📝 NOTE: This feature was made available with the 2020.005 release.
Vanilla Knowledge Bases (KBs) have a Universal Content setting that enables you to configure a KB such that its content is searchable and viewable from multiple knowledge bases.
Benefits of Universal Content
Universal Content makes it easy to:
- share content that applies to multiple products or KBs. Examples of content that you could share are a company onboarding guide and your company's contact information.
- curate content because it is in a single location, which means only one article has to be maintained/updated, not multiple versions of the same content.
Notes
- Universal Content is supported in both types of Vanilla knowledge bases: Guides and Help Centers. Details about each are provided in this article.
- The Universal Content setting is not bi-directional; you have to set it for each KB you want to be "universal." Refer to Link Knowledge Bases, below, for details.
- If you have multiple KBs that are in different languages, Universal Content will display in the language that is configured for its host KB; it will not be translated.
Manage Universal Content
When you add a knowledge base, the Universal Content feature is disabled by default.
- You can enable the feature when you add the KB and
- You can edit a KB to enable/disable it.
To manage Universal Content:
1. Access the Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Settings > Knowledge > Knowledge Bases.
3. Add (click Add Knowledge Base, upper right) or edit (pencil icon) a KB.
4. On the Add (Edit) Knowledge Base modal, click the Universal Content tab.
5. Slide the toggle to the right (enable) or left (disable).
If you have enabled Universal Content and you have existing KBs, they now display in the modal.
- To leave them as is and return to the Knowledge Bases page, click Save.
- To manage Universal Content for your KBs, proceed to the next section.
Link knowledge bases
When Universal Content is enabled for a knowledge base, you can choose which other KBs "integrate" its content in their searches.
✔️ TIP: If you have a lot of KBs, use the search field to quickly find those that you want to link with this KB.
- Check the boxes for any KBs that you want to link to the KB that you've added or are editing (check the box in the header row to "select all").
- Click Save.
Universal Content - a one-way street
As you set this feature for your KBs, it is important to note that the setting applies only to the KB it is set for; it is not automatically bi-directional. For example:
You enable Universal Content for a KB called Product and then link it to a KB called Service; now, the content in Product will be included in searches in Service.
However, the content in Service will not be included in searches in Product.
You must edit Service, enable Universal Content, and check the box for Product to create that distinct, independent link.
Universal Content in Guide KBs
When Universal Content has been enabled for a Guide-type knowledge base (descriptions of KB types) and the KB has been linked with other KBs, all of the content in the Guide KB is searchable alongside your Guide KB's content.
📝 NOTE: The content from the linked KBs will not appear anywhere within your Guide KB because it does not have a Homepage.
Universal Content in Help Center KBs
When Universal Content has been enabled for a Help Center-type knowledge base (descriptions of KB types) and the KB has been linked with other KBs:
- the content from those linked KBs will be searchable alongside your Help Center KB content, and
- the linked KBs will appear on your Help Center KB's Homepage.
How linked KBs display
Linked KBs display differently depending on whether they themselves are Guide KBs or Help Center KBs, as described below.
Linked KB is a Guide KB
If the linked KB is a Guide KB, it will appear as a tile below your Help Center KB's categories and articles. In the image, note the linked KB's descriptions.
Linked KB is a Help Center KB
If the linked KB is another Help Center KB, its categories and articles appear below your active Help Center KB's categories and articles. In the image, note the linked KB's categories and articles.
Linked KBs are Guide and Help Center KBs
If there are linked Guide and Help Center KBs, the display order is:
- the active Help Center's categories and articles (these are always first),
- the linked Guide KBs with descriptions display second, and then
- the linked Help Center KB's categories and articles.
