Using sets in layouts

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  • Updated March 12, 2026
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    Summary of Using Sets in Layouts

    This guide explains how to display sets in various formats within ServiceNow layouts, focusing on different display types, settings, and aggregates. Understanding these options allows administrators to customize the presentation of data effectively, enhancing user interaction and data visibility.

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    Key Features

    • Display Types: Sets can be displayed as table rows, table columns, list rows, or set repeaters, providing flexibility in data representation.
    • General Settings: Customize how sets expand, the maximum height, index display options, and vertical alignment in list formats.
    • Message Settings: Control visibility and positioning of message summaries and indicators, improving user awareness of actions and recommendations.
    • Size Settings: Manage the number of indexes displayed, with options for user input methods and submission controls in table displays.
    • Inline Control Settings: Configure options for adding rows and displaying dropdown controls in index menus.
    • Selection Settings: Applicable to list displays, allowing for single or multiple selections with corresponding display options.
    • Search Settings: Enhance list displays with search capabilities based on source and target fields.
    • Aggregates: Utilize five types of aggregates (Average, Count, Max, Min, Sum) to evaluate data, with the ability to display results within the layout.

    Key Outcomes

    By leveraging the settings outlined, ServiceNow customers can significantly enhance their data layout configurations. Administrators can tailor user experiences, improve data management, and ensure that information is presented in a clear and actionable manner. This customization leads to better decision-making and streamlined processes within the platform.

    Learn about the various ways sets can be displayed and about their settings.

    Display types

    Sets can be displayed in several ways:
    • As table rows where each index is displayed horizontally:

      Display types

    • As table columns where each index is displayed vertically:

      Display types

    • As list rows:

      Display types

    • As a set repeater where each index is tied to a tier:

      Display types

      Set repeaters are distinct in their administration. For more information about set repeaters, see Creating a Set Repeater.

    To manage the different display types, find the set in the Layout Wizard and select the gear icon. Here the admin has two options for Display Type: Table and List. Table is a basic grid, while List is a series of tiles.

    Display types

    General settings

    • Expand Direction: Allows the user to specify how the set is formatted.
      • Rows: Each index is displayed as a row. As the set size increases, it will expand down the page.
      • Columns: Each index is displayed as a column As the set size increases, it will expand horizontally to the right.
    • Maximum Height: The height of the set.
    • Show Index (Table Display Type only): Whether the index is displayed in the set.

      General settings

    • Index Label Template (Table Display Type Only): display a prefix or suffix string to the index numbers. Helps provide context of each index.

      layout

      General settings

    • Vertical Alignment (List Display Type Only): Control the alignment.
      • Middle

        General settings

      • Top

        General settings

    Message settings

    These options allow the admin to control how and where messages are displayed.

    Message settings

    • Show message summary: summarizes all message actions and recommendation messages in one position. Toggling this to true will show the summary. Toggling to false, removes the summary.
    • Message summary position: display the message summary above or below the set. The following image shows Show Message Summary = true and Message Summary Position = Top.

      Message settings

    • Show message indicator inside cell (table display type only): places a color-coded triangle in the cell that caused the message.
    • Show message when hovering indicator (table display type only): displays messages when users hover over the color-coded triangle.

      Message settings

    Size settings

    The size of the set refers to the number of indexes that will be displayed. This is applicable to sets with the size type of field, not for associate picklist sets. A size of 1 means that there is 1 index. A size of 10 means that there are 10 indexes.

    Message settings

    • Show size field: shows or hides the size field.

      Message settings

    • Show Increment Size Button: control whether the green + icon is visible.

      Message settings

    • Size Field Display Type: Pick between a number field or a slider field for user input.

      Message settings

    • Placement of Size Field: Control the location of the size field relative to the set itself.
    • Submit Size Changes on Field Input (Table Display Type Only): When true, the set adjusts according to any keystroke change in the size input field.
    • Display a Confirmation Before Submitting Size Changes (Table Display Type Only): This property displays the confirmation button when set true. False hides the confirmation button.

    Inline control settings

    These settings refer to options in the index column menus.

    Inline control settings

    • Show Add Button Before an Index: showAddBefore: show/hide the Add Row Above control.
    • Show Add Button After an Index: showAddAfter: show/hide the Add Row Below control.
    • Show Dropdown Controls: show or hide the inline size control menu.

      Inline control settings

      The dropdown controls setting refers to the caret icon on the index. It is not to be confused with the green bar for inserting indexes. Add Row Above and Add Row Below refer to the other controls here.

    Selection settings

    Selection settings apply only to the list display type. These controls affect how the user interacts with a set that is displayed as a list.

    Inline control settings

    • Show Selector: toggles selectors on and off.
    • Selection Type: choose between Single or Multiple. Single will appear as radio buttons and Multiple will appear as check boxes.

      Example of single selection where Show Selector is true:

      Inline control settings

      Example of multiple selection where Show Selector = false:

      Inline control settings

    • Boolean field for selection: specify a field in the set that will be marked as true. This is required for the selection to work. If desired, the value can be displayed in the set itself:

      Inline control settings

    Note:
    All of the set settings are editable in the value column of the layout CSV file. Admins are still able to update the JSON there and make changes. If this method is chosen, the entire list of properties does not need to be included, but be sure to keep the proper data structure intact.

    Search settings

    Search settings apply only to the list display type.

    Inline control settings

    Search settings (List display type only)

    • Source Field: The global field that, when the user changes, triggers the UI to search based on the value of the field.
    • Target Field: The set subfield that has its value compared to the source fieldʼs value to determine whether it is a match.

    Displaying aggregates

    Aggregates are a way to evaluate the data in a set. Set aggregates have five types and can aggregate on any field type. The types are:

    • Average
    • Count
    • Max
    • Min
    • Sum

    For example, a sum aggregate on a number field will add all the instances of that subfield across all indexes. The admin can display that aggregate just as with any other field in the layout by specifying the field in the Layout Wizard.

    The variable name for aggregates have the following syntax: set.{set variable name}.{aggregate variable name}