Reference field on SP Catalog Item rendering as drop-down list

[jMarshal]

Hi all, I've never ran across this before, so perhaps this is just that I haven't noticed yet...

...but it seems like every time I try to add a reference field to cmn_location as a variable (not a "question" variable) on a catalog item, it renders as a drop-down list on the SP Catalog Item form, rather than a reference field (where you can pop-open a window to the table being referenced).

It's also possible that it's not due to the reference to cmn_location but that it is in a container (it is)...but I'm pretty sure I've done reference fields in containers to other tables (sys_user/sys_user_group/etc) without experiencing this issue.

...what gives? Is this by design and/or is there anything I can do to change this? 

PS - I checked (Service Catalog variable attributes) already and didn't see an attribute to apply to the reference field, that would change/affect this.

[Juhi Poddar · Accepted solution]

Hello @jMarshal 

In ServiceNow, the behavior of reference fields differs between the native UI and the Service Portal:

• In the Native UI, reference fields allow a pop-up window to search and select records.
• In the Service Portal, reference fields appear as a dropdown with a lookup icon (🔍) to search for records.

This is by design to provide a more user-friendly experience in the Service Portal.

Hope this helps!

"If you found my answer helpful, please like and mark it as an "accepted solution". It helps future readers to locate the solution easily and supports the community!"

Thank You
Juhi Poddar

[jMarshal]

Thanks @Juhi Poddar - this helps. I need to use the ajax auto complete variable attributes, to hide the list until search is being performed, I think?

I am trying to avoid the end user seeing the items as a big list, until they narrow it down a bit, at least...

I'm sure I can figure it out from here...or it is expected beahviour that I'll just live with, not worth fretting over! Thanks again.

[Juhi Poddar]

Hello @jMarshal 

Glad my response was helpful!

By default, reference fields in the Service Portal display a list of available options even before the user starts typing, and there isn't a straightforward out-of-the-box setting to prevent this behavior.

Hope this helps!

"If you found my answer helpful, please like and mark it as an "accepted solution". It helps future readers to locate the solution easily and supports the community!"

Thank You
Juhi Poddar