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Using the Help Access Level
Answer ID 412   |   Last Review Date 06/01/2023

What is the Help access level used for?

Environment:

Answers, Access Levels

Resolution:

The help access level allows you to give users access to the answer content via the app/answers/detail/a_id/<ID> page but it does not allow the answer to show up on the answer list page or to be returned in search results. The Help access level allows answers to operate in "stealth" mode.

Help Access Level -- Visibility box is NOT checked: When the Visibility box is disabled / clear for the Help access level, it has special functionality and does NOT behave the same as a custom access level used with privileged access.

If an answer has a public status and is assigned to Help (Visibility box is not checked):

  • The answer does NOT display on the answers list page.
  • When searching on a word in the answer, the answer does NOT display in the search results.
  • *** If you go to the URL for the answers/detail page with that answer ID, the answer DOES display to the user -- even if they are not logged in. ***

This functionality allows you to do the following things:

  1. Link directly to a Help answer from another page in you site and not have that Help answer display in the Answers list page or in search results. You can even link to a Help answer from another published answer.
  2. Create specific Help answers that can be included in incident responses but not listed in the Answers list page. Agents could append a link or answer text for a Help answer into an incident without publishing the answer to the knowledge base.

Note:  Answers assigned to the Help access level do not display in the related answers widget when viewing another answer that is related.

However, the answer assigned to the Help access level does display in the previously viewed answers if the user goes on to view other answers within a session. Since the user was able to view the answer at one point, it allows users to easily view the answer again within that session.

Help Access Level -- Visibility box IS checked: When the visibility box is enabled for the Help access level, it works just like a regular Everyone type access level.

  1. The answer displays on the Answers list page.
  2. If I search on a word in the answer, it displays in the search results.
  3. The user can view the answer on the standard answers detail page.
Warning: It is not recommended you ever rename the Help access level.  It will still function as Help access and users will be able to view the answer as described above.
 
For information on Answer Access visibility and the Help access level, refer to Answer ID 5894: Answer Access Visibility.