Building workspaces in AES

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Building workspaces in AES

    Workspace Builder in App Engine Studio (AES) provides a no-code, streamlined environment to create and customize workspaces quickly starting from the Xanadu release. It enables ServiceNow customers to efficiently build and edit key workspace elements such as the home page, list pages, and record page side panels directly within the Workspace Builder preview canvas. For workspaces created before Xanadu or requiring advanced configurations, editing is done through UI Builder accessible within AES.

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    Key Features

    • Home Page: The essential landing page of a workspace containing dashboards; it cannot be hidden or removed. It is configurable in Workspace Builder.
    • List Pages: Display records from specified tables with filtering options. Lists help users find individual records and can be organized by categories. Removing list pages necessitates editing in UI Builder.
    • Analytics Center: Provides dashboards and data visualizations to track records and workspace usage. If not included in the workspace, the Analytics Center tab does not appear but other Workspace Builder features remain accessible.
    • Record Pages: Show detailed information for tasks, issues, or incidents using customizable layouts and components. Playbook Experience can also be added to record pages. A workspace must have a home page and lists to be editable in Workspace Builder.
    • Workspace Builder Layout: Includes a left navigation panel for page configuration, a central preview canvas, and a right panel for component settings, plus an option to preview the workspace in a new browser tab.
    • Plugin Requirement: To use Workspace Builder, the com.devsncsnworkspacebuilder plugin must be enabled, which is a dependency of the AES starter workspace template plugin.

    Practical Benefits

    ServiceNow customers can leverage Workspace Builder to rapidly design and customize workspaces without coding, improving user experience and operational efficiency. The ability to edit key workspace pages directly in a visual environment helps accelerate workspace deployment and reduces reliance on more complex UI Builder edits unless advanced features are needed.

    Workspace Builder for App Engine is a streamlined, no-code environment that enables you to create a custom workspace from within App Engine Studio (AES) quickly and efficiently.

    You can use Workspace Builder to quickly create workspaces for workspaces built starting with Xanadu. Workspace Builder enables you to edit the workspace home page, list pages, and record page contextual side panel directly in the Workspace Builder preview canvas. For workspaces created before Xanadu, or if you need more robust functionalities and configurations, edit the workspace in UI Builder from a tab within AES.

    Parts of a workspace

    Build your workspace by including the following pages and elements.
    Table 1. Workspace pages and elements
    Component Definition
    Home Landing page for the workspace, which contains a dashboard and appears to users when first accessing the workspace.
    Note:
    The home page is an essential part of the workspace, and thus can't be hidden or removed.

    For more information on configuring the home page, see Configure a workspace home page in Workspace Builder.

    For information on configuring the basic settings for a workspace, see Configure workspace settings in Workspace Builder.

    List List pages for records from the specified tables, which help users to find individual records in a workspace.
    Note:
    If you remove the list page/route, you must use UI Builder to edit the workspace, not Workspace Builder.

    You can create a list category and then add filtered lists for each list category. Filtered lists apply unique conditions, ensuring that only the filtered subset of records appears.

    For more information on adding and editing lists in Workspace Builder, see Configure lists for a workspace in Workspace Builder.

    Analytics The customizable Analytics Center enables users to track and analyze records and usage with dashboards, data visualizations, and insights on your instance.
    Note:
    If Analytics Center page/route doesn't exist for a workspace, Workspace Builder is still available, but the Analytics Center tab doesn't appear in the workspace.

    For more information on enabling the Analytics Center for a workspace, see Configure analytics for a workspace in Workspace Builder.

    Record pages Pages in a table that give users useful information to work on a task, issue, or incident. Useful information can include priority, state, activity, and so on.

    Create and customize record pages by using containers and components in different sections of the layout. You can also add a Playbook Experience to a record page.

    For more information, see Configure a record page for a workspace in Workspace Builder.

    Note:
    Your workspace must have a home page and lists for you to edit it in Workspace Builder. If they aren't present, you must edit the workspace in UI Builder.

    Layout for Workspace Builder

    The first time you access Workspace Builder, an onboarding modal displays a brief tour of what you can do in Workspace Builder.

    Workspace Builder consists of the following sections:
    • A left navigation panel to configure the pages that users can navigate to within the workspace.
    • A preview of the workspace in the middle canvas.
    • A right configuration panel for configuring the selected workspace component.
    • An option to preview the workspace in a new browser tab.
    Figure 1. Workspace Builder layout
    Basic layout for Workspace Builder: Header, Navigation panel, Configuration panel, and preview pane
    The Workspace Builder header has the following navigation options just below the tab, where you can work with the following:
    • Navigation configuration
    • Record pages

    Workspace Builder plugin

    To use Workspace Builder, you must enable the com.devsnc_sn_workspace_builder plugin in the sn_ws_builder scope. It is a dependency of com.snc.aes.starter_workspace_template.