CONTACT US
IntegrityBits

Share:

Pinterest
Title

IntegrityBit: Building an Application – ServiceNow Application Studio

Building an application | ServiceNow Application Studio
By: Sam S. 
Capabilities of the Application Studio

The ServiceNow Application Studio is the primary tool that ServiceNow developers use to build novel apps on the platform. It is available from every instance and has functionality that not only makes development tools available but makes them easy to find and use as well. It is an integrated development environment that gives quick tabbed access to files and modules.  The primary capability of the application studio is that it can create applications and application artifacts. Additional functionality includes code searching throughout the application, integration with external source control such as GitHub, and customization of applications downloaded from the ServiceNow store.

Application and File Creation

The application studio makes applications straightforward for any developer. First-time developers can go through the Guided Application Creator (GAC), which steers them through the creation process. Each application starts with a table and an application specific role. Once the application is created, the studio is laid out to guide developers through the rest of the customization process. The studio view can be seen in the image to the right. On the application explorer, developers can see all of the components of their application and select them to be viewed in the content frame. The content frame also includes tabs for all open files, making switching back and forth between active work quick and easy. The application explorer includes all types of artifacts, from modules to server-side scripts to client scripts, comprising the whole of the application and all gathered in one convenient place.

Integration with source control

The application studio has built-in functionality for integration with source control. A ServiceNow instance can configure credentials to connect with an external source control repository such as GitHub, and from the application studio developers can directly upload changes to the external repository. In the header, by accessing the source control menu, developers have the options to create a link to a source control, switch branches, create branches, store local changes for later update, commit changes to the external repository, and more.  This built-in functionality makes it easy to implement version control and track changes, requirements which can vary from project to project.

ServiceNow Application Customization

Alongside the capability to create new applications, the ServiceNow studio also allows developers to customize applications downloaded from the ServiceNow store. This functionality means that when applications do almost everything that a client needs, developers can have an easy starting point for customization.

Guided Application Creator (GAC)

In order to simplify the development process, especially for new developers, the ServiceNow studio includes a guided tour through how to create an application that automatically begins when the studio is opened for the first time on an instance. The GAC goes through the following steps for each new application:

  • Create a new record for the application
  • Create at least one new table defined for the application
  • Create at least one new user role for the application
  • Customize the application for the different user experiences

Sources from ServiceNow Documentation:

 

 

Menu