Why is the incident thread presented in two columns when I use the Rich Text Incident Thread control in an incident workspace?

Environment:

Rich Text Thread Control, Incident Workspace Design
Oracle B2C Service

Resolution:

This behavior is due to the "Thread Orientation" setting on the Incident Thread relationship control in the workspace being used. This control allows you to modify the entry type from the default vertical split to the horizontal thread orientation that you may be more comfortable with. The thread orientation will generally only change as a result of a site update where the Rich Text editor is being employed for the first time, or workspace update where the Incident Thread control is altered.

There are three (3) view types available in the Incident Thread control, and each has its own advantages and drawbacks that are best evaluated by you for your particular business case(s). The view types and their attributes are:

• Vertical - This is the default type, and results in a two-column view split side-by-side. This allows for a new entry to be made while viewing previous entries to the right of the new entry. Scrolling through previous thread entries on the right does not lose the view of the new entry on the left. Similarly, scrolling through a long new entry on the left does not change the focus of the previous thread entry on the right.
• Horizontal - This results in a single column response view with a single scroll bar. Scrolling through previous entries can result in a loss of visibility to the new entry.
• Horizontal with Splitter - This results in a single column response view with two rows, each with their own scroll bar. Scrolling through previous thread entries below the new entry does not lose the view of he new entry above. Similarly, scrolling through a long new entry does not change the focus of the previous entries below.

This option menu where these options are controlled can be found in the Workspaces editor, which you will find by navigating to Configuration -> Application Appearance -> Workspaces. Please note that this editor will be labeled Workspaces / Workflows for sites that have Workflows enabled as described in Answer ID 2814: Desktop Workflow..

Once you have opened the correct Incident workspace in the editor, this option can be changed by selecting the Rich Text Incident Thread control (where you would normally see threads populate in an open incident) and navigating to the Design tab on the Ribbon. Within the Options section of the Design tab of the Ribbon you will find a "Thread Orientation" menu, which will give you options on how the thread entry view should be managed. The default is vertical. Horizontal and Horizontal with Splitter are the alternatives that you may wish to try.

NOTE: To verify which thread control is in place and update it (if needed) to the Rich Text Thread Control, this is done by opening the workspace for edit. With the content of the Messages tab highlighted, select the Design tab to see which control is used. If using the Incident Thread control, delete it. Then, select the Insert Control tab and drag/drop the Rich Text Incident Thread control to the Messages tab area. You can then verify/set the Thread Orientation from the Design tab.

The profile an agent account is using can be found in Answer ID 4827: Determining which profile an agent account is using. The incident workspace an agent account's profile is using can be determined by following steps 1 and 2 found in Answer ID 2451: Assigning workspaces to staff profiles.