Task description field disappearing when modifying task name

[stheriault]

Hi.  Following up on an older problem I posted here.

I have defined a task as following (it's in French, but it shouldn't matter).

So what I did is use the field Description to enter a description of the task to inform the user what he's supposed to do.

At a later date, I came and change the name of the task, but the moment I did that, I lost the value of the Description field, and it became empty.  Almost like it uses the task name as a key to get the description field, but when I changed it, the change didn't propagate to custom fields in the database.  

This is extremely annoying, because now I can't modify any task withouth losing the description and having to reenter it.  What can I do to make sure it doesn't happen again?  Should a fix be developped for this?

Thank you for your prompt answer. 

[SuryakiranM4342]

Hi @stheriault ,

Could you submit a case task with the steps included? We’ll look into it.

[ajmalmuhamm]

Hi @stheriault ,

This doesn't sound like expected behavior for a normal Task record. Changing the Task Name/Short Description should not normally clear the Description field.

I would first check whether the task is being generated from a template, catalog item, playbook, or other configuration where the description is being populated dynamically. There may be an automation that runs when the name changes and overwrites the Description.

A few things I would check:

• Check the Audit History on the task to see what changed the Description and which user/process made the change.
• Review any Business Rules, Client Scripts, UI Policies, Flow Designer flows, or Data Policies on the table.
• Check whether the task is associated with a template where the Description is being derived from the task name.
• Use System Diagnostics → Session Debug → Debug Business Rule (Details) while reproducing the issue to identify what is updating the field.
• If the Description is stored in a custom field/table rather than directly on task, check any synchronization logic between the two.

If the Description is actually being cleared simply by renaming the task and there is no customization or automation responsible, then I would consider it a potential platform defect and raise a ServiceNow Support case with the exact reproduction steps.

I wouldn't develop a workaround until you've identified what is clearing the Description. The audit history should be the best starting point because it can usually tell you whether the value was explicitly updated by a script/business rule or by another process.

[stheriault]

Some additional information:

This is always taking place in the release template design screens, not as the release is executed. 

I put a default description in the task Description field describing what the task is supposed to do. Then I save everything. Later, I need to correct this task name, so I go back into the release template designer, show the task up, and the description is still fine.  I change the name of the task and save, and then if I go back to see the description, it's now empty.

The release template has not been used after I made the change. The system is vanilla, with no customization or automation.

I am the Product Owner of the DPR module, but I am not a technical person and am really limited in what I can do. If this is a potential problem with the product, I can have a technical person involved on our side.