Using schedules and calendars

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated August 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Using schedules and calendars

    ServiceNow AI Platform applications like Project Management, Maintenance Schedules, Group On-Call Rotation, and Field Service Management utilize graphical calendar displays generated from schedule pages. These pages support daily, weekly, or monthly views and control how schedules are visually represented and managed.

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    Schedule pages are highly scripted records that define the calendar's functionality and appearance. Due to their complexity, it is recommended to use the default schedule pages provided in the base platform for most use cases.

    Accessing and Configuring Schedule Pages

    Schedule pages can be accessed via the navigation path: System Scheduler > Schedules > Schedule Pages. Each schedule page record includes key fields such as:

    • Name: Identifies the schedule page.
    • Schedule type: A unique string used in the URL parameter sysparmpagescheduletype to access the specific schedule page.
    • View Type: Defines the display format, either as Calendar or Schedule Pages, influencing which fields are shown.
    • Description: Optional field for additional information.
    • Init function name, HTML, Client script, Server AJAX processor: These fields are primarily used for Calendar type schedule pages to customize initialization, HTML content, client-side scripting, and server-side data retrieval respectively.

    Using and Invoking Schedule Pages

    Schedule pages are invoked via URLs with specific parameters, UI Actions, or field decorations. The URL parameters include either the schedule type or the unique system identifier to generate the graphical calendar display.

    The Schedule calendar interface allows users to create, view, and edit events effectively within the graphical display.

    Related Capabilities

    • Support for handling holidays and holiday schedules.
    • Parent and child schedule relationships for hierarchical scheduling.
    • Domain separation support for schedules.
    • Examples include creating holiday schedules for multiple regions, defining schedules by specific week instances, and setting monthly recurring schedules.

    Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    By leveraging schedule pages and calendars, customers can visualize and manage complex scheduling needs within various ServiceNow applications. This improves operational efficiency, provides clear scheduling insights, and supports customization where necessary through scripting fields. Using default schedule pages ensures stability and reduces maintenance overhead while still enabling tailored views when advanced configuration is needed.

    Specific applications within the ServiceNow AI Platform generate graphical calendar displays based on schedule pages.

    These schedule pages appear in daily, weekly, or monthly views. Currently, the applications using schedule pages include:
    • Project Management
    • Maintenance Schedules
    • Group On-Call Rotation
    • Field Service Management
    Schedule pages are records that contain the scripts that determine the functionality of the graphical display.
    • Because of the heavy degree of scripting involved in a schedule page, you should, for most instances, use the default schedule pages in the base platform.
    • The schedule page uses a URL with a series of parameters attached to generate the graphical display.
    • A schedule page controls calendar content (cmn_schedule_page) record.

    To access Schedule Pages, navigate to System Scheduler > Schedules > Schedule Pages. The Schedule Pages form provides the following fields:

    Field Field Type Description
    Name String General name used to identity the current schedule page.
    Schedule type String Schedule type is a string that is used to uniquely identity the schedule page via the "sysparm_page_schedule_type" URI parameter. For example, a schedule page could be accessed as follows:

    /show_schedule_page.do?sysparm_page_schedule_type=gantt_chart&sysparm_timeline_task_id=d530bf907f0000015ce594fd929cf6a4

    Alternatively, you can access the schedule page can by setting the "sysparm_page_sys_id" URI parameter to the unique 32 character hexadecimal system identifier of the schedule page.
    View Type Choice Each view type displays different field combinations. There are two options available:
    Description String General description that provides additional information about the current schedule page. This field is not necessary.
    Init function name String
    Note:
    This functionality is only used by Calendar type schedule pages.
    The init function name specifies the name of the JavaScript function to call inside the Client script function for calendar type schedule pages.
    HTML String
    Note:
    This functionality is only used by Calendar type schedule pages.
    Jelly parses the HTML field, which is a scriptable section. It then injects it into the display page prior to the rest of the calendar. It can be used to pass in variables from the server and define extra fields are necessary.
    Client script String The client script is a scriptable section that allows for configuring options of the schedule page display. The API is different depending on the schedule page view type.
    Server AJAX processor String
    Note:
    This functionality is only used by Calendar type schedule pages.
    The Server AJAX processor is specific to calendar type schedule pages that is used to return a set of schedule items and spans that display.