Difference between setVisible and setDisplay

[dekici3925]

Hello ServiceNow community!
Can you please explain me the difference between setVisible and setDisplay on g_form?

Regards,
Raju

[Pankaj Hatwar]

g_form.setVisible(fieldName, true/false)

• Used to show or hide a field completely — label, field, and the space it takes on the form.
• It removes the field from the layout when hidden.
• Think of it like making the field vanish as if it was never there.

Example:

g_form.setVisible('priority', false);

The "Priority" field will disappear completely from the form.

g_form.setDisplay(fieldName, true/false)

• Also shows or hides a field, but it preserves the space where the field would appear.
• So the field is hidden, but an empty gap will still be there in the layout.
• Good for maintaining form alignment when hiding fields.

Example:

g_form.setDisplay('priority', false);

The "Priority" field will be hidden, but the space it takes will still be there, creating a blank spot.

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[SanjanaK]

Hello, 

g_form.setVisible() keeps the space after hiding the field and g_form.setDisplay() hides the field and also removes the space which was occupied by it.

Hope the answer helps!

Happy Learning!

[sandeep1708]

Feature                  setVisible()                                                  setDisplay()
Hides Field?            ✅ Yes                                                      ✅ Yes
Space taken?          ✅ Yes (blank space shown)                   ❌ No (completely removed)
Use Case                 When hiding but keeping layout            When removing field entirely

If my answer helped you in any way, please consider marking it as helpful and accepting it as the solution