Read script helper functions for LFDocumentContentBuilder

Release version: Yokohama

Updated January 30, 2025

3 minutes to read

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Summary of Read Script Helper Functions for LFDocumentContentBuilder

The LFDocumentContentBuilder is a utility in ServiceNow Yokohama release designed to facilitate the extraction and management of translatable content from various artifacts. It supports localization tasks by enabling you to build document content objects that encapsulate translatable strings efficiently, regardless of whether standard translation tables are used.

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Key Functions and Their Uses

initialize(version, targetLanguage, sysid, tableName): Acts as a constructor for LFDocumentContentBuilder, setting up the document version, target language, artifact record ID, and table name.
processString(string, groupName, label): Adds a single translatable string to the document content under a specified group and label.
processStringArray(stringArray, groupName, label): Adds multiple strings as document content elements, grouped and labeled appropriately.
processScript(scriptContent, groupName, label): Parses provided script content to extract strings used in getMessage, gs.getMessage, or gs.getMessageLang calls and adds them to the document content.
processTranslatableFieldsForSingleRecord(glideRecord, groupName): Extracts and adds all translatable fields (translatedfield, translatedtext, translatedhtml) from a single GlideRecord to the document content.
processTranslatableFieldsForMultipleRecords(tableName, encodedQuery, groupName): Retrieves multiple records based on a table name and query, then adds their translatable fields to the document content.
processElement(element): Directly adds a constructed LFDocumentContentElement to the document content object.
build(): Finalizes and returns the LFDocumentContent object; recommended over the deprecated getFinalJSON method.

Practical Application

These functions enable ServiceNow customers to programmatically collect and organize all translatable content from records and scripts, making it easier to manage localization workflows. For example, you can create a document content object from a single record’s translatable fields, add custom strings or script messages, and then build the content object for translation processing.

Once translation is complete, you can iterate through the LFDocumentContent elements and their fields to retrieve original and translated values, allowing you to update your records or artifacts accordingly.

Example Usage

Create a builder instance: new LFDocumentContentBuilder("v1", language, sysId, tableName)
Extract translatable fields from a GlideRecord: processTranslatableFieldsForSingleRecord(gr, "Basic Info")
Add custom elements and fields using helper functions, then add them via processElement()
Generate the final document content object with build()
After translation, access and process translated content by iterating over elements and fields from the LFDocumentContent object

Why This Matters

By leveraging LFDocumentContentBuilder, you gain a standardized, scriptable way to extract, group, and manage translatable content across diverse ServiceNow artifacts. This streamlines localization tasks, ensuring that all relevant strings are captured for translation and properly reintegrated afterward, improving translation accuracy and efficiency.

The LFDocumentContentBuilder provides utility functions to build document content. Use these functions to write the logic to extract the translatable content from any artifacts regardless of them using standard tables or not for translations.

initialize (version, targetLanguage, sys_id, tableName)

Use this function as a constructor for LFDocumentContentBuilder and includes the following parameters:


Name	Type	Description
Version	String	The version type of the document content to be generated. For Yokohama, this value is v1.
targetLanguage	String	The target language of the localization task document content. The target language is the same as the language available from the read script function argument.
Sys_id	String	The sys_id of the artifact record.
tableName	String	The table name of the artifact record.

processString (string, groupName, label)

Use this function to add the LFDocumentContentElement in the document content for the given string and includes the following parameters.


Name	Type	Description
string	String	The value for which a document content entry is created.
groupName	String	The name of the group to which element should belong.
label	String	The unique label identifier for the created element.

processStringArray (stringArray, groupName, label)

Use this function to add elements (object of LFDocumentContentElement) in the document content for the given strings and includes the following parameters.


Name	Type	Description
stringArray	List of Strings	The list of values for which document content entry is created.
groupName	String	The name of the group these strings belongs to.
label	String	The unique label identifier for these strings.

processScript (scriptContent, groupName, label)

Use this function to add an element in the document content for the strings present as input of getMessage, gs.getMessage, or gs.getMessageLang in the provided Script. It has the following parameters:


Name	Type	Description
scriptContent	String	The Script to be processed to get the strings present as input of getMessage, gs.getMessage, or gs.getMessageLang.
groupName	String	The name of the group for this input.
label	String	The unique label identifier for this input.

For example,

var documentContentBuilder = new LFDocumentContentBuilder("v1", language, sysId, tableName);
Var name = "name";
documentContentBuilder .processScript("gs.getMessage('Hello {0}, How are you', name)", "Script_Group", "Script_Label");

processTranslatableFieldsForSingleRecord (glideRecord, groupName)

Use this function to create elements for the given glideRecord object, in document content for all its translatable fields. These translatable fields can be of translated_field, translated_text or translated_html types. It includes the following parameters:


Name	Type	Description
glideRecord	GlideRecord	The GlideRecord object to be processed for translatable fields. The GlideRecord should be pointing to the valid table record.
groupName	String	The name of the group for this input.

processTranslatableFieldsForMultipleRecords (tableName, encodedQuery, groupName)

Use this function to fetch all the qualified records for the given tableName and encodedQuery and adds elements (object of LFDocumentContentElement) in the document content for all the translatable fields. It includes the following parameters:


Name	Type	Description
tableName	String	The table to fetch records.
encodedQuery	String	The encoded query for filtering records from the processTranslatableFieldsForSingleRecord table.
groupName	String	The name of the group for this input.

processElement()

Use this function to add an element (object of LFDocumentContentElement) to LFDocumentContent object.



element	LFDocumentContentElement	Element to be added to the document content.

build()

Returns the LFDocumentContent object.

Note:

The getFinalJSON function has been deprecated in the Yokohama release and it is recommended to use the build() function.

A sample script to build the document content.

getTranslatableContent: function(params) {
    var tableName = params.tableName;
    var sysId = params.sysId;
    var language = params.language;
    var lfDocumentContentBuilder = new global.LFDocumentContentBuilder("v1", language, sysId, tableName);
    // This will create a new object of LFDocumentContent and stores it internally
    lfDocumentContentBuilder.processTranslatableFieldsForSingleRecord(gr, "Basic Info");
    var field = LFDocumentContentHelper.createField(originalValue, translatedValue);
    field.setTextType(LFDocumentContentHelper.PLAIN_TEXT_TYPE);
    // All the other relevant attributes can be set
    var element = LFDocumentContentHelper.createElement(groupName, label);
    element.addField(field);
    lfDocumentContentBuilder.processElement(element); // Adds element to the LFDocumentContent object
    return lfDocumentContentBuilder.build(); // return the LFDocumentContent object
}

Sample script to extract data from the LFDocumentContent

saveTranslatedContent: function(documentContent) {
    // LFDocumentContent object is passed as an argument to the saveTranslatedContent 
    var targetLanguage = documentContent.getLanguage();
    var version = documentContent.getVersion();
    var elements = documentContent.getElements(); // Array of LFDocumentContentElement objects
    for (var idx = 0; idx < elements.length; idx++) {
        var element = elements[idx];
        var groupName = element.getGroupName();
        var fields = element.getFields(); // Array of LFDocumentContentField objects
        for (var fieldIdx = 0; fieldIdx < fields.length; fieldIdx++) {
            var field = fields[fieldIdx];
            var originalValue = field.getOriginalValue();
            var translatedValue = field.getTranslatedValue();
            // Get all the other required members and process them appropriately
        }
    }
}