ServiceNow SDK overview

With the ServiceNow SDK, you can create and modify scoped applications locally in Visual Studio Code Desktop and install those applications on a non-production instance beginning with the Washington DC release. By developing applications locally, you can work offline and use Visual Studio Code development features.

In Visual Studio Code, you can develop scoped applications in source code using ServiceNow Fluent to define application metadata [sys_metadata], write custom JavaScript modules, or add third-party libraries.

The ServiceNow SDK includes a command-line interface (CLI) for managing changes between an instance and a local application. Using simple CLI commands, you can authenticate to an instance, create or convert an application, transform application metadata (XML) into ServiceNow Fluent code, build and install the application on the instance, and more.

ServiceNow SDK workflow

The following infographic shows the workflow for developers to get started developing applications with the ServiceNow SDK.

ServiceNow SDK benefits

Application structure

Custom scoped applications created with the ServiceNow SDK include source code files and metadata XML files. The package.json and now.config.json files define the application structure, which is similar to that of Node.js applications or Node Package Manager (npm) packages.

By default, applications include the following directories and files. You can modify certain aspects of the application structure to suit your needs in the now.config.json file.

.now

Directory containing caching and metric information for the build and install processes.

dist/app

Directory containing the build artifacts for packaging.

metadata

Directory containing the application metadata (XML) of the application, such as table schemas and business rules, organized in the same directory structure as existing ServiceNow applications.

Note:

Application metadata shouldn't be edited from the XML files. Edit application metadata in the source code or on the ServiceNow AI Platform.

node_modules

Directory containing the third-party Node.js modules on which your application depends.

src

Directory containing the source code of your application. This directory includes the following subdirectories:

• fluent: Directory containing ServiceNow Fluent code in .now.ts files. The generated subdirectory contains the application files converted to ServiceNow Fluent.
• server: Directory containing JavaScript module code in .js or .ts files.

target

Directory containing an installable package (.zip file) to upload to an instance.

.eslintrc.json

File containing the ESLint configuration. ESLint helps identify and fix issues in the application code.

.gitignore

File containing a list of directories or files for Git to ignore. These files aren't tracked in source control.

now.config.json

File containing the ServiceNow application configuration. The now.config.json file must be in the base directory for an application.

You can configure the directory structure for an application by adding the following parameters. For example:

{
  "scope": "x_snc_example_app",
  "scopeId": "2f8400eb07426110f736e28f69d3017a",
  "name": "ExampleApp"
  "metadataDir": "metadata",
  "fluentDir": "src/fluent",
  "serverModulesDir": "src/server",
  "appOutputDir": "dist/app",
  "packOutputDir": "target",
  "modulePaths": {
      "src/server/*.ts": "dist/server/*.js",
    },
  "ignoreTransformTableList": ["ua_table_licensing_config", "sys_embedded_help_role"]
}

Table 1. Supported now.config.json parameters

Parameter	Description
metadataDir	Directory containing the application's metadata as XML files. Default: metadata
fluentDir	Directory containing ServiceNow Fluent files (.now.ts) that define application metadata in source code. Default: src/fluent
serverModulesDir	Directory containing the JavaScript or TypeScript files to be built into JavaScript modules for use in server-side scripts. Default: src/server
appOutputDir	Directory to output the build artifacts to for packaging when building the application. The build command refers to this directory package the artifacts. Default: dist/app
staticContentDir	Directory to output the static asset files used for front-end development. Default: dist/static
packOutputDir	Directory to output the installable package (.zip file) when building the application. The install command refers to this directory to install the package. Default: target
modulePaths	A map of the module source files to their equivalent output files for if you use a custom transpilation step before building the application. For more information, see Using TypeScript in JavaScript modules with the ServiceNow SDK. Warning: You can't use this parameter and the tsconfigPath parameter. Configuring both results in an error.
tsconfigPath	A path to a tsconfig.json file with custom options for transpiling TypeScript into JavaScript during the build process. Specifying a tsconfigPath generates diagnostic results from TypeScript using the tsconfig.json file. Warning: You can't use this parameter and the modulePaths parameter. Configuring both results in an error. Default: .
ignoreTransformTableList	Tables to ignore when transforming application metadata into source code.

package-lock.json

Auto-updated file containing complete information about dependencies and their versions. This file is only available with the ServiceNow SDK.

package.json

File containing information about your application and custom or third-party module dependencies. The package.json file must be in the base directory for an application. On an instance, the package.json path is specified in the Package JSON field of the custom application record [sys_app] in the format <scope>/<package-name>/<version>/package.json.

tsconfig.json

File containing the TypeScript configuration, type definitions, and options for compiling TypeScript files into JavaScript modules.

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