Building actions

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Building actions

    Workflow Studio is the default process automation builder within the ServiceNow AI Platform used to create and manage actions, replacing the previous Workflow Editor. Actions enable automation of process steps and can be core (prebuilt and uneditable), spoke-specific (application-related and typically read-only), or custom (fully configurable and reusable).

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    Key features

    • Action creation and editing: Define inputs and build action steps within Workflow Studio. Actions can be tested to verify successful execution and reviewed for runtime data.
    • Action management: Copy existing actions as templates, publish actions to activate them for use in flows, and preserve their configuration snapshots.
    • Additional options (More actions): Enable inline scripting, generate code snippets, control API callability, and manage natural language titles to enhance action usability and integration.
    • Testing: Users with the actiondesigner or admin roles can test actions by providing required inputs, preferably in non-production environments to avoid impacting live data.
    • Action status monitoring: Actions expose runtime status data via the Action Status data pill, including codes and messages that reflect success or error conditions, supporting custom error handling.
    • Complex data handling: Workflow Studio offers graphical tools to work with collections of structured data, helping designers organize and configure complex data elements within actions.

    Practical application for ServiceNow customers

    ServiceNow customers can use Workflow Studio to build reusable, automated processes by creating custom actions tailored to their workflows. This capability streamlines automation by allowing flow designers to add preconfigured actions consistently, reducing manual setup.

    Customers can also customize conversational settings to integrate actions with conversational interfaces, enhancing self-service and user interactions.

    By leveraging action status data, administrators and designers gain visibility into action execution outcomes, enabling faster troubleshooting and error resolution.

    Overall, these features empower customers to efficiently automate complex processes with reusable components, improve operational consistency, and maintain control over action behavior and security.

    Roles and permissions

    To create and manage custom actions, users must have the actiondesigner or admin role, ensuring that only authorized personnel configure automation logic.

    Workflow Studio is the default ServiceNow AI Platform process automation builder used to create actions. Workflow Studio replaces the Workflow Editor.

    Core actions

    ServiceNow Core actions that come with your instance cannot be viewed or edited from the Workflow Studio interface. Some applications include spokes which include application-specific actions. Spoke actions are typically read-only but can be copied and customized.

    Custom actions

    Unlike core actions where flow designers must manually configure flow logic, custom actions always use the same configuration when added to a flow. If your flow designers often use an action with the same configuration, you might create a reusable action.

    Action design environment

    Action Designer interface

    Create and edit actions by defining inputs and adding action steps. Test actions to verify if they complete successfully and review the runtime values they generate. Copy actions to use existing actions as templates. Publish actions to activate them, which makes them available to activated flows and to preserve their current action steps, variables, and sequence as a snapshot separate from further configuration changes.

    More Actions

    Click the More actions icon (More actions icon) to access additional options for the action.

    Copy action
    Create a copy of the open action in an application you specify.
    Configurations
    Enable or disable the Show inline script toggle option.
    Code Snippet
    Generate a code snippet for the action.
    Manage security
    Enable or disable the Callable by Client API option.
    Manage natural language title
    Create or edit an action title with styled or dynamic text. For more information, see Manage natural language titles.

    Testing actions

    After adding inputs and action steps, users with the action_designer or admin role can test an action. To test an action, provide the required inputs. Action designers should always test actions on non-production instances containing relevant demonstration data because testing an action can make significant changes to records on your instance.

    Roles

    To create custom actions, you must have the action_designer or admin role.

    Action status

    Every action has an Action Status data pill in the Data pane. This object data pill contains the current runtime details about the action. The Action Status object consists of a code and message.

    Action Status > Code
    Integer data pill containing the code returned by the first matching error condition or the last step run. You can return your own code when you create a custom error condition. See Action error evaluation.
    Action Status > Message
    String data pill containing the message produced by a matching error condition or the last step run. You can return your own message when you create a custom error condition. See Action error evaluation.