TechNow Ep 73 | Build Apps Faster with Studio 101

Chuck Tomasi · ‎01-20-2020

Kreg Steppe, Services Program Manager at ServiceNow, leads you through everything you need to know to get started using Studio, ServiceNow's built-in Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Learn how to build apps fast, manage your application files, and deploy your app to other instances.

Originally aired: February 18, 2020 8:00 AM PT

Featured Experts

Kreg Steppe is a Training and Certification Program Manager within ServiceNow developing and supporting cloud training infrastructure. He specializes in developing integration solutions, automating repeatable processes and Cloud Management in ITOM. Kreg's prior experience includes operating his own ISP, developing web applications in PHP, network integration, managing network support, Application Development on cloud based networks, DNS and email server maintenance. He is a Linux enthusiast and enjoys Photography.

Chuck Tomasi Chuck Tomasi is a Sr. TPMM for ServiceNow. He has over 35 years of IT experience. Chuck was a ServiceNow customer from 2008-2010 and honored to be the recipient of the first Innovation of the Year Award at Knowledge 10. Since joining ServiceNow in 2010 as a Technical Consultant, he has held several technical roles in professional services, pre-sales, and marketing. He's well known for his signature bow ties and creative solutions on the Now Platform. Chuck is the top contributor in the ServiceNow Community, has produced hundreds of ServiceNow videos, and co-authored "No-Code Apps for Dummies" to enable and excite everyone interested in building on the Now Platform.

Jeremy Duncan is a Platform Architect on the Innovation team at ServiceNow. Jeremy is an Enterprise Architect with over 16 years of IT and Service Management experience. His experience and certifications span across retail and manufacturing with focuses on hardware, software, and information security specialties. He has done many implementations in both the Enterprise Federal and Commercial spaces since 2011 and brings a breadth of platform knowledge that aids him in sound architectural decisions. He achieved his B.B.A. at MTSU and majored in Information Systems. He spends his free time fighting crime as a volunteer certified police officer in North Nashville since 2012 and enjoys family time, camping, with his wife and kids!

Links Mentioned

Questions and Answers

Can you create a record producer in studio? -- Brent Kimsey
Yes. Under Create Application File, you can either search for "Record Producer", or navigate to Service Catalog on the left, and you'll find it there. -- Chuck Tomasi

Can you access code search outside of studio? -- Derek Culbertson
Not as of New York. It is on the roadmap and planned to be released soon. Stay tuned! -- Chuck Tomasi

where to get your book? -- Sandi Wilburn
You can find an PDF version at http://bit.ly/sn-ncafd, or we will have hard copies at Knowledge 20! I'll even sign if if you like. -- Chuck Tomasi

Do we get a copy of your book? -- Duane van Gessel
You can get a free electronic version at http://bit.ly/sn-ncafd or we will have paper copies available at Knowledge 2020. -- Chuck Tomasi

Can we use studio for Global scope? I guess the answer is no, if that’s true, some applications require interacting with/changing other global application files in global scope like adding field to incident table, or update a business rule in global scope etc. do we need to create global update set and make the changes outside studio or we can use studio for the same? -- Belal Salas
Yes you can. This should help. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/orlando-application-development/page/build/applications/concept/manage_global_application_files.html -- Chuck Tomasi

and the training on Needit Application this is super well written. -- Stephane RD
Thank you. I'll pass that on to the authors. -- Chuck Tomasi

why when I want to start a new project (Mobile) there are some shared elements from other OOB project? i.e. APPLICATION MENU (containing Mobile Agent and Now Mobile from Mobile Agent and NOW Mobile) That are part of the OOB project ITSM and NOW for Mobile Apps but are always included into any new Mobile Project... How I can have an independent Mobile App with my custom Menues without changing the OOB one? Also at the end of a custom project we have 2 scopes. One for the new Project as X_25_my_name and Global just for the Menu -- Eduardo Andres Pinetti
I don't think we're going to be getting that deep in to the mobile development. We are covering the basics of Studio, but not going deep in to any specific topic. This sounds like a great question for the community however. https://community.servicenow.com -- Chuck Tomasi

"Commit Message" is mandatory while pushing the changes second time into the source control, not while linking for the first time. -- Ramesh Babu Elagandula
Ooohh. Thank you! -- Chuck Tomasi

If a team have access to manage a scoped app, they don't need to create update sets to create/modify/delete content for the same scoped app, right? -- Ramiro Rincon
Correct. The preferred way to manage scoped apps is to publish to the app repo and then install on another instance. Update sets would only be required if you plan to share the app with someone outside your organization (not attached to your company code in the app repo.) -- Chuck Tomasi

project level application releated objects -- Ibrahim Abdulwahid
Nice description -- Chuck Tomasi

