Case type selector

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated March 12, 2026
  • 4 minutes to read
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    Summary of Case Type Selector

    The case type selector is a tool that enables customer service agents to efficiently create specific types of cases by choosing from a predefined list of case types or services. This functionality allows agents to select a case type, a product owned by the customer, or a service, streamlining the case creation process.

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    Key Features

    • Multiple Versions: The case type selector can be configured in different versions to suit the needs of agents, including:
      • Multi-select: Agents can select multiple case types and optionally narrow choices by selecting a category and subtype.
      • Single-select: Agents can create a case with a single selection from available case types.
      • Product Service Select: Agents can select a product and/or service to create a case.
    • Configuration Properties: System administrators can control the version of the case type selector through specific system properties, determining which version agents will see.

    Key Outcomes

    By utilizing the case type selector, ServiceNow customers can expect:

    • Improved efficiency in case creation through easy selection of appropriate case types.
    • Flexibility in case management by adapting the case type selector to meet specific operational needs.
    • Enhanced organization of cases based on selected products or services, leading to better service delivery.

    The case type selector enables customer service agents to quickly and easily create the right kind of case for a contact or consumer by selecting from a list of available case types or services.

    Overview

    The case type selector is a component that provides agents with the ability to select the appropriate case type or service when creating a case. For example, an agent can use the case type selector to do the following:
    • Select a case type and create a case of that type.
    • Select a product from a list of products owned by the customer and create a case for that product.
    • Select a service and create a case for that specific service.
    The selections that an agent can make is determined by the case type selector configuration. The system administrator can configure different versions of the case type selector by setting properties. The different versions include:
    Figure 1. Case type selector (multi-select version)
    Multi-select version of the case type selector with fields for selecting a category and case type

    Using the case type selector

    The system displays the case type selector when an agent creates a case from a list or a record.

    Table 1. Agent actions that display the case type selector
    Agent action Description
    Select New

    Select this action from case lists and case type lists such as My Cases or My Complaint Cases.

    Select Create Case Select this action from the following records:
    • Interaction
    • Account
    • Contact
    • Consumer
    • Sold Product
    • Install Base Item
    • Case
    • Child Case

    Some declarative actions available with the Customer Service Case Types plugin are disabled by default. For more information, see Configure case type declarative actions.

    Case type selector versions

    Different versions of the case type selector are available for agents to use. The system administrator can configure system properties to determine the version of the case type selector that is presented to agents.
    Table 2. Versions of the case type selector component
    Version Description
    Multi-select

    With the multi-select version, the agent selects a case type and optionally selects a category to narrow the available choices before creating a case.

    A category subtype field can also be configured. This field can be a choice list field or a reference field from the Case Type table.
    Note:
    If a subtype has not been configured for a case type, the subtype field is not displayed.

    The multi-select version of the case type selector is the default functionality.

    For more information, see Select a category and subtype for a case type.

    Single-select

    With the single-select version, the agent selects a case type from a list of available case types and creates a case with one click. The system uses configured field mapping to fill in some of the fields on the Case form.

    The display of the single-select version is controlled by the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select system property.
    • When enabled, the system displays the single-select version.
    • When disabled, the system displays the multi-select version.
    Note:
    The single-select version is only available in CSM Configurable Workspace.
    Product Service Select

    With the Product Service Select version, the agent selects a product and/or a service to create a case. For more information, see Product Service select version of the case type selector.

    The display of the Product Service Select version is controlled by the sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select system property.
    • When enabled, the system displays the Product Service Select version of the case type selector.
    • When disabled, the system uses the value of the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property.

    Case type select properties

    The following properties determine which version of the case type selector is presented to agents.
    Table 3. Version properties of a case type selector
    Property Description
    sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select Set this property to true to enable the case type single select feature in CSM Configurable Workspace. When enabled, an agent can use this feature to create a case of a specific type with a single selection in the case type selector.
    • Type: true | false
    • Default value: false
    • Location: System Property [sys_properties] table
    sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select
    Set this property to true to enable the Product Service Select version of the case type selector in CSM Configurable Workspace. When enabled, an agent can use this version to create a record based on the selected product or service.
    • Type: true | false
    • Default value: true
    • Location: System Property [sys_properties] table
    This property overrides the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property.
    • When set to true, the system displays the Product Service Select version of the case type selector.
    • When set to false, the system uses the value of the sn_csm_case_types.case_type_single_field_select property.
    • If both properties are set to true, the sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select property takes precedence.
    • If both properties are set to false, the system displays the multi-select version of the case type selector.
    sn_csm_case_types.service_definition_select_count Determines the number of the products and services displayed in the Product Service Select version of the case type selector.
    • Type: integer
    • Default value: 25
    • Location: System Property [sys_properties] table

    Configuring service definitions for cases and case tasks

    The system administrator creates the service definitions for cases and case tasks, along with their relationships. The service definition manager and service definition admin can also create these service definitions and relationships.

    For case task service definitions, the system administrator can include logic and default field values that the system uses when creating the case tasks. For more information, see Configuring service definitions.