Document template scripts

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Document Template Scripts

    Document template scripts enable dynamic text modification within HTML templates in ServiceNow. They facilitate both simple tasks, like displaying HR data, and complex operations, such as advanced database queries.

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    Key Features

    • Embedded Scripts: Use the ${templatescript:script name} tag to include scripts in HTML templates, promoting reuse across multiple documents.
    • Dynamic Content: Scripts can populate specific information, such as emergency contacts in Employee Profile documents.
    • Language and Date Formatting: Scripts can adapt content based on the selected language and date format in the document template, enhancing user experience.

    Key Outcomes

    By implementing document template scripts, ServiceNow customers can:

    • Streamline the generation of personalized documents by pulling live data.
    • Ensure content is displayed in the appropriate language and format, improving clarity for end-users.
    • Enhance the overall efficiency of HR operations by automating document creation processes.

    With document template scripts, you can dynamically change the text in the body of the HTML template. Document template scripts allow you to perform simple tasks, such as displaying HR data, and complex ones, such as making advanced database queries.

    You can add a ${template_script:script name} embedded script tag to the body of the HTML template, replacing script name with the name of the script you created. This makes it easy to use the same scripts in multiple document templates. You can create a script by navigating toDocument Templates > Document Templates Script.

    Example of how to create and use a document template script in an HTML template

    1. The employee_emergency_contacts script populates the emergency contacts list in an Employee Profile document.
      (function runTemplateScript(target /*GlideRecord for target task*/ ) {
	var getHeaderCell = function(label) {
		return '<th style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + label + '</th>';
	};	
	var getDataCell = function(value) {
		return '<td style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + value + '</td>';
	};
	
	var html = '';
	var hrTaskGr = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_contact');
	hrTaskGr.addQuery('user', target.getValue('subject_person'));
	hrTaskGr.query();
	while(hrTaskGr.next()) {
		html = html + '<tr>';
		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('name'));
		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('mobile_phone'));
		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('relation_to_employee'));
		html = html + '</tr>';
	}
	
	if(!gs.nil(html))
		html = '<h4>Emergency Contact Information</h4><table width="500px;"><tr>' + getHeaderCell('Name') + getHeaderCell('Mobile phone') + getHeaderCell('Relationship') + html + '</table>';
	
	return html;
})(target);
    2. The employee_emergency_contacts script is called in an HTML document template by typing $ {template_script:employee_emergency_contacts} in the body of the Employee Profile HTML document template.

      HTML Template

    3. The Employee Profile HTML document template is selected on a case and the document template is generated with emergency contacts list as follows:

      HR Case details

      Employee Profile preview

    Example of how document template script translates text in an HTML template

    Following is an employee_emergency_contacts script that populates the emergency contacts list in an Employee Profile document.

    docTemplate in this script references to the document template record, which helps in identifying the language and date format that are selected on the document template. getDisplayValueLang is an API that helps in changing the language of dynamic tokens to the display language set in the Template language field in a document template. getByFormat is an API that helps in displaying the date in the format set in the Template date format field in a document template.

    (function runTemplateScript(target /*GlideRecord for target task*/, docTemplate /*GlideRecord for doc template*/) {

    //Add your code here to return the dynamic content for template
    var getHeaderCell = function(label) {
        return '<th style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + label + '</th>';
    };  
    var getDataCell = function(value) {
        return '<td style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + value + '</td>';
    };
    
    var html = '';
    var templateLang = docTemplate.getValue('language');
    var templateDateFormat = docTemplate.getValue('template_date_format');
    var hrTaskGr = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_contact');
    hrTaskGr.addQuery('user', target.getValue('subject_person'));
    hrTaskGr.query();
    while(hrTaskGr.next()) {
        var dob = hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('date_of_birth');
        var grDOB = new GlideDateTime(dob);
        html = html + '<tr>';
        html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('name'));
        html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('mobile_phone'));
        html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getElement('relation_to_employee').getDisplayValueLang(templateLang));
        html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getElement('priority').getDisplayValueLang(templateLang));
        html = html + getDataCell(grDOB.getLocalDate().getByFormat(templateDateFormat)
        );
        html = html + '</tr>';
    }
    
    if(!gs.nil(html))
        html = '<h4>Emergency Contact Information</h4><table width="500px;"><tr>' + getHeaderCell('Name') + getHeaderCell('Mobile phone') + getHeaderCell('Relationship') + getHeaderCell('Priority') + getHeaderCell('Date of birth') + html + '</table>';
    
    return html;

})(target, docTemplate);
    Following is an example of how dynamic tokens are translated in an HTML doc template.
    1. While configuring an HTML template, the template language is selected as German and date format is set to dd/MM/yyyy.HTML Template configuration
    2. The HTML document template is referenced in an HR case.
    3. When the agent previews the document, generates the attachment, or initiates document tasks for participants, priority and relationship fields are translated into the German language, and dates appear in the dd/MM/yyyy format.

      Output preview