Building actions
Summarize
Summary of Building actions
Workflow Studio is the default process automation builder within the ServiceNow AI Platform used to create and manage actions, replacing the previous Workflow Editor. Actions enable automation of process steps and can be core (prebuilt and uneditable), spoke-specific (application-related and typically read-only), or custom (fully configurable and reusable).
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Key features
- Action creation and editing: Define inputs and build action steps within Workflow Studio. Actions can be tested to verify successful execution and reviewed for runtime data.
- Action management: Copy existing actions as templates, publish actions to activate them for use in flows, and preserve their configuration snapshots.
- Additional options (More actions): Enable inline scripting, generate code snippets, control API callability, and manage natural language titles to enhance action usability and integration.
- Testing: Users with the
actiondesigneroradminroles can test actions by providing required inputs, preferably in non-production environments to avoid impacting live data. - Action status monitoring: Actions expose runtime status data via the Action Status data pill, including codes and messages that reflect success or error conditions, supporting custom error handling.
- Complex data handling: Workflow Studio offers graphical tools to work with collections of structured data, helping designers organize and configure complex data elements within actions.
Practical application for ServiceNow customers
ServiceNow customers can use Workflow Studio to build reusable, automated processes by creating custom actions tailored to their workflows. This capability streamlines automation by allowing flow designers to add preconfigured actions consistently, reducing manual setup.
Customers can also customize conversational settings to integrate actions with conversational interfaces, enhancing self-service and user interactions.
By leveraging action status data, administrators and designers gain visibility into action execution outcomes, enabling faster troubleshooting and error resolution.
Overall, these features empower customers to efficiently automate complex processes with reusable components, improve operational consistency, and maintain control over action behavior and security.
Roles and permissions
To create and manage custom actions, users must have the actiondesigner or admin role, ensuring that only authorized personnel configure automation logic.
Workflow Studio is the default ServiceNow AI Platform process automation builder used to create actions. Workflow Studio replaces the Workflow Editor.
Core actions
ServiceNow Core actions that come with your instance cannot be viewed or edited from the Workflow Studio interface. Some applications include spokes which include application-specific actions. Spoke actions are typically read-only but can be copied and customized.
Custom actions
Unlike core actions where flow designers must manually configure flow logic, custom actions always use the same configuration when added to a flow. If your flow designers often use an action with the same configuration, you might create a reusable action.
Action design environment
More Actions
Click the More actions icon (
) to access additional options for the action.
- Copy action
- Create a copy of the open action in an application you specify.
- Configurations
- Enable or disable the Show inline script toggle option.
- Code Snippet
- Generate a code snippet for the action.
- Manage security
- Enable or disable the Callable by Client API option.
- Manage natural language title
- Create or edit an action title with styled or dynamic text. For more information, see Manage natural language titles.
Testing actions
After adding inputs and action steps, users with the action_designer or admin role can test an action. To test an action, provide the required inputs. Action designers should always test actions on non-production instances containing relevant demonstration data because testing an action can make significant changes to records on your instance.
Roles
To create custom actions, you must have the action_designer or admin role.
Action status
Every action has an Action Status data pill in the Data pane. This object data pill contains the current runtime details about the action. The Action Status object consists of a code and message.
- Action Status > Code
- Integer data pill containing the code returned by the first matching error condition or the last step run. You can return your own code when you create a custom error condition. See Action error evaluation.
- Action Status > Message
- String data pill containing the message produced by a matching error condition or the last step run. You can return your own message when you create a custom error condition. See Action error evaluation.