Implement Native KB Widget Access for Offline Environments
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Usama Ansari
We have offline environments that require access to our documentation. However, we noted, the customers on these setups don't have access to the KB Widget.
Sure, there is an option to export the KB site for the users to consume the documentation but that is user experience averse. We want the ability to offer the same level of access and service to our offline users.
Therefore, it is requested to offer support for this feature on priority. We'd be happy to chime in if you want help from our team in terms of configuration or mapping approach.
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Kavya
Hi Usama Ansari, Thanks so much for bringing this up. I completely understand the need to give offline users the same seamless experience as those using the online KB widget. Since the widget currently relies on live APIs for search and contextual content, extending it to offline setups will need some architectural exploration on our side.
To scope this better, I’d love to understand a bit more about your setup:
How you’d expect search and article retrieval to behave offline?
Whether you’d be open to a simplified or static version of the widget for offline use?
How frequently your offline environments sync updates from the main documentation portal?
We’ll explore what’s technically feasible and keep you posted on our findings.
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Usama Ansari
Hello Kavya ,
This should give you clarity into our setup and what we expect from this FR.
- Downloaded documentation HTML files use a specific folder structure. The offline KB Widget should use these same relative paths instead of live APIs, as the online and offline documentation paths are consistent.
- Similarly, search functionality can be simplified to operate within defined folders. For example, searches could just look for matching keywords within the same set of files and folders, not an API.
- We need a simplified, static version of the KB Widget for offline use. It doesn't need to replicate the full dynamic online behavior. Our offline environments refresh every three weeks, synchronizing with our online documentation portal after each release, so the offline content will receive updates at that cadence.
- This requirement is critical because several key enterprise customers, including some of our largest accounts, rely on these offline environments. Ensuring a stable, functional offline experience is essential.
We are happy to coordinate a detailed discussion to walk through this requirement and any technical considerations.