Introducing the Articles API

We've now released a brand new way for you to access your Articles and Help Center within Intercom - through the API! This includes:

• A fully RESTful Articles endpoint which allows you to create rich & multi-lingual articles, fetch these by retrieving one or listing all, and which can be kept in sync with external repositories through updating their settings and content.
• A fully RESTful Help Center endpoint in order to manage the overall layout of your single-language or multilingual Help Center through the collections and sections under which your Articles live.

Contact, Conversation & Data Attribute APIs

We’re excited to share that we’ve now launched a major update to our API - giving you more powerful, contextual, and intuitive access to your data:

• A new, strictly RESTful Contacts API that combines users and leads — collectively known as “contacts” — and enables you to search for the exact contacts you need by filtering using any combination of fields, like location or a custom NPS score. Plus, the API exposes new attributes, like last_contacted and browser_version, and uses cursor-based pagination to give you access to all of your contacts without restrictions.
• An updated Conversations API that enables you to tag conversations directly, search and retrieve conversations by any combination of fields, and access more granular attributes, like timestamps and out-of-the-box metrics such as time_to_first_response and median_time_to_reply.
• A new Data Attributes API that lets you create and update custom data attributes, set a label and description for each, and build a dropdown list of defined attribute options. This means your app users can more easily leverage data when targeting and communicating with customers and leads.

Listing Data Attributes

We've modified the way data attributes are retrieved via our Data Attributes API. You can now retrieve a list of all data attributes by sending a GET request to the data_attributes endpoint.

• Listing customer data attributes - you can list customer data attributes by specifying a model parameter in the request URL with the value customer.
• Listing company data attributes - you can list company data attributes by specifying a model parameter in the request URL with the value company.

With the introduction of this change, customer and company data attributes can no longer be listed by using the old endpoints. For example, sending a request to the data_attributes/customer endpoint and sending a request to the data_attributes/company will no longer work.

Validating Custom Data Attributes

Custom Data Attributes created via the API must now use the same naming rules as the ones created via the UI. Names can therefore only contain alphanumeric characters, currency symbols, and hyphens.

Adding owner_id to User & Lead objects

We now expose a user or lead's account owner through the `owner_id` attribute. This will be the integer for an admin's id, meaning you can use this to make a call to our Admin API and get more details on the given owner.

Removing archived Custom Data Attributes from User responses

Archived Custom Data Attributes will no longer be present on the User model in API responses.

Removing Teams from Admin responses

The Admins endpoint will no longer return Teams in its responses. The Teams endpoint should be used instead.

Introducing Canvas Kit

Say hello to a quicker and easier way to build contextual and action-oriented apps embedded into Intercom's UI. With the launch of Canvas Kit, you keep all the capabilities of embedding apps in the Messenger, and gain:

• Capbilities for emebedding apps in Inbox - you can now build apps for the conversation details within Intercom's Inbox product. Take a look at our revampped Canvas Kit guides to understand just how easy it is.
• New Components - to make it easy to display data and input larger voucher, we've launched Data Table and Text Area components.
• Canvas Kit Builder - preview the JSON of your app to see what it will look like and how people can interact with it. The Builder is embedded throuhgout the docs but can also be accessed here.

Removing the users object from Canvas Kit request payloads

Instead of sending a users object within Canvas Kit requests, we now send a customer object instead. This returns exactly the same payload but also includes leads.

Removing the app_id key from Canvas Kit request payloads

Instead of sending an app_id key within Canvas Kit requests, we now send a workspace key instead. This returns exactly the same information as the value.

Adding an author object to Conversation payloads

We now return an author object within Conversation and Conversation Part objects sent throughout our REST API responses and Canvas Kit requests. This will contain the name and email of the message's author.

Preventing null for unsubscribed_from_emails

The API will now return an error if unsubscribed_from_emails is set to null for User requests.

Removing personally identifiable information (PII) from our API & Webhooks

Across our API & Webhooks, we will no longer return the last_seen_ip, location_data.longitude, location_data.latitude, and user_agent_data for users, leads, and visitors. This is part of an effort to keep customers data secure and uphold the availability of Intercom across services that require such information to not be exposed.

View activity logs for admins through our API

You can now get a log of activities taken by all admins in an app through our API. Simply send a GET request to https://api.intercom.io/admins/activity_logs. You can see request, params, and responses on our reference.

