Worknotes is not getting updated

Drishti · a month ago

Hello Community ,

There is one Date field on HR case form. The date value entered in the date field, when matches to todays date then state should change to WIP and work-notes should get updated with comments.

The challenge is here - I have created one scheduled script so that when date matches to todays date then state should change along with that work-notes should get updated. But this work-notes is not getting updated every time. Like sometimes , it work and sometimes it won't.

I also tried different way of script like setting work-notes without setWorkflow(false) then calling a function where I am setting state value along with setWorkflow(false).
But this too is not working.

My script :

var grCase = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_case');

grCase.addEncodedQuery(MYQUERY);

grCase.query();

while (grCase.next()) {

grCase.work_notes = " MY COMMENTS FOR WORKNOTES";

grCase.update();

setStateValue(grCase);

}

function setStateValue(hrCase) {

hrCase.setValue('state', '18');

hrCase.autoSysFields(false);

hrCase.setWorkflow(false);

hrCase.update();

}

I have multiple BR and notification on condition of "State changes to WIP" . So, if I won't use setWorkflow(false) then that too will create an issue.

Please guide how can I achieve this.

Thanks !

nityabans27 · 4 weeks ago

Hi @Drishti,

The issue is: setWorkflow(false) prevents all business rules — including system logic that updates journal fields like work_notes. That’s why your comments sometimes disappear.

Here’s the clean, reliable solution 👇

✅ Final Working Script

var grCase = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_case');
grCase.addEncodedQuery(MYQUERY);
grCase.query();

while (grCase.next()) {
    // Store Sys ID before manipulating workflows
    var sysId = grCase.getUniqueValue();

    // Step 1: Update work notes safely (with workflow ON)
    grCase.work_notes = "MY COMMENTS FOR WORKNOTES";
    grCase.update(); // Let this trigger normally (ensures notes get written)

    // Step 2: Update state quietly (no notifications, no BRs)
    var grSilent = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_case');
    if (grSilent.get(sysId)) {
        grSilent.setWorkflow(false);
        grSilent.autoSysFields(false);
        grSilent.setValue('state', '18'); // WIP
        grSilent.update();
    }
}

🔍 Why this works

The first update writes work notes correctly because setWorkflow(false) is not used.
The second update (separate GlideRecord instance) changes state silently — no BRs, no notifications, no duplicate triggers.
Using a fresh record (grSilent) ensures no workflow caching or update conflicts.

⚠️ Notes

Don’t try to set both fields in one update if setWorkflow(false) is true — that’s why you saw inconsistency.
Keep the “silent” update isolated to avoid blocking journal updates.
Make sure your scheduled job runs with a user who has rights to update HR Cases and journal fields.

View solution in original post

Ankur Bawiskar · a month ago

@Drishti

you can use scheduled flow which runs daily and see if the date is Today

Then use Lookup Records and use For Each and then update the record

I shared solution for something similar in past, see and enhance

I cannot seem to get an Email Notification when a record's due date is reached

If my response helped please mark it correct and close the thread so that it benefits future readers.

Regards,
Ankur
✨ Certified Technical Architect || ✨ 9x ServiceNow MVP || ✨ ServiceNow Community Leader

Drishti · a month ago

@Ankur Bawiskar
Thanks for your response.
But I have one doubt here , via flow also if I will set the state to WIP , it will trigger all those BR(s) and notifications(s) satisfying the condition ( state changes to WIP).

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Ankur Bawiskar · 4 weeks ago

@Drishti

that's correct, it will trigger.

if you don't want then use scheduled job and use setWorkflow(false)

try this -> why to update 2 times?

var grCase = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_case');
grCase.addEncodedQuery(MYQUERY);
grCase.query();

while (grCase.next()) {
   grCase.setValue('state', '18'); // WIP
   grCase.work_notes = 'MY COMMENTS FOR WORKNOTES';
   grCase.setWorkflow(false); // Avoid triggering BRs if that's intended
   grCase.autoSysFields(false); // Prevent auto-update on sys fields
   grCase.update();
}

If my response helped please mark it correct and close the thread so that it benefits future readers.

Regards,
Ankur
✨ Certified Technical Architect || ✨ 9x ServiceNow MVP || ✨ ServiceNow Community Leader

Drishti · 4 weeks ago

@Ankur Bawiskar

Like stated earlier , setWorkflow(false) is stopping worknotes from being updated. For that reason I wrote that script updating two times.

My challenge here is I have to update work-notes and set state value without triggering any other BRs and notifications