Creating Embedded HTML in Forms - Need Clarification on UI Formatters, Pages, and UI Builder

[JaninaB]

Hello Everyone,

I'm trying to create an embedded HTML component with buttons and an overview of a related table inside a form (such as Incident or Task). My initial thought was to use a UI Formatter to create an XML file and include it in a form section. However, I noticed that UI Formatters are only supported in UI16 and earlier.

This raises a few questions:

1. How long will UI Formatters be supported in ServiceNow instances?
2. Is there a better, more future-proof approach to embed rendered HTML within a form?

Additionally, I'm a bit confused about the various UI concepts in ServiceNow, especially the differences and best use cases for:

• UI Formatter
• UI Page
• UI Builder: Experiences/Pages
• Components in Next Experience
• Widgets

I’d appreciate it if someone could clarify how these concepts relate to each other and when to use each one. Here's what I’ve understood so far — please correct me if I'm wrong or missing something:

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My Current Understanding

UI Formatters and UI Pages

• These are from the "old" UI (UI16 and earlier).
• A UI Formatter is an XML-based component you can display inside a form.
• A UI Page is more like a standalone page, rather than something embedded inside a form.

Question: Are forms like Incident and Task still based on UI16? Or are these forms also transitioning to the Next Experience UI?

UI Builder: Experiences & Pages

• UI Builder is the newer tool for creating "Next Experience" UIs.
• You build Experiences and Pages in UI Builder.

However, I’m confused about how Experiences and Pages relate to existing forms:

• Experiences seem to be custom spaces/views.
• Pages are created within an Experience, but do they impact standard forms like Incident or Task?

Components in Next Experience

• In UI Builder, I can add Components to a Page/Experience.
• However, when I use Form Builder to edit a form, I also see options to add fields, lists, and Components like "Section" or "Annotation."

Question: Is there a way to build custom Components that I can reuse in forms? Or are Components only for Workspaces/Experiences?

Widgets
I’ve seen Widgets mentioned frequently, but I’m unsure where they fit in:

• Are Widgets like Components?
• Can I use a Widget to display custom HTML (e.g., statistics) on a form or homepage?

I’d love to get your insights on the best way to achieve my goal of embedding a custom HTML component inside a form, especially considering the direction ServiceNow is heading with Next Experience UI.

Thanks in advance!