ui-generation

UI Generation from Natural Language

Overview

This skill covers generating ServiceNow UI components from natural language descriptions:

Creating client scripts (onChange, onLoad, onSubmit, onCellEdit) for forms and lists
Building data binding configurations for UI Builder and Service Portal widgets
Generating event handler logic for user interactions
Creating UI Pages with Jelly/HTML templates and processing scripts
Building Service Portal widgets with AngularJS controllers and HTML templates
Generating UI Builder experience pages with data resources and event mappings
Producing UI macros for reusable form decorations and formatters

When to use: When developers or citizen developers need to create UI components from business requirements described in plain language, or when rapidly prototyping form behaviors, portal widgets, or workspace pages.

Prerequisites

Roles: admin, personalize_form, or sp_admin (for Service Portal widgets)
Plugins: com.glide.ui.ui_page (UI Pages), com.glide.service-portal (Service Portal), com.sn_ui_builder (UI Builder)
Access: Write access to sys_script_client, sys_ui_page, sp_widget, sys_ux_page_registry tables
Knowledge: JavaScript fundamentals, GlideForm API, AngularJS basics (for Service Portal), UI Builder concepts
Related Skills: development/client-scripts for client script patterns, catalog/ui-policies for catalog form behavior

Procedure

Step 1: Parse the Natural Language Description

Analyze the user request to identify:

Component type: Client script, UI page, Service Portal widget, UI Builder page, UI macro
Target table/form: Which table or form the component applies to
Behavior: What should happen (show/hide fields, validate data, fetch records, render UI)
Trigger: What event initiates the behavior (field change, form load, button click, page load)
Data dependencies: What data the component needs to read or write

Step 2: Query Existing Components for Patterns

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_script_client
  query: table=incident^active=true^typeLIKEonChange
  fields: sys_id,name,table,type,field_name,script,active,ui_type
  limit: 10

REST Approach:

GET /api/now/table/sys_script_client
  ?sysparm_query=table=incident^active=true^typeLIKEonChange
  &sysparm_fields=sys_id,name,table,type,field_name,script,active,ui_type
  &sysparm_limit=10

Step 3: Generate Client Scripts

Translate natural language to GlideForm API calls. Common patterns:

onChange -- Show/Hide Fields:

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_script_client
  data:
    name: "Show VPN fields when category is Network"
    table: incident
    type: onChange
    field_name: category
    ui_type: 0
    active: true
    script: |
      function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) {
        if (isLoading) return;
        var isNetwork = (newValue == 'network');
        g_form.setVisible('u_vpn_type', isNetwork);
        g_form.setVisible('u_network_segment', isNetwork);
        if (isNetwork) {
          g_form.setMandatory('u_vpn_type', true);
        } else {
          g_form.setMandatory('u_vpn_type', false);
        }
      }

REST Approach:

POST /api/now/table/sys_script_client
Body: {
  "name": "Show VPN fields when category is Network",
  "table": "incident",
  "type": "onChange",
  "field_name": "category",
  "ui_type": "0",
  "active": "true",
  "script": "function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) { ... }"
}

Step 4: Generate onLoad Scripts for Form Initialization

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_script_client
  data:
    name: "Initialize priority banner on form load"
    table: incident
    type: onLoad
    ui_type: 0
    active: true
    script: |
      function onLoad() {
        var priority = g_form.getValue('priority');
        if (priority == '1') {
          g_form.showFieldMsg('priority', 'Critical incident - follow P1 procedures', 'error');
          g_form.setReadOnly('category', true);
          g_form.setReadOnly('subcategory', true);
        }
      }

Step 5: Generate onSubmit Validation Scripts

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_script_client
  data:
    name: "Validate resolution notes before close"
    table: incident
    type: onSubmit
    ui_type: 0
    active: true
    script: |
      function onSubmit() {
        var state = g_form.getValue('state');
        if (state == '6') {
          var resolution = g_form.getValue('close_notes');
          if (!resolution || resolution.trim().length < 20) {
            g_form.showFieldMsg('close_notes', 'Resolution notes must be at least 20 characters', 'error');
            return false;
          }
        }
        return true;
      }

