---
sourceDocument: Australia API Reference
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/api-reference

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia API Reference

ft:clusterId :

    - crapiref

bundleId :

    - crapiref

workflow :

    - Creator


---

# ServiceNow Fluent

# ServiceNow Fluent {#ariaid-title1}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 3 minutes to read
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## Summary of ServiceNow Fluent

ServiceNow Fluent is a declarative, domain-specific language (DSL) based on TypeScript designed to define application metadata files (\[sysmetadata\]) in source code.
It enables developers to specify metadata such as tables, roles, ACLs, business rules, and Automated Test Framework tests programmatically instead of using form or builder tool interfaces.
Fluent supports two-way synchronization, allowing metadata changes made in ServiceNow AI Platform user interfaces and source code to stay in sync across the instance.
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Applications developed or converted with the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK fully support ServiceNow Fluent, providing an integrated environment for defining and managing application metadata efficiently.

## Key Features

* **TypeScript-based DSL:** Uses TypeScript syntax and Fluent APIs for defining metadata in .now.ts files.
* **Wide API support:** Fluent includes APIs for many metadata types and a Record API for those without dedicated APIs. Some metadata types like Metadata Snapshots and UX Assets remain as XML files and are not transformed into Fluent code.
* **Two-way synchronization:** Changes synchronize bidirectionally between source code and metadata in the ServiceNow instance.
* **Integration with JavaScript modules:** Server-side scripts in metadata (e.g., BusinessRule) can import and use functions from JavaScript modules.
* **Code directives for control:** Use comment directives like `@fluent-ignore`, `@fluent-disable-sync`, and `@fluent-disable-sync-for-file` to manage diagnostics and synchronization behavior.

## Practical Usage

Developers write metadata definitions in TypeScript files with the `.now.ts` extension, importing necessary Fluent APIs from `@servicenow/sdk/core`. For example, you can define a table with columns, client scripts, and business rules all in source code. Client scripts can reference external client-side JavaScript, and business rules can reference server-side modules.

Upon building the application, Fluent source code compiles into standard application metadata files on the ServiceNow instance, enabling seamless deployment and management.

## Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

* **Accelerated development:** Define complex metadata succinctly in code rather than manually in UI forms.
* **Improved maintainability:** Source control metadata definitions alongside application code for better versioning and collaboration.
* **Consistency and automation:** Synchronization reduces errors and ensures metadata consistency between source and ServiceNow instance.
* **Extensibility:** Leverage standard TypeScript features and modular code to create reusable, testable metadata components.

## Getting Started

To start using ServiceNow Fluent, use the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK, which provide the environment and tooling. Refer to the ServiceNow Fluent API reference and sample repositories for supported metadata types and code examples.  
Define application metadata in source code using the ServiceNow Fluent domain-specific programming language.

## Overview of ServiceNow Fluent {#servicenow-fluent__section_jnb_vvg_z1c}

ServiceNow Fluent is a declarative, domain-specific language (DSL) based on TypeScript for defining the metadata files \[sys_metadata\] that make up applications and includes APIs for the different types of
metadata, such as tables, roles, ACLs, business rules, and Automated Test Framework tests.

Developers define this metadata in a few lines of code instead of through a form or builder tool user interface. Applications created or converted with the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK support development in ServiceNow Fluent.

ServiceNow Fluent supports two-way synchronization, which allows changes to metadata to be synced from other ServiceNow AI Platform user interfaces into source code and changes to source code to be synced back to metadata across the instance.

To get started using the ServiceNow IDE or ServiceNow SDK, see the [ServiceNow IDE](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=servicenow-ide-landing&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US) or [ServiceNow SDK](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=servicenow-sdk-landing&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US) documentation.

## ServiceNow Fluent APIs {#servicenow-fluent__section_nyj_y13_zbc}

ServiceNow Fluent includes APIs for many types of metadata. You can use the Record API to define application metadata that doesn't have a dedicated API. For the latest list of supported APIs and examples, see the [ServiceNow Fluent API reference](https://servicenow.github.io/sdk/) and [ServiceNow SDK examples repository](https://github.com/ServiceNow/sdk-examples) on GitHub.  
Note:  
A limited number of metadata types, such as Metadata Snapshots \[sys_metadata_link\] and UX Assets \[sys_ux_lib_asset\], can't be represented as ServiceNow Fluent code and aren't transformed. These metadata types remain as metadata XML files in the metadata directory of your application.

