(Rome) Source Control for Scoped Plugins error: "An App Customization already exists for this application, install it to make customizations to your application"

[Christopher Cro]

This question is regarding the new Rome feature (which is now available for PDIs) that enables Source Control for customizations to Scoped Plugins (such as CSM/HR).

I tried to test out this new feature with the CSM plugin today using a fresh Rome PDI (Release Candidate 2), but I am encountering a showstopping error message that prevents linking to source control: "An App Customization already exists for this application, install it to make customizations to your application".

Let's walk through what I've tried so far, so you folks can put forth suggestions or try to reproduce the issue:

1. Created a new Rome PDI (Release Candidate 2)
2. Created an empty git repo for the application customizations
3. Configured known working https git credentials as a Basic Credential record
4. Installed the Customer Service plugin
5. Opened Studio
6. Selected the "Customer Service" application
   NOTE: I've also attempted this same process via the "Select Store App to Customize" button. When I did that, I was prompted to follow the exact same steps seen below and arrived at the exact same error
   
7. Encountered this message, indicating that I should be able to use Source Control features
   
8. Opened the "Link to Source Control" menu
   
9. Filled out and submitted the "Link to Source Control" dialog
   
10. The operation fails with the aforementioned error: "An App Customization already exists for this application, install it to make customizations to your application."
    
11. Despite failing, I can see that some dummy commits were made to the specified repo, though no new branches were created. Studio still shows that Customer Service is unlinked.
    NOTE: It didn't make any difference when I tried again with the repo in this state vs. when I deleted the repo and tried again from scratch.
    
    

[Daniel Draes]

Putting in a reply so I get notified on this topic 😄

I tried the same in my instance as well as a new PDI like you... similar results. Checking internally on what is expected to be the correct process. Thanks for your patience.

[Daniel Draes · Accepted solution]

Got feedback that this will not work on a PDI instance as it needs a connection to the ServiceNow Application Repository to check for extentions which is not available on a PDI. Hence you are seeing that error.

[Christopher Cro]

Well, I suppose that explains the issue... though I am very disheartened to hear that is the case.

I was really hoping that it would be possible to use this feature in conjuction with PDIs to adopt a truly git-friendly workflow (i.e.: having as many developers as we like working on the same application as if they were working on their own local copies), but this kind of precludes that.

Are there any plans to make this work with PDIs -- or some functional equivalent -- in the future? This feels like the kind of thing that's more important than ever, since it's now possible to fully replicate instance customizations in version control.

[Daniel Draes]

The problem with PDI's is that they do not belong to the customer scope and have some limitations compared to customer owned instanced like being in a different data center, connectivity, size, availability etc.

We do have plans to make similar instance available in the customer context to allow a more natural devops style (incl. ci/cd) approach. Please reach out to your account team if you want to know / learn more on our plans here.