HTML bot response control

---
title: HTML bot response control
description: Use the HTML bot response control to display static HTML text in the Virtual Agent bot response.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/va-html-output.html
release: australia
product: Virtual Agent
classification: virtual-agent
topic_type: reference
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 3
keywords: [Virtual Agent, designer, HTML, bot, response, control]
breadcrumb: [Assistant Designer bot responses, Assistant Designer interface reference, Reference, Virtual Agent, Conversational Interfaces]
---

# HTML bot response control

Use the HTML bot response control to display static HTML text in the Virtual Agent bot response.

**Note:** If you created conversations in earlier releases that use this bot response control to generate card layouts, consider updating your conversations to use the [Card bot response control](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/va-card-output.md). The Card displays information from a record in your instance and contains a link to that related record.

## Security considerations for HTML markup

For security reasons, an HTML sanitizer script runs automatically and checks all HTML markup used in the instance, including Virtual Agent conversations. The sanitizer script removes elements or attributes that might enable cross-site scripting attacks. You can edit the HTML sanitizer script to change the list of markup items to be preserved or removed. For details, see [HTML sanitizer](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/c_HTMLSanitizer.md). For examples of adding markup items to the exclusion or inclusion lists, see [Configure HTML sanitizer](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/t_ConfigureHTMLSanitizer.md).

To disable the HTML sanitizer script only for Virtual Agent conversations, add the **com.glide.cs.html.sanitizer.enabled** system property and set the value to false. For details about creating a system property, see [Add a system property](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-administration/t_AddAPropertyUsingSysPropsList.md).

## HTML bot response control properties

<table id="table_il2_n2r_sdb"><thead><tr><th>

Property

</th><th>

Description

</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>

Node name

</td><td>

Name that identifies this HTML bot response control node in the topic flow.

</td></tr><tr><td>

HTML message

</td><td>

HTML output to be displayed. Select the Script icon \[Omitted image "icon-script.png"\] Alt text: Script icon. to open the HTML editor and enter the HTML text.

</td></tr><tr><td>

Height \(Pixel\)

</td><td>

Maximum height of the area for displaying HTML output in third-party messaging applications.

</td></tr><tr><td>

Width \(Pixel\)

</td><td>

Maximum width of the bot bubble for displaying HTML output in third-party messaging applications.

</td></tr><tr><td class="sub-head" colspan="2">

Advanced

</td></tr><tr><td class="sub-head" colspan="2">

Hide this node

</td></tr><tr><td>

Conditionally show this node if

</td><td>

No-code condition statement or low-code script that specifies a condition for presenting this node in the conversation. The condition must evaluate to true.

</td></tr></tbody>
</table>## Channel support

**Note:** As shown in the examples, HTML output can vary in third-party messaging applications. Determine an appropriate **Height** and **Width** area by setting initial height and width values, previewing the HTML output in the messaging applications you intend to use, and then adjusting the height and width values.

|Channel|Support|Constraints|
|-------|-------|-----------|
|Microsoft Teams|Supported|Since HTML is rendered as an image in Microsoft Teams, other controls are recommended. For example, use images or cards instead of HTML for Microsoft Teams.|
|Slack|Supported|None|
|SMS Twilio|Not supported|Not applicable|
|Google Chat|Supported|None|

## Example HTML bot response output

The HTML bot response shows a static HTML as a chat response. This example includes an image, headings, and paragraph text. The web UI presents this content as HTML. The Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Workplace user interfaces display the same content as a PNG image. URL links within the HTML are extracted and displayed below the image. The URL can be either an absolute or a relative link. If you use a relative link, it must be relative to the ServiceNow instance.

**Note:** Asset library controls may display and function differently in other channels.

<table id="table_f1f_v2p_xdb"><thead><tr><th>

HTML bot response properties

</th><th>

HTML bot response output

</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>

\[Omitted image "va-html-properties.png"\] Alt text: Basic properties include the node name, HTML message, height, and width.

</td><td>

\[Omitted image "va-html-native.png"\] Alt text: A chat window shows the company logo with a header, subheader, and body text.

</td></tr></tbody>
</table>**Parent Topic:**[Assistant Designer bot responses](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/conversational-interfaces/virtual-agent/va-bot-responses.md)