## ServiceNow Fluent usage {#servicenow-fluent__section_dgj_1b3_zbc}

In files with the .now.ts extension, use objects in the ServiceNow Fluent APIs to define metadata in the application. You must also include the required imports for the APIs from @servicenow/sdk/core. For objects with server-side scripts, such as the
BusinessRule object, you can import and use code from JavaScript modules.  
The following example includes the definitions of a table, client script, and business rule in the application. The client script uses a script from the client-script.js file. The business rule uses a function from the script.js JavaScript module.

    import '@servicenow/sdk/global'
    import { BusinessRule, ClientScript, DateColumn, StringColumn, Table } from '@servicenow/sdk/core'
    import { showStateUpdate } from '../server/script.js'

    //creates todo table, with three columns (deadline, status and task)
    export const x_snc_example_to_do = Table({
        name: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
        schema: {
            deadline: DateColumn({ label: 'Deadline' }),
            state: StringColumn({
                label: 'State',
                choices: {
                    ready: { label: 'Ready' },
                    completed: { label: 'Completed' },
                    inProgress: { label: 'In Progress' },
                },
            }),
            task: StringColumn({ label: 'Task', maxLength: 120 }),
        },
    })

    //creates a client script that pops up 'Table loaded successfully!!' message everytime todo record is loaded
    ClientScript({
        $id: Now.ID['cs0'],
        name: 'my_client_script',
        table: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
        active: true,
        appliesExtended: false,
        global: true,
        uiType: 'all',
        description: 'Custom client script generated by Now SDK',
        isolateScript: false,
        type: 'onLoad',
        script: Now.include('../client/client-script.js'),
    })

    //creates a business rule that pops up state change message whenever a todo record is updated
    BusinessRule({
        $id: Now.ID['br0'],
        action: ['update'],
        table: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
        script: showStateUpdate,
        name: 'LogStateChange',
        order: 100,
        when: 'after',
        active: true,
    })

The client script referenced from the ClientScript object:

    function onLoad() {
        g_form.addInfoMessage("Table loaded successfully!!")
    }

The JavaScript module referenced from the BusinessRule object:

    import { gs } from '@servicenow/glide'

    export function showStateUpdate(current, previous) { 
        const currentState = current.getValue('state')
        const previousState = previous.getValue('state')

        gs.addInfoMessage(`state updated from "${previousState}" to "${currentState}"`)
    }

After building the application, this source code generates the following application metadata files on the instance.
Figure 1. Application metadata generated from ServiceNow Fluent code  
Tip:  
You can use the following directives in a code comment to help manage your code:

* `@fluent-ignore`: Suppresses ServiceNow Fluent diagnostic warnings and errors in the following line of code.
* `@fluent-disable-sync`: Turns off syncing changes to a ServiceNow Fluent object. Use before a call expression (for example, `Record({ ... })`) to turn off syncing for that object and its child objects. Only use this directive if you want to ignore changes made outside of the source code to the object and never update it when syncing.
* `@fluent-disable-sync-for-file`: Turns off syncing changes to a ServiceNow Fluent file (.now.ts). Use in the first line of the file to turn off syncing for all code in the file. Only use this directive if you want to ignore changes made outside of the source code to the file and never update it when syncing.
{#servicenow-fluent__ul_dzm_xxw_ldc}
**Related topics**   

* [ServiceNow Fluent API reference](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=servicenow-fluent-api-reference&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Define application metadata in code with ServiceNow Fluent in the ServiceNow IDE](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=define-metadata-code-fluent-ide&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US)
* [Define application metadata in code with ServiceNow Fluent and the ServiceNow SDK](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/access?context=define-metadata-code-fluent-sdk&version=australia&pubname=australia-application-development&ft:locale=en-US)