[SalesForce] Live agent pre chat custom detail

I'm trying to push some custom data to the chat console from pre chat from but without success. I've tried hidden form elements like this:

<input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat:Username" value="Anonymous" />

And also tried JavaScript API

liveagent.addCustomDetail('Username', "Anonymous", true);

But the agent sees only most recently viewed pages when hovering over "Accept" chat button. Also no custom variables are displayed after chat is initialized.

The pre-chat form is embedded on a client site. To submit the form I just use this code:

<a href="javascript://Chat" onClick="liveagent.startChat('XXXX')">START CHAT</a>

How can I debug this? What is the correct way to pass this custom data?

Best Answer

You are using the deployment API which is different to the tags that must be used in the pre-chat form.

Here is an example on how to create a case with some information pre-populated that will also show in the console for the agent, you can do the same without creating a record, this should give you an idea.

<input type='hidden' name='liveagent.prechat:caseorigin' value='Chat'/>
<input type='hidden' name='liveagent.prechat:caseContactId' value='{!$User.ContactId}'/>
<input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map:Case" value="Origin,caseorigin;ContactId,caseContactId;" />
<input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map.doCreate:Case" value="Origin,true;ContactId,true;" />
<input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.saveToTranscript:Case" value="Case" />
<input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.showOnCreate:Case" value="true" />

The section you care about if all you want is to show the details on the console would be this

<input type='hidden' name='liveagent.prechat:caseContactId' value='{!$User.ContactId}'/>

in combination with this value

<input type= "hidden" name= "liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.displayToAgent:caseContactId" value= "true" />

With that, you are assigning a value to a custom chat detail that will be shown to the agent that gets the chat assigned.

Related Solutions

[SalesForce] Live Agent Pre Chat Form – popup window size

Thanks to Jon Aniano ‏@jonaniano " There is an undocumented method for this (will be documented in Summer - SAFE HARBOR applies). You can use it today.

Before your "init" call in your deployment code: liveagent.setChatWindowHeight(500); liveagent.setChatWindowWidth(500);

where (500) in the example above would be your size in pixels. Hope this helps "

[SalesForce] Live Agent- Pre-Chat

The syntax you have to find an existing record looks correct. I assume that you have a button somewhere or something to actually submit the form.

You haven't specified what to create if it isn't found. You do that with the map.doCreate method. The doFind alone does not create a new record. If it doesn't find anything the console just stays on the Visitor Details page. I think you'll need to specify a LastName as well since that's required on Contact. You don't have to search by that though, if you don't want to. The way that the Pre-Chat API works is that it will try to find with the doFind and then if not found will actually create the record with the doCreate. It doesn't just take you to a new record screen with values filled in. It actually creates, so you need required fields. Here's a snippet that should do it:

<form method="post" id="prechatForm" action="{!endpoint}"> > 
    <input type="text" name="liveagent.prechat:Email" value="{!formEmail.value}"/>
    <input type="text" name="liveagent.prechat:LastName" />

    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map:Contact" value="Email,Email;LastName,LastName;" />
    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map.doFind:Contact" value="Email,true;" />
    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map.isExactMatch:Contact" value="Email,true;" />
    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.showOnCreate:Contact" value="true" /> 

    <!-- specify that the created record should have email and last name on it -->   
    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.map.doCreate:Contact" value="Email,true;LastName,true;" />

    <!-- Save the Contact to the Lookup field on the Live Chat Transcript -->
    <input type="hidden" name="liveagent.prechat.findorcreate.saveToTranscript:Contact" value="Contact" />

    <input type="submit" value="Request Chat" />
</form>

Also, it could be the endpoint variable is wrong or the value of formEmail.value not what you expect it. You can double check the Email custom detail that was submitted on the Visitor Details in the console when you accept the chat or the mouseover pop out of the chat before you accpet it on the request panel.

You can read more about the Live Agent Pre-Chat API in a detailed article I just posted. It steps through code for a contrived Pre-Chat form that collects input, searches for a Contact, creates one if not found, creates a Case, links the Contact to the Case, and the Case and Contact to the Live Chat Transcript record.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[SalesForce] Live Agent Pre Chat Form – popup window size

[SalesForce] Live Agent- Pre-Chat

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