From Zero to Hero: Building a Custom ServiceNow Application (No Code Required!)

So, you’ve heard about ServiceNow and its powerful application development capabilities, but the thought of coding sends shivers down your spine? Fear not! You can build robust and useful applications within ServiceNow without writing a single line of code. This guide will walk you through the entire process, from understanding the basics to building your first custom application using ServiceNow’s low-code/no-code tools.

What is ServiceNow and Why Build an Application?

ServiceNow is a cloud-based platform designed for digital workflows. It’s used by organizations to manage IT services, HR processes, customer service, and much more. Building a custom application within ServiceNow allows you to:

• Automate specific workflows: Streamline repetitive tasks and processes unique to your organization.
• Improve efficiency: Reduce manual effort and data entry, freeing up your team to focus on more strategic activities.
• Centralize data: Keep all your information in one place, making it easier to access and manage.
• Enhance user experience: Create intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for your specific needs.

Understanding the Key Components

Before we jump into building, let’s familiarize ourselves with the core components you’ll be working with:

• Application Navigator: The left-hand menu in ServiceNow. It’s your portal to accessing applications, modules, and other features.
• Studio: The primary development environment in ServiceNow. It provides a visual interface for creating and customizing applications.
• Tables: Databases that store data in a structured format. Think of them as spreadsheets with rows (records) and columns (fields).
• Fields: The columns within a table that define the type of data stored (e.g., text, number, date, choice list).
• Forms: Interfaces used to display, create, and edit records in a table.
• Lists: Displays of multiple records from a table in a tabular format.
• Workflows: Automated processes that define a sequence of actions to be performed.
• Flow Designer: The no-code tool for creating and managing workflows.
• Roles: Define access permissions to applications and data.

Getting Started: Creating Your First Application

Let’s create a simple application for managing employee suggestions.

1. Log in to ServiceNow: Access your ServiceNow instance using your credentials.
2. Navigate to Studio: In the Application Navigator, type “Studio” and click on it.
3. Create a New Application:
   • Click on the “Create Application” button.
   • Enter the Application name: Employee Suggestions
   • Enter a Scope Name: x_yourcompany_employee_suggestions (Replace yourcompany with your actual company name or a unique identifier). The scope ensures your application doesn’t conflict with other applications.
   • Click “Create.”

Creating a Table

Now, we need to create a table to store the employee suggestions.

1. In Studio, click “Create New” and select “Table”.
2. Configure the Table:
   • Label: Suggestion
   • Name: x_yourcompany_employee_suggestion (This will be automatically populated based on the scope and label).
   • Extends Table: Leave this as Task if you want the features of task management. Otherwise, select None. Extending the ‘Task’ table gives your new table built-in workflow capabilities, assignment groups, and other task-related features. For our example, leave it as Task.
   • Create Module: Check this box to create a module in the Application Navigator for easy access to the table.
3. Click “Submit”.

Defining Fields

Let’s add some fields to our Suggestion table:

1. In Studio, navigate to your newly created “Suggestion” table.

2. Add the following fields by clicking on “Create New” and selecting “Column”:

   • Column Label: Submitted By
     • Column name: u_submitted_by
     • Type: Reference
     • Reference table: User [sys_user] (This will allow you to select a user from the ServiceNow user database).
   • Column Label: Suggestion Category
     • Column name: u_suggestion_category
     • Type: Choice List
     • Choices:
       • Label: Process Improvement, Value: process_improvement
       • Label: Product Enhancement, Value: product_enhancement
       • Label: Workplace Environment, Value: workplace_environment
   • Column Label: Suggestion Description
     • Column name: u_suggestion_description
     • Type: String (max_length: 4000)

3. Click “Update” after adding each field.

Customizing the Form Layout

The form layout controls how the fields are displayed when creating or viewing a suggestion record.

