System content management
Summarize
Summary of System Content Management
System content management in ServiceNow involves managing different types of content across various applications within the platform. For example, while CMS manages pages and blocks, knowledge articles are authored and managed in the Knowledge application. Understanding the underlying data structure and table relationships is fundamental to effectively designing and presenting content in CMS sites.
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Content links are generally static, but reviewing the document tree and field value formats in forms is crucial for proper integration and dynamic display within CMS. Users can right-click forms and select Show XML to explore the document tree, or use Configure Dictionary to inspect field values. Studying popular websites for list formatting and usability can inspire effective design approaches.
Key Features
- Data Structure Familiarity: Gain insight into content by reviewing the XML representation of tables such as
kbknowledgefor knowledge articles. - Knowledge Articles Table (
kbknowledge): Key fields include:- active: Indicates if the article is active.
- author: Contains author’s display name.
- shortdescription: Used as the link text to the full article.
- description: Provides a brief summary (1-2 sentences) of the article.
- number: Unique article ID, useful in various contexts.
- published: Timestamp when the article was published.
- rating: Star rating from 1 to 5.
- sysupdatedon: Timestamp of last update.
- sysviewcount: Number of times viewed.
- topic and category: Facilitate hierarchical organization and breadcrumb navigation.
- usecount: Reflects usefulness feedback similar to social media likes.
- Jelly Script Example: Demonstrates how to iterate over knowledge records, displaying logos, titles, descriptions, and "Learn More" links dynamically within CMS pages.
Practical Guidance for ServiceNow Customers
- Take time to explore the XML document tree and dictionary entries for tables relevant to your content to understand available fields and their uses.
- Use key fields such as
shortdescriptionanddescriptionto create meaningful links and summaries in CMS. - Leverage hierarchical fields like
topicandcategoryto organize articles logically for better navigation and user experience. - Incorporate dynamic list formats inspired by popular websites to enhance usability and presentation in your CMS implementation.
- Use the provided Jelly scripting patterns to customize content display, including conditional rendering of images and links to detailed knowledge articles.
Most of the content in a CMS site is managed in different locations throughout the system.
For example, if you are building a knowledge website, the pages and blocks exist in CMS, but the knowledge articles are authored and managed in the Knowledge application. The same is true for any other type of content you plan to leverage. It is important to take time to understand the table structure of data to become acquainted with content.
Links to content are typically static, however, take time to look at the document tree and review how field values are formatted for use within the CMS. To understand the information provided below, right-click within forms in the platform and select Show XML to view the document tree for the referenced table. To see the table values for each field, right-click the form label and choose Show - (field name) or Configure Dictionary for reference.
- This New York Times example has two separate list formats.
- The CNN example has several list formats on the page.
- Several different list formats are used on the ServiceNow website.
Knowledge articles - kb_knowledge table
<kb_knowledge>
<active>true </active>
<author display_value= "First Last Name" >Use this field value if author name is important </author>
<short_description>Use this field value as the link to the full article detail </short_description>
<description>Provide this field value as a 1-2 sentence summary of the article </description>
<number>Unique ID can be leveraged in a number of different ways </number>
<published>Published time stamp of the article </published>
<rating>This field value provides a 1 to 5 star rating similar to iTunes </rating>
<sys_updated_on>Add to supplement article published timestamp </sys_updated_on>
<sys_view_count>8 </sys_view_count>
<topic>Useful field value in creating hierarchical breadcrumbs </topic>
<category>Also useful in organizing articles hierarchically </category>
<use_count>Use this similar to Facebook's "like" feedback, answer to the question was this useful </use_count>
</ kb_knowledge><?xml version= "1.0" encoding= "utf-8" ?>
<j:jelly trim = "false" xmlns:j = "jelly:core" xmlns:g = "glide" xmlns:j2 = "null" xmlns:g2 = "null" >
<div class = "cms_knowledge_list customer_success" >
<g:for_each_record file = "${current}" max = "${jvar_max_entries}" ><br /><table cellspacing = "0" cellpadding = "0" border = "0" class = "background_transparent" >
<tr><td class = "cms_knowledge_list_image" >
<j:if test = "${current.u_logo.getDisplayValue() != ''}" >
<div class = "knowledge_article_logo" >
<a href = "knowledge.do?sysparm_document_key=kb_knowledge,${current.sys_id}" >
<img src = "${current.u_logo.getDisplayValue()}" alt = "${current.text}" width = "110px" />
</a>
</div>
</j:if>
</td>
<td width = "100%" >
<a href = "knowledge.do?sysparm_document_key=kb_knowledge,${current.sys_id}" target = "_top" >
<span class = "cms_knowledge_list_link" >${current.short_description}</span>
</a>
<p class = "kb_description" > "${current.description}"
<!--${SP}-${SP}<span class="cms_knowledge_list_author">${current.author.first_name}${SP}${current.author.last_name}</span>-->
</p>
</td></tr><tr>
<td width = "100%" colspan = "2" class = "kb_learn_more" >
<p class = "kb_learn_more" >
<a href = "knowledge.do?sysparm_document_key=kb_knowledge,${current.sys_id}" >Learn More</a>
</p></td></tr></table>
</g:for_each_record></div>
</j:jelly>