Mobile hierarchy
Summarize
Summary of Mobile hierarchy
The Mobile hierarchy in ServiceNow's Yokohama release outlines the components of the ServiceNow® Mobile Platform and how they collaborate to enable configuration, modification, and creation of mobile applications tailored to different user roles. This framework supports two primary mobile apps—the Now Mobile app and the Mobile Agent app—each designed for specific personas within your organization.
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Mobile App Configuration
Each mobile app can have one or more mobile app configurations that define the user experience upon login based on specified conditions. The configuration controls elements such as the navigation bar, launcher screens, and the screens users interact with.
Navigation Bar and Tabs
The navigation bar, located at the bottom of the screen in each mobile app configuration, can contain up to five navigation bar tabs representing different screens or launcher screens. If more than five tabs are added, a "More" tab appears to access additional tabs. Default tabs include notifications and settings.
Launcher Screens
Launcher screens act as landing or home pages, offering a configurable header, sections to access various screens, a search bar, and quick actions for common functions. These provide users with an efficient starting point tailored to their tasks.
Screens and Screen Segments
Screens allow users to view and modify instance data in formats such as lists, calendars, maps, and records. They consist of one or more screen segments, which are the individual display areas showing data. Users can switch between segments via tabs if multiple are present. Screen segments are stored in specific system tables depending on their type.
Icons
Each screen has an associated icon representing it in launcher screens and the navigation bar. Icons are managed through dedicated records in the system and help users quickly identify screens.
Item Streams, Data Items, and Item Configurations
- Item Streams: Define the data sources for screens, pulling information from one or more tables. For example, multiple item streams can be combined to show incidents and request items in one list.
- Data Items: Correspond to datasets linked to instance tables, potentially filtered to restrict data returned. They supply the raw data displayed on screens.
- Item Configurations: Control the presentation pattern of data within screen segments, determining how information appears to users.
These components are essential for tailoring the data display and user interaction in mobile apps.
Screen Types and Functions
ServiceNow supports various screen types such as Calendar, Chart, Form, Grouped List, List, Map, and URL. Additional screen types can be embedded within record screens, including Details, Activity Stream, Related List, and Embedded List screens.
Functions enable users to perform tasks within the mobile app like assigning tasks or navigating between records. They can also trigger device-specific actions such as sending emails, launching map navigation, or making phone calls, enhancing mobile productivity.
Practical Benefits for ServiceNow Customers
This mobile hierarchy enables customers to create tailored mobile experiences that align with user roles and organizational needs. It allows for flexible configuration of navigation, data presentation, and interactive functions, ensuring users access relevant information and actions efficiently. By leveraging these components, customers can improve mobile user adoption and operational effectiveness.
Learn the components of ServiceNow® mobile and how they work together to assist you in configuring, modifying, and creating applications.
Components of the ServiceNow mobile framework
This image represents the structure of the ServiceNow mobile framework. The next sections detail specific areas of the overall hierarchy, and descriptions of individual components.
Mobile App Configuration
- Mobile app
- A part of the ServiceNow® Mobile Platform, there are 2 mobile apps: the Now Mobile app and the Mobile Agent app. Each app focuses on a persona, which means the app experiences are tailored to support the tasks of specific roles in your organization. Each mobile app can have one or more mobile app configurations. For more information, see the following "Mobile app config" section.
- Mobile app config
When users download a ServiceNow Mobile Platform application, they are prompted to log in with their credentials. When a user logs in to the instance, they are presented an experience that is created by a single mobile app config. The mobile app config that defines the user's experience depends on conditions defined in the config.
- Navigation bar
Each mobile app config has a navigation bar that appears at the bottom of the screen. A navigation bar can have up to five icons, called navigation bar tabs. By default, navigation bars have a notification and settings navigation bar tab. For information about how to create a navigation bar, see Configure the navigation bar and navigation tabs.
- Navigation bar tabs
Each tab in the navigation bar represents a screen or launcher screen. When you add more than five tabs to the navigation bar, a More tab appears. Tapping the More tab opens a list view showing additional tabs.
- Launcher screens
Launcher screens serve as landing pages or home pages for your users. Launcher screens contain a configurable header, and sections to provide access to screens in several formats. You can also configure launcher screens with a search bar and quick actions, which give your users access to commonly used functions.
- Screens
Screens provide your users a method to view and modify data on your instance. Screens can display information as lists, maps, records, and other formats. You can find more detail on screen components in the next section.
Screens
- Screen segments
Screens contain one or more screen segments, which display information from your instances to your users. Screen segments represent the lists, calendars, maps, and records your users see within the app. If a screen has more than one screen segment, your users can switch between screen segments using a tabbed interface.
Screen segment records for lists, calendars, and maps are located on the screen segment [sys_sg_item_stream_segment] table. Screen segment records for record screens are on the record screen segment [sys_sg_form_segment] table.
- Icons
Each screen has an icon. This icon represents the screen when it is displayed in a launcher screen or the navigation bar.
Icon records are located on the Icons [sys_sg_icon] table.
- Item streams
An item stream is the source for the data shown in your screen. An item stream gets its data from a single source, called a data item. You can associate more than one item stream to a screen segment to include data from multiple tables. For example, you could create two item streams to display items from both the incident [incident] and request item [sc_req_item] tables in a single list.
Item streams are also associated with one or more item configurations. These item configurations provide a pattern controlling how the data appears in your screen segment.
Item stream records are located in the item stream [sys_sg_item_stream] table.
- Data items
Data items provide the data presented in a screen. A data item is a dataset correlated with a table in an instance. A data item can include a filter condition to restrict what data the item returns. Associate data items with screens so that the screens can transform the dataset into human-readable information.
Data items are located on the data items [sys_sg_data_item] table.
- Item configurations
Item configurations provide a pattern for data in your screen, and control how your data appears within a screen segment. For more detail on how an item configuration controls the appearance of your data, see the item configuration section.
Item configurations are located on the item configuration [sys_sg_master_item] table.
- More information
- For more information, See:
Screen segments
- Screens
- Screen types determine what a screen looks like and how your users are able to interact with it. You can create these screen types:In addition to these types, you can add the following screens to segments in your record screen:
- Details screen
- Activity stream screen
- Related list screen
- Embedded list screen
- Functions
Your users can use functions to perform tasks in the mobile app such as assigning a task, or navigating between records. Actions can also interact with your mobile device to send emails, navigate using map software, or make a phone call.
Functions are located on the Function [sys_sg_button] table.