Find a code or a character string in the database

[Kostya]

I have often a problem analyzing unfamiliar implementation that I don't know, where a function call or a log trace is placed. Because there may be a "couple" of scripts in ServiceNow you can spend hours studying the source code. Unfortunately, there are no global search function for script code.

I would like to share a background script allow you to get all possible scripts implemented in ServiceNow, custom as well, and than look for a {searchstring}.
It is possible to extend the function with Regular Expression search to searchh more complicated search terms.

Global code search

// Please write here what are you looking for:
var searchstring = 'test';

(function(searchstring) {
  // just used for printing results later
  var log = new Array();

  log.push('Search for character string ' + searchstring + '');

  // get all dictionary elements defined with any of script types
  var grdict = new GlideRecord('sys_dictionary');
  grdict.addQuery('internal_type', 'CONTAINS', 'script');
  grdict.addORQuery('internal_type', 'CONTAINS', 'condition');
  grdict.addORQuery('internal_type', 'CONTAINS', 'XML');

  grdict.addEncodedQuery('nameNOT LIKEvar__m_'); // exclude variable tables
  grdict.query();

  while(grdict.next()) {
    var table = grdict.getValue('name');
    var field = grdict.getValue('element');

    log.push('Search in ' + table + '.' + field + ' (' + grdict.sys_id + '): ');

    // get the records containing the search term in the script field
    var gr = new GlideRecord(table);
    gr.addQuery(field, 'CONTAINS', searchstring);
    gr.query();

    while(gr.next()) {
        log.push('\tFound in ' + gr.name + '');
    }
  }

  // ... print out
  gs.log(log.join('\n'));
})(searchstring);