You should point out the Build a NeedIt application in the Developer Training. The step by step guide to create an application is very good. -- Dana Miller
Thank you -- Chuck Tomasi

will you be covering the source control process in this session ? -- Ibrahim Abdulwahid
Yes. Kreg will be connecting to a repository in GitHub. -- Chuck Tomasi

When I publish the App, will it be stored in ServiceNow Server and associated with my Company? -- Hima Pallela
Yes, that is correct. Think of it like your own private store to use for publishing and installing apps in your company. -- Chuck Tomasi

also, i would like to learn the implications of studio in an instance configured for domain separation? -- Denwood Fairley
Interesting question. An app is an app, it by itself cannot be domain separated. What you build in an app, whether it be a table or a workspace, that stuff can be domain separated. It’s really up to the developer working in Studio to ensure the contents of their app support domain separation. -- Chuck Tomasi

i love studio! -- Denwood Fairley
I love it as well. Having been around before Studio came along, it makes application management so much easier. -- Chuck Tomasi

could you gents re-do this presentation to match the voices, the screen you were working from never showed up in the presentation view. it was stuck on the first screen the entire time. -- Alex Albrecht
Sorry you were having issues with ON24. Most times a browser refresh does the trick. In the mean time you can find the video on the community or directly on YouTube. -- Chuck Tomasi

about SCOPE, can you create a APP in global scope? -- Dean Kirstein
Yes you can. This should help. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/orlando-application-development/page/build/applications/concept/manage_global_application_files.html -- Chuck Tomasi

How does licensing works for Studio? -- Masoud Malekmohammadi
Studio is part of the base platform. There is no additional licensing to use it. The applications created from studio may have licensing implications. I recommend you reach out to your account team if you are considering building new applications. -- Chuck Tomasi

regarding my same question about Mobile Menus...I was trying creating a new independent menu also by using ...Create Application file -> Navigation -> Application Menu (Mobile) but looks like does not work on Mobile at all What is the use of that element? -- Eduardo Andres Pinetti
Apologies. This webinar was for the purpose of introducing people to Studio. We don't have time on this show to go in to specific issues or use cases for each attendee. I recommend posting our question to the ServiceNow community (https://community.servicenow.com) if you haven't already. There are a lot of smart people there who can help. -- Chuck Tomasi

Studio is not really something I can use for modifying / adding to things in "Global". I can only really use for new things that will be in their own Scope (Application). Is this correct? -- Wade Brown
Yes you can manage global apps and pre-existing global files. This should help. https://docs.servicenow.com/bundle/orlando-application-development/page/build/applications/concept/manage_global_application_files.html --

When using studio I noticed that not all application objects are found in studio and have to be added via classic. Are those objects saved in source control? -- Jeffrey Sue Ping
Good question. Short answer is YES. --

What is the Workspace, that is inaddition to mobile and classic? Is that something to do with Agent Workspace? -- subhash Darisipudi
Yes. Workspace allows you to make your own Agent Workspace interfaces for your custom apps. -- Chuck Tomasi

Can I create an application from development that is already in our system? Flag scripts, notifications, tables etc that have been created previously. -- Wade Brown
If you are creating a new application file, it's going to be considered unique (given a new sys_id) so it's not going to ever be able to say "This already exists". I hope I understand your question properly. -- Chuck Tomasi

How can I make "Dev Notes" field a mandatory field to enfore my fellow devs to submit some notes before publishing new versions to our App Repository? -- Ramiro Rincon
Good question. I don't believe that's configurable at this point, but I'll check and respond back on the community when I post this. -- Chuck Tomasi

So can 2 people work on a widget together here? -- Ron Gidron
When you edit a widget, it's done via the Service Portal Configuration page, a separate browser tab from Studio. I haven't tested concurrent editing on the configuration page yet, but I would do some testing before attempting it in a live dev instance. -- Chuck Tomasi

yes, say 'search all applications' or download global search from the store -- Adam Kaupisch
Thank you for the tip. -- Chuck Tomasi

if you give "admin" role to an APP does that give people using that app "admin" for the entire SN system or just the APP scope -- Dean Kirstein
The admin role for an app is only within the scope of that app, not the entire system - another reason to consider scoped apps! -- Chuck Tomasi

