Creating questions with default responses

As a catalog administrator or internal service supplier, you can configure questions to be prepopulated with default answers. You have the following options to prepopulate responses in a service questionnaire:

• Set the default value for question responses
• Create an action that triggers default responses

As a catalog administrator, you can also enable a global setting to share responses to the same question in a shopping cart. For more details about this functionality, see Enabling questions to share responses between multiple services in the same cart.

Before you begin

Create one or more of the following items:

• A service that will use the questionnaire, as described in Adding and updating services.

• A workflow that will use the questionnaire, as described in Workflows for service fulfillment.

• A questionnaire to be associated with a workflow, as described in Designing a questionnaire.

To set the default value for a question

1. In BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog, open a questionnaire.
2. From the Questions tab of the Questions Designer, add a Text Field question to the canvas.
3. In the Label field, enter the Label that is displayed on the questionnaire.
4. Turn on the Default Value toggle.

5. From the Type list, select the type of service context from the following options:

   • Service Broker Context—Enables you to select a variable from the service context. (When you select this option, a Context Variable list appears.) 

   • Custom Value—Enables you to enter a specific value.

   • Ticket Template—Enables you to set a Business Workflows template name as the default answer. You can use this option only if the BMC Helix Platform connector is configured and connected. (When you select this option, a Template Name list appears.)

6. If you selected Service Broker Context, select the specific context variable from the Context Variable list. 

   To enable the Requested For and Requested By context variables when setting the default value for multi-user requests, select the Page questions collect unique answers for each user check box. If this check box is not selected, only the Requested By context variable is available.

7. If you selected Ticket Template, select a template from the Template Name list.
8. Click Save.

About actions that trigger default responses

You can create actions to prepopulate question responses with information from Remedy forms only, and only for the following question types:

• All date and time question types
• Text question types (except password question type)
• Selection question types: dropdown, multiselect dropdown, radio button, checkbox

To create an action that triggers responses when the questionnaire opens

In this scenario, trigger conditions are optional. If you do not specify trigger conditions, the action is always triggered when the questionnaire opens. You can use trigger conditions to trigger an action in response to a specific response to another question. If you use trigger conditions, consider that when the end user makes the request, only questions with the matching value when the questionnaire opens are triggered. Unanswered questions match the condition of {no value}. Questions with a default value (prefilled question responses) are already answered. In addition, questions might already be answered because they are prefilled from previous requests in the same cart, or because a service is requested again. 

1. From the left pane of the Questions Designer, click the Actions tab, and then click Add an action.
2. In the Action Name field, enter a descriptive name.
3. From the Trigger list, select Open questionnaire.
   For this example, do not set the Trigger Conditions because the action is always triggered when the questionnaire opens.  
4. To select the Remedy form, click Add Form, search for the form, and then add it. 
   This example uses CTM:People, which contains the BMC Helix ITSM data about people.
5. Build an expression in the query box that is used to select the appropriate record from the form. 
   For this example, perform the following steps to build the query:
   1. Click Insert field, search for name, and select Remedy Login ID from the list of fields on the CTM:People form.
      By default, the expression builder adds is and prompts you to select the value. In this example, leave the default of is. (You can click is to see other options, such as is not and contains.)
      

      You can use additional comparison options such as is greater than, is less than, is greater than or equal to, and is less than or equal to while creating query filters. For example, 'Create date' is greater than "11/11/20 00:00:00" checks if the create date is after November 11, 2020.

   2. Click the box prompting Please Select, and select Requested For under Variable data.

      When you create an action, the Requested For and Requested By context variables are available for single-user and multi-user requests.

      
      You can use variable data to select records based on the user. If any question responses are prefilled or have default values, you can select those questions. Alternatively, you can select free text to enter a specific value. 
      The query runs at the time of the user request. The search is restricted to the list of records that the user has permissions to view. For more information about the query syntax, see  Using fields in the advanced search bar  in the BMC Remedy AR System documentation.

6. Map data from the Remedy record to a question response. 
   To add the mappings used in the example, perform the following steps:
   1. Click Add Mapping.
   2. In Form Field, search for name, and select ManagersName. 
   3. For Question Response, select Approver. You can select only questions that are already on the canvas.
7. Save the action.

The system validates the query syntax for the trigger conditions (if applicable) and for the question response. If the syntax is not valid, the query is highlighted with a warning. The query uses standard Action Request System syntax. For more information, see  Using fields in the advanced search bar  in the Action Request System (AR System) documentation.

In the following illustration, the Requester's name field is prepopulated with a default value and appears on the canvas as prefilled. An action sets the Approver response to the manager of the requester, as recorded in the CTM:People form.

To create an action that triggers responses based on responses to other questions

You can define actions that are triggered based on how a user answers a question. These actions can update other question responses. 

In the following illustration, the user response to the Site is a trigger that sets the responses to the Shipping Address questions. In this example, the action is triggered in response to the user selecting any site. 

The following steps show how to create the action illustrated in this example. 

1. From the left pane of the Questions Designer, click the Actions tab, and then click Add an action.
2. In the Action Name field, enter a descriptive name.
3. From the Trigger list, select Answer question.
4. For the Trigger Conditions, build an expression that recognizes that a value for the site is selected:
   
   1. Click Insert question, and select Site.
   2. Click is and change to is not.
   3. Click Please Select and select {no value}.
      
5. To select the Remedy form, click Add Form, and then search for the form and add it. 
   This example uses SIT:Site, which contains the BMC Helix ITSM data about sites in the organization.
6. In the query box, build an expression that is used to select the appropriate record from the form. 
   In this example, perform the following steps to build the query:
   1. Click Insert field, search for name, and select Site ID from the list of fields on the SIT:Site form.
      Choose Site ID because you set the Site response actual value to Site ID. 
      By default, the expression builder adds is. In this example, leave the default of is. (You can click is to see other options, such as is not and contains.)
   2. Click the box prompting Please Select, and select Site. 
7. Map data from the Remedy record to a question response. 
   To add the mappings in the example, for each field in the address, click Add Mapping, and map the field. For example, map the Form Field of Street to the Question Response of Street. 
8. Save the action.

Required licensing

SaaS subscribers who use BMC Helix ITSM or BMC Helix Virtual Agent Basic service are entitled to this feature.