Bootstrap 4 - Why are we so far behind

[ShaneFr]

So from a standpoint of current releases... Bootstrap 3.3.6 (custom) is still "base".

Now I get it the entire site uses it including the backend. However, Bootstrap 3 was released in 2013 and work was stopped in 2016/ Bootstrap 4 has been out fully since 2018 and it still uses jQuery. Bootstrap 5 is currently in development and the biggest change they are dumpling jQuery support, not sure how that will work with ServiceNow.

So the question is why hasn't the base of ServiceNow use Bootstrap 4 which was finalized in 2018? Using Bootstrap 3.3.6 is limiting the key functionally of the new code and HTML/CSS techniques? What is hampering ServiceNow from moving forward with the base CSS being replaced? Is there any insight into this topic from anyone @Servicenow Development team?

[Mark Roethof]

Hi there,

Not sure on this, though this might have to do with the story behind Jelly / CMS > AngularJS > Now Experience and how Chuck Tomaise explains it with fool me ones, fool me twice, etc..

Future is Now Experience, and not Service Portal. Though don't know if that means that Service Portal is not being developed on anymore.

If my answer helped you in any way, please then mark it as helpful.

Kind regards,
Mark
2020 ServiceNow Community MVP
2020 ServiceNow Developer MVP

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[DirkRedeker · Accepted solution]

Hi

When I stepped into the details of Portal Development, I came up with the same question. Here are my findings, and why can absolutely understand the current status of included libraries.

When I look at the web, you can find new libraries growing AND falling nearly every month, week or day?

Upgrading your suite with the latest versions may always be a rush, due to breaking changes, that may and will arise (at least some times). That is, why you often can download the "LTS" (Long time support) and stable version of a product OR the latest, which may bring some extra pain with it.

Looking not directly to Bootstrap, but at AngularJS, which is also part of the Portal development, you know that the companies invent AND drop existing functionalities today - especially about JavaScript / Web Libraries. You almost "cannot see the tree in the forest" 🙂

AngularJS was canceled very soon, so changing everything built so far will not only be a pain for ServiceNow, but also for all customers, who finished, started, or plan to implement their custom solutions on the NOW platform.

I prefer the way, ServiceNow acts, because I do not need to follow this crazy stuff each release.

And, as @Tommy Jensen stated, there will be ways, how to integrate any desired library in your custom development. But this is then up to you, and NOT a mandatory change that you need to follow from the vendor (ServiceNow) side of it.

So, what ServiceNow did in the past, is starting to build something completely NEW. This is, what is called the "NOW Experience Framework". This is completely aside from Service Portal development and uses more advanced technology.

If you are interested in starting with the development of now Experience Components, you can go to the Articles, that I wrote on starting with this. Follow the links below.

Article #11 - Fast Track to your first "Now Experience UI Framework Component"

Article #12 - Now UI Experience Part #2 - Workshop: Using multiple Component nesting & Parameter pas...

Article #13 - Action Adventure on Now UI Experience Part #3 - Workshop: Action Handling (Events) 

Service Portal will NOT disappear and also Jelly will stay with us for another long time - that's what I guess.

YOu cannot just close the door and fool all the customers, who already built on it. BTW: Same happens for the Workflow Editor. I heard crowd jawning, that Workflow Editor will disappear as soon as Flow Designer came up. This will not happen!

The development of NEW features for Workflow Editor will be stopped - OK!

Maybe someday, the official support for Workflow Editor will be stopped as well, OK.

But the Workflow Engine will remain part of the platform for a very long time - that's what I expect to happen.

ServiceNow will not leave customers standing in the rain, who built a lot of solution on the Workflow Editor.

And the same will happen for the Service Portal. There are SO MANY Service Portals out, and they are amazing. You can build awesome Portals with the tools you find here. That was proven by hundreds of great Portals on ServiceNow. 

Let me know, if that makes sense to you.

Let me know if that answers your question and mark my answer as correct and helpful.

BR

Dirk

[Kingstan M]

Great info., thanks!

[ShaneFr]

Sweet. Ok. SO now I am refocusing my efforts on this only as REACT really isn't going anyway and this type of development is much better imo. Our "Regular" service portal is outdated thus I am coverting all the new widgets I been creating and focusing solely on this for Portal Development using UI Framework.

I been already have the "environment" setup, but I guess I will ask more reverent questions somewhere else. Thanks.

React for the win.