Welcome to My ServiceNow Notes

I’ve been working with ServiceNow for over 15 years, collecting a variety of scripts, configurations, and best practices across many versions and releases. Over that time, the platform has evolved significantly, and some of the solutions you’ll find here originate from older ServiceNow releases or address challenges that were common long ago.

In bringing this collection online, I’ve leveraged current leading LLMs — ChatGPT o1 and Gemini 2.0 Flash Experimental — to enhance the details, clarify explanations, and update references where possible. As a result, some of the original logic has been revisited, and commentary is more current. However, these are still solutions influenced by older methods and a changing ecosystem.

Please note:

• Historical Context: Some scripts and approaches may date back to earlier versions of ServiceNow, which could mean certain APIs, tables, or methods have changed, been deprecated, or no longer function as expected.
• Evolving APIs and Features: ServiceNow’s growth and continuous improvement mean that more modern solutions or improved platform features might now exist to solve the same problems more elegantly.
• LLM-Assisted Updates: While the text may be polished and some information brought up to a more current standard, LLM assistance may introduce subtle logical changes or assumptions. The code and instructions provided should be thoroughly reviewed.
• Testing and Validation: Always test any solution you find here in a non-production environment. Evaluate whether it still aligns with best practices, platform capabilities, and your instance’s requirements before using it in production.

In Short: This is my personal knowledge stash for ServiceNow. It spans more than a decade of platform evolution and has recently been refined with the help of AI-based language models. While you may find valuable insights, be prepared to adapt, test, and validate solutions against today’s ServiceNow environment to ensure they meet current standards and functional requirements.

