Where is StdChgProposalDiffViewer coming from?

lonesoac01 · yesterday

Hello all,

I am trying to use the out of box StdChgProposalDiffViewer functionality, but I have no idea where it is located. I have tried UI Pages, Script Includes, and Processors. I even searched in the app studio to try and find it there, but no luck. is this one of those items that we are intentionally blocked from seeing at all?

Connectmustaq · yesterday

Hi @lonesoac01 ,

The StdChgProposalDiffViewer component in ServiceNow is indeed part of the platform’s Standard Change Management (StdChg) subsystem — but it is not a standard Script Include, UI Page, or Processor that administrators can view or modify through the normal application navigation. This is intentional.

What StdChgProposalDiffViewer Is

It’s an internal system UI component, implemented as part of the Standard Change Proposal comparison screen.
This component powers the side-by-side view that displays differences between the proposed Standard Change template and existing template values when someone is reviewing a proposal for approval.
It’s part of the protected logic used by ServiceNow’s std_change_proposal module, under the related-table view called “Compare proposed template”.

Why You Can’t Find It

ServiceNow hides certain low-level classes and components in the protected server package, especially those tied to out-of-box process automation UIs.
That includes:

StdChgProposalDiffViewer
StdChgProposalUtils
Several StdChg processors (e.g., StdChgProposalProcessor)
Protected UI scripts that handle the “View Differences” flyout in the Standard Change Proposal form

These artifacts live in the protected system app (com.snc.std_change_proposal), which uses minified ES5 modules stored in the platform’s internal UI framework — not as visible sys_ui_page or sys_script_include records.
This design prevents alteration of the core visualization logic and keeps upgrade integrity intact.

How to Leverage It

While you can’t modify or view StdChgProposalDiffViewer source directly, you can interact with it or extend its behaviors safely:

Use the StdChg “Compare” button
The button on the Standard Change Proposal form launches the viewer directly. You can mimic this by referencing its action std_change_proposal_compare.do?sys_id=<proposal_sys_id>.
Extend via UI Action or Script Include
If your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses.
Custom Diff Viewer Option
For customization or debugging, you may create your own comparison utility by querying the two std_change_template records (existing + proposed) and rendering a diff using GlideRecordDiff.

This approach replicates what the hidden OOB viewer does under the hood:

var oldTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');
oldTmpl.get('<existing_template_sys_id>');
var newTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');
newTmpl.get('<proposal_template_sys_id>');
var diff = new GlideRecordDiff(oldTmpl, newTmpl);
gs.info(diff.getXML());

In short, the StdChgProposalDiffViewer exists and is actively used by the Standard Change Proposal UI, but it is intentionally hidden and not administrator-editable. The best practice is to consume its results through existing extension points (like StdChangeUtils) rather than attempting direct code inspection.

you may find below thread helpful:

If it is helpful, please hit the thumbs button and accept the correct solution by referring to this solution in the future it will be helpful to them.

Thanks & Regards,

Mohammed Mustaq Shaik - ServiceNow Consultant

Lets connect on-- Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/shaik-mohammed-mustaq-43ab63238/

lonesoac01 · 8 hours ago

I looked into: "

Extend via UI Action or Script Include
If your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses."

I found that StdChangeUtils just extends the StdChangeUtilsSNC class. I went into the

StdChangeUtilsSNC definition, but I did not find the function named: compareProposals() defined anywhere.

Sarthak Kashyap · yesterday

Hi @lonesoac01 ,

As per of my knowledge you will not find it, GlideURL is a ServiceNow client-side API that helps you construct URLs dynamically — instead of concatenating strings manually.

https://developer.servicenow.com/dev.do#!/reference/api/zurich/client/c_GlideURLV3API#r_GURL-GlideUR...

Please mark my answer correct and helpful if this works for you

Thanks and Regards,

Sarthak

Where is StdChgProposalDiffViewer coming from?

Hi @lonesoac01 ,

What StdChgProposalDiffViewer Is

It’s an internal system UI component, implemented as part of the Standard Change Proposal comparison screen.

This component powers the side-by-side view that displays differences between the proposed Standard Change template and existing template values when someone is reviewing a proposal for approval.

It’s part of the protected logic used by ServiceNow’s std_change_proposal module, under the related-table view called “Compare proposed template”.

Why You Can’t Find It

ServiceNow hides certain low-level classes and components in the protected server package, especially those tied to out-of-box process automation UIs.That includes:

StdChgProposalDiffViewer

StdChgProposalUtils

Several StdChg processors (e.g., StdChgProposalProcessor)

Protected UI scripts that handle the “View Differences” flyout in the Standard Change Proposal form

How to Leverage It

While you can’t modify or view StdChgProposalDiffViewer source directly, you can interact with it or extend its behaviors safely:

Use the StdChg “Compare” buttonThe button on the Standard Change Proposal form launches the viewer directly. You can mimic this by referencing its action std_change_proposal_compare.do?sys_id=<proposal_sys_id>.

Extend via UI Action or Script IncludeIf your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses.

Custom Diff Viewer Option

For customization or debugging, you may create your own comparison utility by querying the two std_change_template records (existing + proposed) and rendering a diff using GlideRecordDiff.

This approach replicates what the hidden OOB viewer does under the hood:

var oldTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');oldTmpl.get('<existing_template_sys_id>');var newTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');newTmpl.get('<proposal_template_sys_id>');var diff = new GlideRecordDiff(oldTmpl, newTmpl);gs.info(diff.getXML());

you may find below thread helpful:

Extend via UI Action or Script IncludeIf your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses."

ServiceNow hides certain low-level classes and components in the protected server package, especially those tied to out-of-box process automation UIs.
That includes:

Use the StdChg “Compare” button
The button on the Standard Change Proposal form launches the viewer directly. You can mimic this by referencing its action std_change_proposal_compare.do?sys_id=<proposal_sys_id>.

Extend via UI Action or Script Include
If your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses.

var oldTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');
oldTmpl.get('<existing_template_sys_id>');
var newTmpl = new GlideRecord('std_change_template');
newTmpl.get('<proposal_template_sys_id>');
var diff = new GlideRecordDiff(oldTmpl, newTmpl);
gs.info(diff.getXML());

Extend via UI Action or Script Include
If your use case requires automated comparison, invoke StdChangeUtils().compareProposals() (available for extension). This method leverages the same backend class that StdChgProposalDiffViewer uses."