Filters and breadcrumbs

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Filters and breadcrumbs

    Filters in ServiceNow allow you to apply a set of conditions to a table to find and work with a specific subset of data. Breadcrumbs display the current filter conditions hierarchically at the top of the table, providing an intuitive way to navigate and modify filters quickly. They show conditions from the most general on the left to the most specific on the right.

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    Filter and Breadcrumb Navigation

    • Clicking a breadcrumb removes all conditions to its right, broadening the filter.
    • Clicking the condition separator (>) before a condition removes only that single condition.
    • Clicking "All" clears all conditions and shows all records in the table.
    • Breadcrumb clicks refresh the list to display the latest records matching the filter.
    • Right-clicking a breadcrumb provides additional options such as opening the filtered list in a new window, copying the URL, or copying the encoded query of the filter for reuse.

    Using Filters for Data Management

    • Filters restrict records based on specified conditions.
    • You can apply, modify, create, save, and share filters depending on access rights (for yourself, groups, or everyone).
    • Administrators can manage filters centrally via the Filters table [sysfilter], including creating and deleting filters.
    • Encoded query strings represent complex filters and can be generated from filter conditions for use in URLs or reference qualifiers.

    Quick Filtering

    Quick filters enable rapid filtering by right-clicking a field value and selecting options such as Show Matching, Filter Out, Show Before, or Show After (for date fields), streamlining data searches.

    Additional Notes for ServiceNow Customers

    • By default, users without roles cannot see filters or breadcrumbs; administrators can configure the ESS portal via script includes to allow unauthenticated users to view them.
    • When creating a new record from a filtered list, the new record inherits the filter conditions as preset field values. To prevent a specific field from being preset, add the dictionary attribute ignorefilteronnew=true.

    A filter is a set of conditions applied to a table to help you find and work with a subset of the data in that table.

    You can apply, modify, create, and save filters. A hierarchical list of conditions at the top of the table — breadcrumbs — indicates the current filter.

    Breadcrumbs offer a quick form of filter navigation. They are ordered from left to right. The left condition is the most general, and the right condition is the most specific. Clicking a breadcrumb removes all the conditions to its right. Clicking the condition separator (>) before a condition removes only that condition.

    By default, a user with no roles cannot see the breadcrumbs or filter. Administrators can configure the ESS portal to allow unauthenticated users to see breadcrumbs and filters by using a script include. For more information on using script includes to suppress breadcrumbs and filters, see Use script includes to suppress filters and breadcrumbs .

    Figure 1. Breadcrumbs, List v2
    Breadcrumbs.
    Examples:
    • Clicking Priority = 2 removes the condition Category = Software and returns all active incidents with a priority of 2.
    • Clicking the condition separator (>) before Priority = 2 removes the condition Priority = 2 and returns all active incidents in the software category.
    • Clicking All removes all conditions and returns all incidents in the system.

    Click a breadcrumb to refresh the list of records and show the latest information for those records.

    Note:
    Clicking the New button in a filtered list automatically applies the same filter to the new record. For example, clicking New in the Resolved Incidents list opens a record preset with State set to Resolved. In a list filtered for active, priority 1 incidents, clicking New opens a record preset with Active selected and Priority set to 1 - Critical.

    You can change the preset values on the form as needed. If there is a field you do not want to have populated in this way, you can add the following dictionary attribute to the field: ignore_filter_on_new=true.

    Additional navigational functions are available when you right-click a breadcrumb.

    Table 1. Breadcrumb right-click options
    Option Description
    Open new window Opens the results list for the breadcrumb in a new tab or window.
    Copy URL Copies the URL to the clipboard for the results list of the breadcrumb. Follow browser instructions if browser security measures restrict this function.
    Copy query Copies the encoded query to the clipboard for the breadcrumb. You can use this query in the URL of an instance or in the reference qualifier field of a dictionary entry.

    For example, if you are viewing a list of all active incidents with a high or medium impact, right-click the breadcrumb and copy the query active=true^impact=1^ORimpact=2. You can append this query to the end of the instance URL as follows:

    https://{instance_name}/incident_list.do?sysparm_query=active=true^impact=1^ORimpact=2

    This selection is not available for the All breadcrumb.