Knowledge Base Tab
The Knowledge Base tab in Help Desk Settings controls how the KB system operates, including public portal availability, ticket integration, and default behaviors.
You can access these settings from Settings > Help Desk > Knowledge Base tab.
To modify these settings, you need the Manage Settings permission.
Enable Knowledge Base
Controls whether the Knowledge Base feature is available in the admin area.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Enabled | KB menu item visible, all admin features accessible |
| Disabled | KB hidden from admin navigation, data preserved |
When disabled, existing articles and categories remain in the database but are not accessible until re-enabled.
Enable Public Knowledge Base
Controls whether the public-facing Knowledge Base portal is accessible on your Help Portal.
This setting requires Enable Help Desk Portal (on the General tab) to be enabled. If the Help Desk Portal is disabled, this toggle will be greyed out and cannot be enabled.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Public portal accessible at /kb with SEO features active |
| Disabled | /kb returns 404, public articles only viewable in admin |
Keep this disabled while building your initial content. Enable once you have sufficient articles ready for public viewing.
Show Article Suggestions on Ticket Form
Controls whether KB article suggestions appear when users create support tickets through the portal.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Enabled | As users type ticket subjects, relevant articles appear as suggestions |
| Disabled | Ticket form operates normally without KB integration |
When enabled:
- Suggestions appear after the user types 3+ characters in the subject field
- Up to 3 relevant articles are displayed
- Users can click to read articles without leaving the form
- Deflection is tracked in KB Analytics
This feature helps reduce repetitive support requests by directing users to existing documentation before they submit tickets.
Default: Require Login for Public Articles
Sets the default "Require Login" value when creating new public categories.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Required | New public categories default to requiring authentication |
| Not Required | New public categories default to fully public access |
This setting affects:
- The default toggle value when creating a new category
- Categories can still override this default individually
- Existing categories are not affected by changing this setting
- Individual articles can further override their category's setting
Knowledge Base Title
Sets the title displayed on the public Knowledge Base homepage.
Default: "Knowledge Base"
This title appears:
- In the page header on the KB homepage
- In the browser title bar
- In search engine results (if public)
Featured Articles Count
Controls how many featured articles appear on the KB homepage.
Default: 6 Range: 0-20
Set to 0 to hide the featured articles section entirely.
Featured articles are selected by enabling the "Featured" toggle on individual articles in the admin area.
Show Recent Articles
Controls whether the "Recently Published" section appears on the KB homepage.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Show | Displays recently published articles section |
| Hide | Hides this section from the homepage |
Recent articles are sorted by publication date, showing the newest content first.
Show Popular Articles
Controls whether the "Most Viewed" section appears on the KB homepage.
| Setting | Effect |
|---|---|
| Show | Displays most-viewed articles section |
| Hide | Hides this section from the homepage |
Popular articles are ranked by total view count, helping users find commonly accessed content.
Permissions
The Knowledge Base uses two dedicated permissions, managed in Settings > Administrators > Roles.
View Knowledge Base (Permission ID: 77)
Grants read-only access to KB content:
- View the KB dashboard and analytics
- Read all articles (internal and public)
- Browse categories and search
- View article statistics and feedback data
Does not allow:
- Creating, editing, or deleting articles
- Managing categories
- Publishing or archiving content
Recommended for: All support staff, help desk technicians
Manage Knowledge Base (Permission ID: 78)
Grants full KB management capabilities (includes all "View" permissions plus):
- Create, edit, and delete articles
- Create, edit, and delete categories
- Publish drafts and archive articles
- Manage article tags
- Reorder categories
Recommended for: Documentation leads, KB administrators, senior support staff
Permission Assignment
When first enabled, these permissions are automatically assigned:
- View Knowledge Base → Roles that have "View Support Tickets" permission
- Manage Knowledge Base → Roles that have "Manage Settings" permission
Adjust these assignments based on your team structure. Common configurations:
| Role | View KB | Manage KB |
|---|---|---|
| Help Desk Technician | Yes | No |
| Senior Support | Yes | Yes |
| Documentation Team | Yes | Yes |
| Read-only Admin | Yes | No |