Set waiting since attribute to null for admin replies

In previous versions of our API, the value of the waiting_since attribute on the Conversation model is set to 2000 years in the future if the last reply is from an admin. This change sets the value of waiting_since to null instead.

List users by email returns users only

Previously, the list users by email endpoint returned a list of users and contacts. It will now return users only.

Allow contacts to be viewed/listed by phone

Previously, the you could list contacts by email only. Now you can also list them by phone.

New Conversations Part Redacted Webhook

There is a new webhook which fires when a conversation part is redacted.

New Conversations Rating Added Webhook

There is a new webhook which fires when a rating is added to a conversation.

The full list of changes in this version is:

• Users endpoint - Find multiple users via email
• Conversations endpoint - Adding more information for the user's first reply
• Messenger framework - new_canvas no longer accepted
• Messenger framework - Disable component option
• Webhooks - Four new webhook topics added

Users endpoint - Find multiple users via email

Previously if you searched for a user via email it would return an error if more than one user existed with the email. It returned a user object. Now it will return the same list object as with list users.

curl https://api.intercom.io/users?email=[email protected] \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Intercom-Version: 1.1'

{
    "limited": false,
    "pages": {
        "next": null,
        "page": 1,
        "per_page": 50,
        "total_pages": 1,
        "type": "pages"
    },
    "total_count": 3,
    "type": "user.list",
    "users": [
        {
            "anonymous": false,
            "app_id": "fyq3wodw",
            "created_at": 1506339558,
            "custom_attributes": {},
            "do_not_track": null,
            "email": "[email protected]",
            "has_hard_bounced": false,
            "id": "45c8eae6fac10f5584e7508e",
            "last_request_at": 1529737920,
            "last_seen_ip": "78.144.182.179",
            ....
            ....
        },
        {
            "anonymous": true,
            "app_id": "fyq3wodw",
            "created_at": 1503488750,
            "custom_attributes": {},
            "do_not_track": null,
            "email": "[email protected]",
            "has_hard_bounced": false,
            "id": "5123d6aeeda850883ed8ba7c2",
            "last_request_at": 1503488749,
            ....
            ....
        },
        {
            "anonymous": false,
            "app_id": "fyq3wodw",
            "created_at": 1494940172,
            "custom_attributes": {},
            "do_not_track": null,
            "email": "[email protected]",
            "has_hard_bounced": false,
            "id": "789afa0cb781d52fd3044ecc",
            "last_request_at": 1494940211,
            ....
            ....
        }
    ]
}

{
    "limited": false,
    "pages": {
        "next": null,
        "page": 1,
        "per_page": 50,
        "total_pages": 0,
        "type": "pages"
    },
    "total_count": 0,
    "type": "user.list",
    "users": []
}

Conversations endpoint - Adding more information for user's first reply

It is now possible to get more information about your users first response. Customer have asked for this feature so they can better understand key metrics which may help identify patterns around what encouraged your customers to reply to a particular message. Similarly, it will also allow you to prioritise messages based on whether they were delivered as Auto-Messages, Bot messages or Manual Messages for example.

The new information will be available in the conversation model object returned when you list your conversations. It will contain:

• Source URL - The URL for the page from where your customer replied. This will not be available in all cases, e.g. when a customer replies via email.
• Channel - The channel the replay occurred within e.g. via email, in a conversation or via a 3rd party integration such as twitter or facebook
• Created at time - The time the users response was created
• How was the original message delivered - Was it an Auto-Message or a Campaigns Message or a Manual Message for example.

New or updated Attributes

The conversation model will include the follow new attributes

Customer First reply model

# You still list conversations in the same way. The only change is there are some new attributes added as part of the conversation message.
curl "https://api.intercom.io/conversations" \
-H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Intercom-Version: 1.1'

