Defining navigation through links in pages

The following image is a visual guide to creating a page and making it available to your end users, and shows the current step that you are on:

Links are of the following types:

• On-click links—Link is added on content blocks, images, and buttons.  
• Inline links—Link is added in a text block with contextually relevant content.
  Add contextually relevant links to guide your end users to other pages and useful information. Inline links enable you to add meaningful text and create links that correctly describe the page you direct your end users to. 

To learn more about the supported URI schemes and modify them, if required, see Updating-the-attachment-settings-and-URI-schemes.

The following table lists the types of links and their behavior:

To use Markdown syntax for inline links

Use Markdown to add inline links in text blocks.

1. Add the link text enclosed by square brackets.
2. Add a set of parenthesis immediately after the closing square bracket.
3. Add the link URL within the parentheses.
   Ensure that the link starts with a supported URI scheme.

 An example of an inline link using Markdown is: [link text](https://www.google.com)

To guide users to specific information through contextually relevant inline links

BMC Helix Digital Workplace uses hash navigation. Therefore, internal links must begin with hash-forward slash (#/). External links must begin with a URI scheme, such as https:, mailto:, tel:, and so on. 

1. To add links in text blocks, add the link using Markdown syntax.
   For more information, see To use Markdown syntax for inline links.
2. To add on-click action links, enter the URL starting with a supported URI scheme.

The following video shows you how to add inline links:

How supported and unsupported links appear in the end user console

Before actually clicking a link, users may hover the cursor over the link to check the URL in the lower corner of the browser. For unsupported URI schemes, the browser does not display the URL that the link points to. The following video shows how links appear for supported, unsupported, and unsafe URI schemes (if the URI is considered unsafe to load):

To add on-click links for an entire content block, an image, or a button

1. Open the studio page.
2. Select the content block where you want to add an on-click link, and then open its properties panel.

3. Add the link in the property, as given in the table below:

   Element	Property
   Content block	Click action
   Image	Media
   Button	Link (property for each button in the Button group)

4. From the Link list, select URL.
5. Specify the URL, starting with a URI scheme; for example, https://www.google.com.

        6. Specify whether the link opens in the same tab or a new tab.

        7. Save the page.

To map catalog services and bundles to click actions in content blocks

You can associate a click action with any published catalog service or service bundle. The click action can be configured to either open the catalog service's profile page or bypass that screen and directly display the service checkout page with the service questionnaire for end users to request the service. 

The following video shows click actions on two buttons. The same service is associated with both the buttons: a click action on one button opens the service profile page while a click action on the other button opens the service checkout page with the questionnaire.

1. Open the studio page in which you want to associate a catalog service or service bundle to a click action.
2. Select the content block where you want to add an on-click link, and then open its properties panel.
3. From the Link list, select Catalog item. Make sure that end users are entitled to view the mapped BMC Helix Digital Workplace Catalog item.  
4. Click Select. 
5. From the Service Catalog list of published services and service bundles, select the service you want to link, and then click Save.
   You can use the search bar to search for services and bundles with a specific name. 
6. From the Destination page list, select either Item details or Request now. 
   The Item details option displays the service profile page while the Request now option displays the service checkout page.
7. Save the page.

The following image shows a service linked to a button:

To easily move pages between environments by using relative links

Use relative links to make your links work without any modification when you move pages between environments. Use relative links when linking to internal pages or pages in your organization. You can add relative links in text blocks and on-click action links to content blocks, images, and buttons.  A page URL looks like this: https://BMCHelixDWPServer:portNumber/dwp/app/<relative-link>. The relative link pattern for each page type is different. 

Note that BMC Helix Digital Workplace uses hash navigation.

•  To add relative links for on-click actions, select URL from the Link options and enter the relative link.
•  To add links in text blocks, simply enter the relative link.
  
  

Note that a relative link can break if the page it points to does not exist. For example, the relative link does not work if the target page is not available in the new environment or if the page has been deleted or removed. 

The following table shows examples of relative links that you can add in studio pages:

Where to go from here

Using-colors-to-create-visually-appealing-pages

Duplicating-content

Setting-up-navigation-for-your-workplace