Hi @Chris Yang ,
The short answer is no — you cannot use $sp.getCatalogItem() in a platform server script (like a Business Rule or Script Include), because $sp is part of the Service Portal API (GlideSPScriptable). That API is only available in the Service Portal context (e.g. widget server scripts, portal processors).
In platform-side scripts, you don’t have $sp injected.
What to do instead
If you want the same kind of data that $sp.getCatalogItem(itemSysId) gives you, you have two main options:
1. Use sn_sc.CatItem Script Include
ServiceNow provides a backend API for catalog items:
var catItem = new sn_sc.CatItem(itemSysId);
var itemDetails = catItem.getItemSummary(); // returns details similar to $sp.getCatalogItem
Other useful methods:
getVariables()
getRequestMetadata()
Example:
var catItem = new sn_sc.CatItem('a5d12345678901234567890123456789'); // sys_id of catalog item
var summary = catItem.getItemSummary();
gs.info(JSON.stringify(summary));
This is the platform-safe way.
2. Reuse Catalog Utility APIs
If you need variable info or question sets, you can use:
var item = new GlideRecord('sc_cat_item');
item.get('a5d12345678901234567890123456789');
// to pull variables
var varSet = new GlideappVariablePoolQuestionSet();
varSet.setRequestID(-1);
varSet.setCatItem(item.sys_id);
varSet.load();
var variables = varSet.getFlatQuestions();
gs.info(variables.size());
Bottom line:
$sp.getCatalogItem() → only works in portal context.
Use sn_sc.CatItem or GlideappVariablePoolQuestionSet in Business Rules/Script Includes.
If my answer helped you, please consider marking it as ✅ Correct and giving it a 👍 Helpful — it might help other members in the community too!
Thanks,
Astik T 😊💡