1. In Studio, navigate to your “Suggestion” table.

2. Click on the “Form Layout” link (or right-click the table name and select “Configure” -> “Form Layout”).

3. Arrange the fields: Drag and drop the fields from the “Available” slushbucket to the desired position in the form. For example:

   • Number
   • State
   • Assigned to
   • Assignment Group
   • Submitted By
   • Suggestion Category
   • Suggestion Description

4. Add Sections: Add a new section. To do this, click “Create Section” at the top. Name the section “Suggestion Details”. Then, drag ‘Submitted By’, ‘Suggestion Category’, and ‘Suggestion Description’ into that section. This will visually organize the form.

5. Click “Save”.

Creating a Module in Application Navigator

This step might have been automatically done when creating the table if you selected the checkbox, but verify.

1. In Studio, right-click on the “Suggestion” table and select “Create New” then select “Module”.

2. Configure the Module:

   • Title: Create New Suggestion
   • Application Menu: Employee Suggestions
   • Order: 100 (Determines the position in the menu)
   • Link Type: New Record
   • Table: Suggestion [x_yourcompany_employee_suggestion]

3. Create another module with the following:

   • Title: All Suggestions
   • Application Menu: Employee Suggestions
   • Order: 200
   • Link Type: List of Records
   • Table: Suggestion [x_yourcompany_employee_suggestion]
   • View: Default View

4. Click “Submit”.

Securing Your Application with Roles

Roles control who can access and use your application. Let’s create a simple role for suggesting employees.

1. In Studio, click “Create New” and select “Access Control”.

2. Configure the Access Control:

   • Operation: create
   • Permission: requires_role
   • Role: x_yourcompany_employee_suggestions.suggesting_employee (We’ll create this role next)
   • Record: Suggestion [x_yourcompany_employee_suggestion] (leave it as this)

3. Click “Submit”.

4. Repeat the process for the read operation (to allow users to view suggestions they created) on the “Suggestion” table, using the same role. Make sure ‘Admin Overrides’ is checked.

5. Create the Role: In the Application Navigator, search for “Roles”. Click on “Roles” under the “User Administration” application.

6. Click “New”.

7. Name: x_yourcompany_employee_suggestions.suggesting_employee

8. Application: Employee Suggestions

9. Click “Submit”.

Now, only users with the “x_yourcompany_employee_suggestions.suggesting_employee” role will be able to create and view suggestions. You can assign this role to users by navigating to “User Administration” -> “Users” and adding the role to the user’s record.

Creating a Workflow with Flow Designer

Let’s automate the process of notifying the assigned group when a new suggestion is created.

1. In the Application Navigator, type “Flow Designer” and click on it.
2. Click “New” and select “Flow”.
3. Configure the Flow:
   • Name: New Suggestion Notification
   • Application: Employee Suggestions
   • Run As: User who initiates session
   • Click “Submit”.
4. Add a Trigger:
   • Click “Add Trigger”.
   • Select “Record Created”.
   • Table: Suggestion [x_yourcompany_employee_suggestion]
5. Add an Action:
   • Click “Add Action”.
   • Select “Send Email”.
   • To: ${trigger.current.assignment_group.manager.email} (This will send the email to the manager of the assigned group.)
   • Subject: New Suggestion: ${trigger.current.number}
   • Body: A new suggestion has been submitted: ${trigger.current.u_suggestion_description}\n\nView it here: ${trigger.current.getLink()}
6. Activate the Flow: Click the “Activate” button in the top right corner.

Now, whenever a new suggestion is created, the manager of the assigned group will receive an email notification.

Testing Your Application

1. Assign the x_yourcompany_employee_suggestions.suggesting_employee role to your user account.
2. Navigate to the “Employee Suggestions” application in the Application Navigator.
3. Click on “Create New Suggestion”.
4. Fill in the form with your suggestion details.
5. Save the record.
6. Verify that the record is created and that the email notification is sent to the appropriate user.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully built a custom ServiceNow application without writing any code. You’ve learned how to:

• Create a new application and table.
• Define fields and customize the form layout.
• Create modules for easy navigation.
• Implement security using roles.
• Automate processes with Flow Designer.

This is just the beginning! ServiceNow offers a wealth of features and capabilities for building even more complex and sophisticated applications. Explore the platform, experiment with different tools, and continue learning to become a ServiceNow application development expert.