ServiceNow Fluent

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of ServiceNow Fluent

    ServiceNow Fluent is a declarative, domain-specific language (DSL) based on TypeScript designed to define ServiceNow application metadata files (sysmetadata) such as tables, roles, ACLs, business rules, and Automated Test Framework tests. It allows developers to write metadata definitions directly in source code (.now.ts files) instead of using UI forms or builder tools. This approach is supported in applications created or converted with the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK.

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    ServiceNow Fluent enables two-way synchronization between source code and the instance metadata, meaning changes in either the code or UI are kept in sync automatically. This facilitates source-driven development and version control of application metadata.

    Key Features

    • TypeScript-based APIs: Fluent provides APIs for many metadata types and a generic Record API for others, allowing comprehensive metadata definition in code.
    • Two-way sync: Automatically syncs changes from metadata UI to code and vice versa.
    • Code modularity: Server-side scripts (e.g., Business Rules) can import and use functions from JavaScript modules, promoting reusable code.
    • Metadata exceptions: Some metadata types like Metadata Snapshots and UX Assets are not converted to Fluent code and remain as XML files.
    • Sync control directives: Special comment directives (@fluent-ignore, @fluent-disable-sync, @fluent-disable-sync-for-file) allow selective control over Fluent diagnostics and synchronization behavior.

    Practical Usage

    Developers define application metadata with ServiceNow Fluent by creating TypeScript files that import Fluent APIs and instantiate objects representing metadata elements. For example, a table, client script, and business rule can be coded with clear, concise syntax referencing external scripts when needed.

    After building the application, the Fluent source code generates the corresponding metadata files on the ServiceNow instance, enabling consistent deployment and versioning.

    Getting Started

    To begin using ServiceNow Fluent, customers should utilize the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK, which support this source-driven development model. Documentation and API references provide comprehensive guidance and examples for defining metadata with Fluent.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables source-driven development and better version control of application metadata.
    • Improves developer productivity by reducing reliance on UI forms and enabling reusable code modules.
    • Facilitates consistent synchronization of metadata changes between code and instance.
    • Supports modern development workflows integrating with Git and CI/CD pipelines.

    Define application metadata in source code using the ServiceNow Fluent domain-specific programming language.

    Overview of ServiceNow Fluent

    ServiceNow Fluent is a declarative, domain-specific language (DSL) based on TypeScript for defining the metadata files [sys_metadata] that make up applications and includes APIs for the different types of metadata, such as tables, roles, ACLs, business rules, and Automated Test Framework tests.

    Developers define this metadata in a few lines of code instead of through a form or builder tool user interface. Applications created or converted with the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK support development in ServiceNow Fluent.

    ServiceNow Fluent supports two-way synchronization, which allows changes to metadata to be synced from other ServiceNow AI Platform user interfaces into source code and changes to source code to be synced back to metadata across the instance.

    To get started using the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK, see the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK documentation.

    ServiceNow Fluent APIs

    ServiceNow Fluent includes APIs for many types of metadata. You can use the Record API to define application metadata that doesn't have a dedicated API. For the latest list of supported APIs and examples, see the ServiceNow Fluent API reference and ServiceNow SDK examples repository on GitHub.

    Note:
    A limited number of metadata types, such as Metadata Snapshots [sys_metadata_link] and UX Assets [sys_ux_lib_asset], can't be represented as ServiceNow Fluent code and aren't transformed. These metadata types remain as metadata XML files in the metadata directory of your application.

    ServiceNow Fluent usage

    In files with the .now.ts extension, use objects in the ServiceNow Fluent APIs to define metadata in the application. You must also include the required imports for the APIs from @servicenow/sdk/core. For objects with server-side scripts, such as the BusinessRule object, you can import and use code from JavaScript modules.

    The following example includes the definitions of a table, client script, and business rule in the application. The client script uses a script from the client-script.js file. The business rule uses a function from the script.js JavaScript module.
    import '@servicenow/sdk/global'
import { BusinessRule, ClientScript, DateColumn, StringColumn, Table } from '@servicenow/sdk/core'
import { showStateUpdate } from '../server/script.js'

//creates todo table, with three columns (deadline, status and task)
export const x_snc_example_to_do = Table({
    name: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
    schema: {
        deadline: DateColumn({ label: 'Deadline' }),
        state: StringColumn({
            label: 'State',
            choices: {
                ready: { label: 'Ready' },
                completed: { label: 'Completed' },
                inProgress: { label: 'In Progress' },
            },
        }),
        task: StringColumn({ label: 'Task', maxLength: 120 }),
    },
})

//creates a client script that pops up 'Table loaded successfully!!' message everytime todo record is loaded
ClientScript({
    $id: Now.ID['cs0'],
    name: 'my_client_script',
    table: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
    active: true,
    appliesExtended: false,
    global: true,
    uiType: 'all',
    description: 'Custom client script generated by Now SDK',
    isolateScript: false,
    type: 'onLoad',
    script: Now.include('../client/client-script.js'),
})

//creates a business rule that pops up state change message whenever a todo record is updated
BusinessRule({
    $id: Now.ID['br0'],
    action: ['update'],
    table: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
    script: showStateUpdate,
    name: 'LogStateChange',
    order: 100,
    when: 'after',
    active: true,
})
    The client script referenced from the ClientScript object:
    function onLoad() {
    g_form.addInfoMessage("Table loaded successfully!!")
}
    The JavaScript module referenced from the BusinessRule object:
    import { gs } from '@servicenow/glide'

export function showStateUpdate(current, previous) { 
    const currentState = current.getValue('state')
    const previousState = previous.getValue('state')

    gs.addInfoMessage(`state updated from "${previousState}" to "${currentState}"`)
}

    After building the application, this source code generates the following application metadata files on the instance.

    Figure 1. Application metadata generated from ServiceNow Fluent code
    Application files generated from the example code.
    Tip:
    You can use the following directives in a code comment to help manage your code:
    • @fluent-ignore: Suppresses ServiceNow Fluent diagnostic warnings and errors in the following line of code.
    • @fluent-disable-sync: Turns off syncing changes to a ServiceNow Fluent object. Use before a call expression (for example, Record({ ... })) to turn off syncing for that object and its child objects. Only use this directive if you want to ignore changes made outside of the source code to the object and never update it when syncing.
    • @fluent-disable-sync-for-file: Turns off syncing changes to a ServiceNow Fluent file (.now.ts). Use in the first line of the file to turn off syncing for all code in the file. Only use this directive if you want to ignore changes made outside of the source code to the file and never update it when syncing.