How to design category tiles for the Service Portal

Search for	Example	Results
A single word	`cat`	Topics that contain the word "cat". You will also find its grammatical variations, such as "cats".
A phrase. You can specify that the search results contain a specific phrase.	`"cat food"` (quotation marks)	Topics that contain the literal phrase "cat food" and all its grammatical variations. Without the quotation marks, the query is equivalent to specifying an OR operator, which finds topics with one of the individual words instead of the phrase.

Search for	Operator	Example
Two or more words in the same topic	`AND` `and` `+` (plus symbol) `&` (ampersand)	`cat AND dog` `"cat food"+milk` `"cat food"&"dog food"`
Either word in a topic	`OR` `or` `\|` (pipe)	`cat OR dog` `cat \| dog`
Topics that do not contain a specific word or phrase	`NOT` `not` `!` (exclamation point)	`NOT cat` `! dog`
Topics that contain one string and do not contain another	`^` (caret)	`cat ^ mouse`
A combination of search types	`( )` parentheses	`cat + (dog \| mouse)` `cat \| dog + (! mouse)`

The category tiles on the Service Portal home page can be comprised of several graphic designs. It is recommended to mix and match these designs for an interesting and attractive look. You can use available background images and solid background colors.

To access the category settings, from the main menu, select Plan > Service Catalog > Categories. There is also a link to this page at the bottom of the Service Portal Settings page.

The settings are per category so you must enter each category and expand the Category display settings.

Click Save and refresh the Service Portal page to view the results of your selections.

Set the background by selecting one of the following:

Select Background image per category from the drop-down list. You can choose from 20 possible category background images.
Set Background color per category. Make sure the Background image field is clear and enter an RGB number or click to open the color selector.
Set Background color with an Image icon. Make sure the Background image field is clear and select one of the background colors from the drop-down list. Click Upload image to select an icon to use for the category. You can use one of the icons supplied in the downloadable sample images pack available from the Service Portal Settings page. It is highly recommended to use a white image icon.
Use the Default category background. If no background image or background color is selected, a default color is selected. The default color assumes the same style ( including color and blur effect) of the Service Portal sidebar. These settings appear in the MISC section of the Service Portal Settings page. For details, see the Miscellaneous section in How to configure Service Portal display theme settings. This design complements the overall look and feel of the portal. A category without its own settings has the same look and feel as the sidebar, which appears on the right-hand side of the portal page.

It is highly recommended that you mix and match the different category background styles. The recommended ratio is 3:2:1 per the details in the following table:

Option 1	Option 2
3 solid color tiles using different colors	3 solid color tiles using different colors
2 background images	2 default color tiles which are usually a darker color – same as the portal sidebar
1 default color tile which is usually a darker color – same as the portal sidebar	1 background image

You have the option to enter a URL in the URL field and this category links to that site. This must be a category that does not include a service or offering. The category appears in the portal and links to the URL you enter. For example, you can link to an external ticketing system.
Set the Display order of the category as it appears in the portal.