Responsive authoring
Summarize
Summary of Responsive authoring
Responsive authoring in UI Builder allows ServiceNow customers to create pages that automatically adjust to different device sizes, such as desktop, tablet, and mobile. This capability ensures that pages look good and function properly across various form factors, enhancing user interaction and accessibility.
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UI Builder supports three default form factors based on screen width: Desktop (1281 pixels and above), Tablet (1280 pixels and smaller), and Mobile (500 pixels and below). Additionally, you can create up to three custom breakpoints to further tailor page behavior for specific widths.
Responsive authoring is available only when building pages from scratch in UI Builder; existing pages or those created from templates continue to use the default reflow model, which automatically stacks layouts vertically to accommodate different screen sizes or zoom levels.
Key Features
- Form Factor-Specific Customization: Changes made to a larger form factor cascade down to smaller ones, but changes to smaller form factors override those cascades, allowing precise control at each size.
- Component Control: You can show or hide components, adjust configurations, modify styles, and rearrange layouts to optimize pages for each form factor.
- Preview and Testing: The UI Builder stage lets you switch views between desktop, tablet, and mobile, or enter custom pixel widths to see how pages respond in real time.
- Controller Properties: Controllers added to pages have global properties that apply across all form factors and cannot be customized per size.
- Custom Breakpoints: Up to three additional breakpoints can be created to fine-tune responsiveness beyond the default form factors.
Practical Usage
When authoring pages responsively, you start by designing for the desktop form factor and then adjust elements as you preview the page on tablet and mobile sizes. For example, you might reduce the size of headings and images on tablets, or hide certain components and simplify lists on mobile to improve readability and usability.
Component changes that are specific to a form factor are visually marked with cascading icons, helping you track which settings apply where. This approach enables tailored user experiences while maintaining consistent functionality.
Why It Matters
Responsive authoring empowers ServiceNow customers to deliver optimized, accessible web experiences that adapt seamlessly to the device being used. This improves user satisfaction and engagement by ensuring content and functionality remain clear and usable on any screen size.
Compared to the traditional reflow model, responsive authoring offers finer control over page appearance and behavior across devices, supporting modern design requirements and accessibility standards.
Use responsive authoring to create UI Builder pages that adjust smoothly to different form factors (sizes), such as desktop, tablet, and mobile.
Responsive authoring in UI Builder
Responsive authoring enables you to create pages that look good and function properly at any form factor, making it easier for people to interact with the content. For example, a page containing three columns when viewed on a laptop, can adjust to a single column for smaller screens.
UI Builder currently offers three default form factors:
- Desktop (1281 pixels to infinity)
- Tablet (1280 pixels and smaller)
- Mobile (500 pixels to zero)
In addition to these form factors, you can create up to three additional custom breakpoints (widths). For more information, see Create a breakpoint for responsive authoring.
Responsive authoring and reflow
As of Xanadu Store Release 1, responsive authoring is only available when creating UI Builder pages from scratch. Responsive authoring isn't available for existing pages or pages created with a template. These types of pages continue to use the existing, default reflow model to adjust pages for different screen widths.
Reflow transforms page layouts into a vertical, stacked view automatically without loss of content or functionality when users increase browser zoom to 400%. This adjustment helps users with low vision or who have trouble seeing web content in a browser due to monitor size, device type, poor lighting, or other situations.
All existing pages that were created with templates or from scratch use reflow automatically. Now, when creating pages from scratch in UI Builder, an extra step shows you that responsive authoring is selected by default. You can choose to use reflow instead by selecting Build without responsive, however, using the responsive authoring option gives you more control over how pages work and look at different form factors. For more information about creating pages in UI Builder, see Create a page in UI Builder.
For more information about reflow, see Reflow for Configurable Workspace.
For a list of UI Builder components that support reflow, see the Support for reflow section of the Next Experience Components release notes.
Application and cascading of changes
All changes made to a form factor are applied to all smaller form factors automatically. For example, any changes made to tablet apply to both tablet and mobile. However, if you then make changes to the mobile form factor, it overrides the cascaded settings from the tablet form factor. This cascading functionality enables you to make specific changes for each smaller form factor so the page looks and functions well.
Responsive authoring and controllers
If you add a controller to a page, the controller properties are global and cannot be set per form factor. For more information about controllers, see Bind data to UI Builder pages using controllers (advanced feature).
Using responsive authoring as you create pages
As you build pages, create tailored designs to control the look and feel for different form factors.
By default on the stage, you build pages for the desktop (1281 pixels to infinity). At any time, select another icon to see the page on the stage at a different form factor, such as tablet or mobile. As needed, edit the page so it displays appropriately at the new form factor.
Here's what a sample page looks like at the desktop form factor.
Here's the same page customized for the tablet form factor.
For tablet, the heading and image components have been reduced in size. The simple list component configuration was edited to show four columns instead of six and the maximum number of rows was set to 5. When editing a component for a form factor, the fields that have changed are marked with a cascading icon for that form factor (in this case, tablet). The icon enables you to determine the differences between the form factors for a given page easily.
Here's the same page customized for the mobile form factor.
The number of words in the heading was reduced and the image component was hidden. The simple list component configuration was edited to show two columns instead of four and the option to hide the "view all" footer option was selected. The two fields customized specifically for mobile have a mobile cascading icon next to them. The Maximum rows field still retains the tablet cascading icon because that field is inheriting the tablet setting and wasn't customized for mobile.
In addition to the default form factors in the editor view, at any time you can manually enter a number in the pixel field. The stage adjusts to the nearest form factor based on range. For example, entering 850 pixels adjusts the stage to the tablet form factor because its range is defined as 1280 to 501 pixels.
