How can I generate a History Set record using a script?

[SoniShaily]

Hi everyone,

I'm working within a scoped application and trying to programmatically generate a History Set record. I found the GlideHistorySet class in the documentation, but I'm not entirely sure about the correct usage or best practices for implementing it in a script.

Has anyone successfully done this before? I'd appreciate any guidance or examples.

Thanks in advance!

[shubhamseth]

@SoniShaily 

Use 

GlideSysHistoryLine

 (Manually log record access)

If you want to track record access or build an audit log:

var historyLine = new GlideRecord('sys_history_line');
historyLine.initialize();
historyLine.setValue('documentkey', 'incident:' + recordSysId);
historyLine.setValue('tablename', 'incident');
historyLine.setValue('user', gs.getUserID());
historyLine.setValue('viewed', new GlideDateTime());
historyLine.insert();

Safe, auditable, and scoped-compatible.

You can query these records to build a “recently accessed” view or custom history tracking.

[Rushi Savarkar · Accepted solution]

Hello @SoniShaily 

You're on the right track using the GlideHistorySet API. There are a couple of points to keep in mind for clarity and reliability. Also, .refresh() is typically only needed for UI refreshes and may not be necessary in all cases.

Here’s a simplified and corrected script you can use:

// Load the record you want to generate history for

var record = new GlideRecord(tableName);

if (record.get(documentKey)) {

    try {

        // Create a history set object and generate the history

        var historySet = new GlideHistorySet(tableName, documentKey);

        historySet.generate();

        // Optional: refresh the history set (useful for UI updates)

        // historySet.refresh(); // Only if needed

    } catch (e) {

        gs.info("Error generating history set: " + e.message);

    }

}

Let me know if you're working with a specific table or use case—happy to help further!