Step 6: Generate Service Portal Widgets

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sp_widget
  data:
    name: "Team Incident Dashboard"
    id: "team-incident-dashboard"
    template: |
      <div class="panel panel-default">
        <div class="panel-heading"><h3>{{c.data.title}}</h3></div>
        <div class="panel-body">
          <div ng-repeat="inc in c.data.incidents track by inc.sys_id">
            <div class="alert alert-{{inc.priorityClass}}">
              <strong>{{inc.number}}</strong> - {{inc.short_description}}
              <span class="pull-right badge">{{inc.state}}</span>
            </div>
          </div>
          <p ng-if="c.data.incidents.length === 0">No open incidents.</p>
        </div>
      </div>
    client_script: |
      api.controller = function($scope) {
        var c = this;
      };
    server_script: |
      (function() {
        data.title = "My Team's Open Incidents";
        var gr = new GlideRecord('incident');
        gr.addQuery('assignment_group', gs.getUser().getMyGroups());
        gr.addActiveQuery();
        gr.orderByDesc('priority');
        gr.setLimit(20);
        gr.query();
        data.incidents = [];
        while (gr.next()) {
          data.incidents.push({
            sys_id: gr.getUniqueValue(),
            number: gr.getValue('number'),
            short_description: gr.getValue('short_description'),
            state: gr.getDisplayValue('state'),
            priority: gr.getValue('priority'),
            priorityClass: {'1':'danger','2':'warning','3':'info','4':'success'}[gr.getValue('priority')] || 'default'
          });
        }
      })();

REST Approach:

POST /api/now/table/sp_widget
Body: {
  "name": "Team Incident Dashboard",
  "id": "team-incident-dashboard",
  "template": "<div class='panel panel-default'>...</div>",
  "client_script": "api.controller = function($scope) { var c = this; };",
  "server_script": "(function() { ... })();"
}

Step 7: Generate UI Builder Experience Pages

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_ux_page_registry
  data:
    title: "Executive Incident Overview"
    path: /executive-incident-overview
    description: "Executive dashboard showing incident metrics and trends"
    category: workspace
    active: true

Configure data resources for the page:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_ux_data_broker_transform
  data:
    name: "Incident Metrics Data Resource"
    page: "<page_sys_id>"
    table: incident
    query: "active=true^priority<=2"
    fields: "number,short_description,priority,state,assigned_to,sys_created_on"
    max_rows: 50

Step 8: Generate Event Handlers

Configure UI Builder event-to-action mappings:

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_ux_event
  data:
    name: "Row Click Navigate to Record"
    page: "<page_sys_id>"
    component: "<component_sys_id>"
    event_name: "click"
    action_type: "navigate"
    action_config: {
      "route": "/record/incident/${sys_id}",
      "target": "_self"
    }

Step 9: Generate UI Macros for Form Decorations

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Create-Record
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_ui_macro
  data:
    name: "sla_countdown_banner"
    description: "Displays a countdown timer for SLA breach on incident form"
    xml: |
      <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
      <j:jelly trim="false" xmlns:j="jelly:core" xmlns:g="glide">
        <g:evaluate var="jvar_sla_info" expression="
          var sla = new GlideRecord('task_sla');
          sla.addQuery('task', current.sys_id);
          sla.addQuery('has_breached', false);
          sla.addActiveQuery();
          sla.orderBy('planned_end_time');
          sla.setLimit(1);
          sla.query();
          sla.next() ? sla.getDisplayValue('planned_end_time') : 'N/A';
        "/>
        <div style="background:#fff3cd;padding:10px;border-radius:4px;margin-bottom:10px;">
          <strong>SLA Target:</strong> ${jvar_sla_info}
        </div>
      </j:jelly>