{
    "conversations": [
        {
            "assignee": {
                "id": null,
                "type": "nobody_admin"
            },
            "conversation_message": {
                "attachments": [],
                "author": {
                    "id": "5bd155b5d8b61587a0203f31",
                    "type": "lead"
                },
                "body": "<p>\ud83d\ude00</p>",
                "delivered_as": "customer_initiated",
                "id": "271978806",
                "subject": "",
                "type": "conversation",
                "url": "https://s.codepen.io/test/app"
            },
            "created_at": 1540449375,
            "customer_first_reply": null,
            "customers": [
                {
                    "id": "5bd112b5d8b61534a0203f12",
                    "type": "lead"
                }
            ],
            "first_action_at": 1540449375,
            "id": "19205537453",
            "last_action_at": 1540449378,
            "open": true,
            "read": true,
            "sent_at": 1540449378,
            "snoozed_until": null,
            "state": "open",
            "type": "conversation",
            "updated_at": 1540449379,
            "user": {
                "id": "5bd112b5d8b61534a0203f12",
                "type": "lead"
            },
            "waiting_since": 1540449375
        },
        ...
        ...
        ...
            ],
    "pages": {
        "next": "https://api.intercom.io/conversations?per_page=20&page=2",
        "page": 1,
        "per_page": 20,
        "total_pages": 76,
        "type": "pages"
    },
    "type": "conversation.list"
}

{
    "conversations": [
        {
            "assignee": {
                "id": null,
                "type": "nobody_admin"
            },
            "conversation_message": {
                "attachments": [],
                "author": {
                    "id": "814865",
                    "type": "admin"
                },
                "body": "<p>Hi \ud83d\ude00 We hope you enjoy the example app. To get started just copy and paste some code into the JS editor. Let us know if you think this is useful? <br></p>",
                "id": "55951247",
                "subject": "",
                "type": "conversation_message",
                "url": null
            },
            "created_at": 1540314098,
            "customers": [
                {
                    "id": "1234bea776767676676bae2334",
                    "type": "lead"
                }
            ],
            "first_action_at": 1540314131,
            "id": "19179279317",
            "last_action_at": 1540314133,
            "open": true,
            "read": true,
            "sent_at": 1540314133,
            "snoozed_until": null,
            "state": "open",
            "type": "conversation",
            "updated_at": 1540314134,
            "user": {
                "id": "aa444f2314fe1334r345",
                "type": "lead"
            },
            "waiting_since": 1540314131
        },
        ...
        ...
            ],
    "pages": {
        "next": "https://api.intercom.io/conversations?per_page=20&page=2",
        "page": 1,
        "per_page": 20,
        "total_pages": 15,
        "type": "pages"
    },
    "type": "conversation.list"
}

Conversations endpoint - Adding more information to tags

It is now possible to get more information about the conversation's tags when both fetching one conversation and listing all conversations. There's two new attributes you can see in the tag object of a conversation:

Messenger framework - new_canvas no longer accepted

During the beta launch of the Messenger framework we accepted both new_canvas and canvas as valid names for the canvas object returned to Intercom during the request flows. The new_canvas name is no longer accepted as a valid name for the canvas object.

Messenger framework - Disable component option

This version includes the ability to disable certain messenger framework components. This allows you to prevent certain components, such as elements in a list, from being selected. This may occur when customers are signed up to certain packages and have restricted options for some categories. The components which you can now disable are:

• Input
• Button
• List + each list item
• Dropdown + each dropdown option
• Single Select + each single select option
  For each of the above components it simply adds one optional boolean parameter which can be set to identify whether this component should be disabled or not

{
  "type":  "button",
  "id": "button-123",
  "label": "Submit form",
  "style": "secondary",
  "disabled": true,
  "action": {
    "type": "url",
    "url": "https://www.intercom.com/"
  }
}

{
  "type": "list",
  "items": [
    {
      "type": "item",
      "id": "article-123",
      "title": "How to install the messenger",
      "subtitle": "An article explaining how to integrate Intercom",
      "image": "http://somesite.com/article.png",
      "image_width": 48,
      "image_height": 48,
      "roundedImage": false,
      "action": {
        "type": "submit"
      }
    },
    {
      "type": "item",
      "id": "article-133",
      "title": "How to un-install the messenger",
      "subtitle": "An article explaining how to uninstall Intercom integrations",
      "image": "http://somesite.com/article2.png",
      "image_width": 48,
      "image_height": 48,
      "roundedImage": false,
      "disabled": true,
      "action": {
        "type": "submit"
      }
    }
  ]
}

New webhook topics

This version includes a number of new webhook topics to which you can now subscribe. The new topics are described in the table below. To find out more about webhooks and learn how to subscribe to these topics please see our Setting up Webhooks page.