Why can't we have SNUtils Chrome extension within ServiceNow? It is very helpful. -- Ramesh Babu Elagandula
You can use that. Actually, Kreg uses it all the time, but I made him turn it off for this demo so people don't confuse SNUtils features with out-of-the-box Studio features. -- Chuck Tomasi

can I get a link to the recording of this webinar ? -- rao garu
Absolutely. You can find this and all other episodes at http://bit.ly/servicenow-technow -- Chuck Tomasi

If I would like to take the App Developer certification exam, having experience using Studio gives me the necessary knowledge to take it and pass it (either taking the App Dev course or not)? -- Ramiro Rincon
While I don't know the exact content of the exam, I'm certain that it covers elements of Studio so knowing Studio is a good thing when it comes to improving your chances of success on the exam. -- Chuck Tomasi

How can we find/allow citizen development? How's it possible to enable them without nit picking over everything they do? Is there a best practice? -- Bill Bonnett
Kreg will be covering Delegated development in a little while. Watch for that feature. it should answer most of your questions. -- Chuck Tomasi

Is there a way to browes history of changes for a record or bunch of files I commit over time? -- Ron Gidron
Most records have a Versions related list you can view the changes? -- Chuck Tomasi

HI I have some question regarding Creating Mobile App on Studio... sorry if not part of this presentation -- Eduardo Andres Pinetti
The easiest way to create a mobile app is when you start with Guided Application Creator (New York and later). It's one click to get you started. If not, then you will need to start by creating an applet, data items, and other functionality. Please let us know if you need more specific information or check out the mobile training on https://nowlearning.servicenow.com. Thanks. -- Chuck Tomasi

Is there a link to view the previous episodes ? -- Harish Ponnapureddy
Yes. http://bit.ly/servicenow-technow. It's also in the resource widget on your screen. 🙂 -- Chuck Tomasi

Sorry for joining late, have you covered "Publish as Update Set" yet? I will watch the recording in full later this week after it is published... -- Denwood Fairley
We covered that in December's episode. This episode is all about Studio and exporting to update sets is not part of Studio. -- Chuck Tomasi

how is the application accessed? -- Robert Ziegler
I'm not sure I completely understand the context of your question. If you create an application via Studio, it depends. You might have an app that is purely mobile, for example. If it has a classic component, then the browser is how users will interact with your app. I hope that answers your question. If not, please comment further in the comments section. -- Chuck Tomasi

There is a way to do Code Search in the platform on the code search UI page but it doesn't provide direct links like in studio -- Todd Volpe
Not sure if we were looking at the same page. There's a CodeSearchExampleUse UI page OOB, but it was somewhat limited. Were you looking at something else? -- Chuck Tomasi

What does your fitness app do? -- Sharon Williams
It tracks Kreg's workouts (lifting, running, etc.) -- Chuck Tomasi

what are the servicenow best practices for creating an app to be publishes in the app store ? Many of the readily available servicenow classes only work in global scope, but the app needs to be created in local scope to get published. -- rao garu
Many of the older classes have been updated or have scoped counterparts. If you have specific issues, please note them in the comments below and we can talk about possible solutions. -- Chuck Tomasi

Can you have multiple applications in one scope? -- Guy Stearns
While you can create multiple application menus (with modules underneath), they would all be considered the same application because they are all in the same scope. If you are creating separate functionality (e.g. one app to track shipping orders and another to monitor the health of a refrigeration system) then I strongly recommend these be in separate scopes or maintenance and security could be a real issue down the road. Hope that answers your question. -- Chuck Tomasi

How does Studio compare with Visual Studio Code %2B SNOW Plugin ? -- Massimo Pascazi
The VS Code Extension is used for offline editing and bringing the VS Code Experience to SN developers who want to work in that environment. Studio (SN) is purely for online access and offers things like context menus (e.g. getting docs from a class, or finding out where a class is being used). All configuration/editing is done within the browser. -- Chuck Tomasi

Will React JS be used in SN? -- Waldo Lavaut
Not directly, but we are working on a way to expose it via web components in upcoming releases. You won't be doing React JS development directly which means you won't be creating "technical debt" as technologies continue to evolve - noting the history of Jelly and AngularJS. 🙂 -- Chuck Tomasi

its a container.... -- Ron Gidron
You are right. That's the way I often explain it to people. -- Chuck Tomasi

does service-now has it's source control system where you can store application files? -- Ibrahim Abdulwahid
We make use of Git based source control (GitHub, GitLab, BitBucket, etc) -- Chuck Tomasi

Doesn't orlando allow editing files outside of a servicenow instance? -- Ryan Litwiller
We're not allowed to say anything about Orlando until after March 19. 🙂 -- Chuck Tomasi

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