Step 10: Validate and Test Generated Components

MCP Approach:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_script_client
  query: sys_id=<created_sys_id>
  fields: sys_id,name,table,type,active,sys_updated_on
  limit: 1

Verify no script syntax errors by checking the sys_update_xml table for recent update records:

Tool: SN-Query-Table
Parameters:
  table_name: sys_update_xml
  query: name=sys_script_client_<sys_id>^ORDERBYDESCsys_created_on
  fields: sys_id,name,action,sys_created_on
  limit: 1

Tool Usage

Tool	Purpose	When to Use
SN-Query-Table	Find existing UI components for patterns	Pattern discovery, validation
SN-Create-Record	Create client scripts, widgets, UI pages	Building new UI components
SN-Update-Record	Modify scripts, templates, configurations	Iterating on generated components
SN-Get-Table-Schema	Discover field names for data binding	Understanding form fields and data model

Best Practices

Always set ui_type correctly -- use 0 for Desktop, 1 for Mobile/Service Portal, 2 for Both
Use g_form API methods rather than direct DOM manipulation for client scripts
Minimize server calls in client scripts -- use GlideAjax for async server lookups
Scope client scripts appropriately -- avoid global scope pollution with IIFEs
Test on multiple browsers -- avoid browser-specific JavaScript features
Include null checks in all generated onChange handlers for empty field values
Use isLoading guard in onChange scripts to prevent execution during form load
Set widgets to read-only during server calls to prevent double-submission
Follow accessibility standards -- include ARIA labels and keyboard navigation in custom widgets
Version control -- always associate UI components with an update set before creation

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Resolution
Client script not firing	Wrong `type` or `field_name` value	Verify type matches event and field_name matches column name
g_form undefined error	Script running outside form context	Ensure script is attached to correct table and ui_type
Widget data not loading	Server script GlideRecord query error	Check table permissions and query syntax in server script
UI page blank	Jelly syntax error in XML	Validate XML structure and check for unescaped characters
Event handler not responding	Component ID mismatch	Verify component sys_id in event configuration
Form fields not hiding	Field name vs label mismatch	Use column name (e.g., `u_vpn_type`) not label

Examples

Example 1: Natural Language to Client Script

Input: "When someone selects 'Hardware' as the category on the incident form, make the model and serial number fields mandatory and show a message to fill them in."

Generated: onChange client script on incident.category that calls g_form.setMandatory() and g_form.showFieldMsg() for u_model and u_serial_number when newValue == 'hardware'.

Example 2: Natural Language to Service Portal Widget

Input: "Create a widget that shows the logged-in user's open requests with status bars showing percentage complete."

Generated: Service Portal widget with server script querying sc_req_item for the current user, client-side AngularJS rendering with Bootstrap progress bars, and click-to-navigate functionality.

Example 3: Natural Language to UI Builder Page

Input: "Build a workspace page that shows a chart of incidents by priority and a list of my team's open incidents below it."

Generated: UI Builder page registration with two data resources (aggregation for chart, list for table), a bar chart component bound to priority aggregation, and a data table component with row-click navigation.

Related Skills

development/client-scripts - In-depth client script development patterns
development/ui-actions - UI action buttons and links
catalog/ui-policies - Catalog-specific UI policies
development/scripted-rest-apis - Backend APIs for widget data
genai/flow-generation - Flow Designer automation for UI-triggered processes

About this skill

Overview

Prerequisites

Procedure

Step 1: Parse the Natural Language Description

Step 2: Query Existing Components for Patterns

Step 3: Generate Client Scripts

Step 4: Generate onLoad Scripts for Form Initialization

Step 5: Generate onSubmit Validation Scripts

Step 6: Generate Service Portal Widgets

Step 7: Generate UI Builder Experience Pages

Step 8: Generate Event Handlers

Step 9: Generate UI Macros for Form Decorations

Step 10: Validate and Test Generated Components

Tool Usage

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Examples

Example 1: Natural Language to Client Script

Example 2: Natural Language to Service Portal Widget

Example 3: Natural Language to UI Builder Page

Related Skills