to the minute
SLA Breach Time - The time at which an SLA breach occurred
SLA Name - The name of the SLA attached to the item
SLA Breach Metric - What caused an SLA breach to occur for the item (First reply, next reply, etc.)
Requester - The requester(s) of the given item
Recent Requester - Shows the most recent marked requester of the item
Requester Satisfaction Survey URL - Provides a URL to access any sent satisfaction surveys for the item

Adding Dynamic Properties - Item Merge Menu

Dynamic properties can also be added when merging items together in OneDesk. To merge items, select the items you wish to merge from their respective application, then select the three dots in the “Actions” column -> more options -> merge items.

The resulting menu gives the option of sending out a message about the items being merged. You can insert dynamic properties in this message by selecting “Insert Property”.

Properties Explained in Detail - Item Merge Menu

The majority of properties able to be inserted are the same as when using dynamic properties in saved replies. See the section “Properties Explained in Detail - Saved Replies” for explanation of those properties.

For unique properties available through the item merge menu and not the saved replies properties menu, see below:

Target Type - The type of the item that will be the product of the merge (eg. a ticket and task are merged into a ticket, this property will display “ticket”)
Target ID - The ID of the item which the selected items are being merged into
URL of Item on Webforms - Provides a URL to access the item type as a webform
URL of Item on Messenger - Provides a URL to access the item in the OneDesk messenger

Adding Dynamic Properties - Macros

To add dynamic properties in macros in OneDesk, select the “Tools” menu at the top of the screen in the tickets, tasks, or projects application, and either edit an existing macro you have made, or choose to create a new macro.

In the macro edit/creation menu, you can choose to create a new conversation for use in the macro on the right hand side, and insert properties with the “Insert Property” button in the new conversation window.

All properties which can be inserted through the conversation window in a macro are the same as those you can insert through saved replies.

Adding Dynamic Properties - Automations

Properties can be used in automations when sending out messages either through the “send email template” action, or the “insert/create message” action. To access your automations, go to more applications -> administration -> tickets, tasks, projects, or timesheets depending on what item you wish to create an automation for. Scroll down to the workflow automations section and select to create a new workflow automation.

Choosing “send email template” or “insert/create message” as the automation action provides you with the option to send a pre-existing or newly created email template, or write an automated response.

You can insert dynamic properties through the “Properties” field if creating a new email template inside your automation, or through the “Insert Property” button if creating a message. All available dynamic properties for these actions are the same as previously shown when creating an email template or saved reply outside of your workflow automations.