ServiceNow Wiki Table of Contents

Section	Title	Description
Getting Started & Core Concepts	Home	Introduction and notes about this wiki's content.
	Understanding Catalog Variables in ServiceNow	Overview of catalog variable structure and relationships
	Self‐Executing Anonymous Functions (IIFEs) in ServiceNow	Usage of Immediately Invoked Function Expressions for JavaScript encapsulation
---	---	---
User Interface & Client-Side Scripting	Creating a Custom Watchlist using AngularJS	Implementation of an interactive watchlist component using AngularJS.
	Dynamic-Hyperlinks-in-Catalog-Items-with-Help-Text	Creation of dynamic hyperlinks in catalog items with conditional URLs.
	Displaying Related Attachments – Parent, Child, and Sibling	Display attachments from parent, child, and sibling tasks on a form.
	Forcing Mobile and Tablet UI Experiences for iOS Devices	Forcing mobile/tablet UI for iOS Devices
	Setting-Catalog-Item-Variables-from-URL-Parameters	Pre-populating catalog variables from URL parameters
	Using-Session-Client-Data-in-ServiceNow	Store and retrieve session client data for client scripts.
	Using jQuery.ajax() to Invoke ServiceNow REST APIs	Using jQuery.ajax() for client-side AJAX calls to ServiceNow APIs.
	Using-XMLHttpRequest-to-Invoke-ServiceNow-REST-APIs	Using native XMLHttpRequest (XHR) to make API calls in ServiceNow.
	Client‐Side-Data-Backfilling-with-UI-Scripts-and-GlideAjax	Backfill data using a client script, UI Script and GlideAjax.
	GlideDialogForm-with-Callback-‐-Populating-Reference-Fields	Creating and using popup forms with callbacks for reference fields.
---	---	---
Server-Side Scripting & Automation	Better Logging with GSLog	Using GSLog to control logging output based on system properties.
	Disabling Business Rules and Workflows During Scripted Updates	Temporarily disabling workflows, business rules, and system fields on updates.
	Generating-Service-Catalog-Requests-Programmatically	Programmatically creating Service Catalog Requests using different methods.
	Mapping-Catalog-&-Record-Producer-Date-Variables-to-Record-Fields	Mapping catalog date variables to record fields, and handling time zones.
	Robust-Change-Request-Creation-via-Scripted-REST-API	Using a Scripted REST API to create change requests, with input validation.
	Setting-Catalog-Item-Variables-from-URL-Parameters	Pre-filling catalog variable values from URL parameters.
	Using-GlideAjax-with-JSON-in-ServiceNow	Using GlideAjax to make asynchronous calls and handle JSON responses.
	Using-Business-Rules-and-Client-Scripts-to-Manage-URL-Parameters	Using Business Rules and Client Scripts to handle URL parameters and pre-populate values.
	Using-Session-Client-Data-in-ServiceNow	Using session client data to avoid server-side calls when possible.
	Dynamic-Action-Dispatch-with-Script-Includes	Implement dynamic action dispatch for REST calls using Script Includes.
	Replacing-Inaccessible-APIs-with-Utility-Script-Includes-in-Scoped-Applications	Replacing Inaccessible Global Scope APIs in Scoped Apps Using Script Includes.
	Working-with-Time-Zones-Using-Moment.js-and-Moment-Timezone	Time zone conversion using Moment.js and Moment Timezone JavaScript libraries.
	Extracting a Multi‐Line Description from an Email Body	Extract multi-line descriptions from email bodies using regular expressions.
	Dynamic-Coalescing-with-Transform-Map-Scripts	Implementing dynamic coalescing logic in transform maps.
---	---	---
Data Management & APIs	Enhanced-Attachments-Display-in-ServiceNow	Consolidating and enhancing attachment displays on forms
	Exporting Data (Including Sys ID)	Methods for exporting data (including Sys IDs).
	Converting-Date-Differences-into-a-Formatted-Duration-String	Converting date/time differences into formatted duration strings.
	Mapping-Catalog-&-Record-Producer-Date-Variables-to-Record-Fields	Setting dates when creating a record from a Catalog Item or Record Producer
	Using-GlideFilter-for-Dynamic-Filter-Checks	Utilizing the GlideFilter API to dynamically check filter conditions.
	Using-jQuery.ajax()-to-Invoke-ServiceNow-REST-APIs	Using jQuery.ajax() for client-side AJAX calls to ServiceNow APIs.
	Using-XMLHttpRequest-to-Invoke-ServiceNow-REST-APIs	Using native XMLHttpRequest (XHR) to make API calls in ServiceNow.
	GlideAjax-with-JSON	Returning data via GlideAjax as a JSON object, and validating the values.
	Enhanced-Attachments-Display-in-ServiceNow	Displaying attachments from related records, and linking to source records
---	---	---
Navigation & User Experience	Navigation Handlers – Customizing URL Behavior	Creating and using Navigation Handlers to intercept URLs and redirect to new locations based on rules.
	Redirecting to Task Records from Custom URLs	Creating a UI Page that redirects to a task based on a URL parameter.
---	---	---
System Administration & Configuration	Changing a Table’s Parent with GlideTableParentChange	Using GlideTableParentChange to reassign a table’s parent (undocumented API).
	Overriding ServiceNow Form View Inheritance	Prevent unwanted form view inheritance on related records.
	Restricting Outbound Email Recipients in Non‐Production Instances	Restricting outbound email recipients in non-production ServiceNow instances.
	Correcting (Editing/Deleting) Comments and Work Notes	Editing and deleting comments and work notes on ServiceNow records.
	Copying Attachments Between Related Records	Copy new attachments between related records (e.g. Calls and Incidents) without duplication.
---	---	---
Undocumented APIs & Advanced Techniques	Exploring the _search Feature	Exploring the use of _search to dynamically find records based on table form layouts.
	Enhanced-GlideRecord-Performance-with-addExtraField()-in-ServiceNow	Utilizing GlideRecord's addExtraField() method for better query performance.
	Using GlideFilter for Dynamic Filter Checks	Utilizing the undocumented GlideFilter API to dynamically check filter conditions.
	Extending-the-GlideRecord-Prototype	Extending the GlideRecord prototype, including considerations and alternatives.
---	---	---
External Integrations	Scripted-REST-‐-Validating-Date-Formats	Validating date formats in REST APIs using SimpleDateFormat.
	Now Assist for Code Generation – A Comprehensive Primer	Leveraging Now Assist for Code Generation for faster development.
---	---	---
Reference	ServiceNow Email Resources	A link to a ServiceNow documentation resource for Email Management.
	Comparing Dates – Scoped vs. Global Applications	Comparing dates using GlideDateTime methods or getNumericValue().
	Bi‐Directional Comments and Work Notes Synchronization between RITMs and SCTASKs	Synchronizing comments and work notes between RITMs and SCTASKs.
	Removing HTML Tags from a String Field	Removing HTML Tags from string fields, and backfilling historical data.