Configure the GOV.UK Design System Service Portal Widgets

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated June 1, 2026
  • 5 minutes to read
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    Summary of Configure the GOV.UK Design System Service Portal Widgets

    The GOV.UK Design System (GDS) Service Portal uses configurable widgets to define the behavior, content, and layout of portal pages. These widgets come as base system widgets that are read-only to allow future updates but can be cloned and customized to better fit your organization’s needs. Each widget added to a page creates an individual instance that can be configured separately. Administrators use the Service Portal Designer to add and configure widgets by dragging them onto pages and adjusting their options.

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    Widget Categories and Their Uses

    • Service Catalog Widgets: Enable users to browse, search, request, and track services within the portal. These widgets provide a streamlined, task-focused service catalog experience and support building a complete catalog for the portal.
    • Knowledge Management Widgets: Allow users to search, browse, read, and interact with knowledge articles directly in the portal. These widgets help users find answers without needing support contact and assist admins in building and maintaining a knowledge base.
    • Service Portal Configuration Page Widgets: Support administrative tasks for setting up and managing portals, pages, themes, and widgets. They power internal tools like the Portal Map, Page Map, Branding Editor, and Widget Editor within the Service Portal Configuration workspace.
    • Search Widgets: Facilitate searching across knowledge articles, catalog items, and records via predictive search and filtering features. These widgets can be placed on homepages, search results pages, or record producers to enable quick information discovery.
    • Example Widgets: Demonstrate common portal features and scripting techniques (HTML, CSS, client/server scripts). These ready-to-use widgets provide examples for extending and customizing portal functionality, such as request approvals or password changes.

    Practical Use for ServiceNow Customers

    ServiceNow customers can leverage the GDS base widgets to quickly build and customize a service portal tailored to their users’ needs. By configuring widget instances on pages, admins control the user experience, enabling efficient service catalog browsing, knowledge searching, portal configuration management, and enhanced search functionality. Cloning base widgets allows customization while preserving a reference to their original structure, although cloned widgets do not receive future updates. Example widgets serve as valuable learning tools for developing custom solutions within the portal.

    Configurable portal widgets provide you with the ability to configure the behavior, content, and layout of the GOV.UK Design System Service Portal by configuring widget settings and instance options. Use the base system widgets included with the GDS Service Portal to get started configuring portal pages.

    The GDS Service Portal uses widgets for configuration. Widgets are what define the content of your portal pages. You can use the base system widgets provided with the GOV.UK Developer Toolkit in their default state, or you can clone, modify, or develop custom widgets to better fit your needs.

    Note:
    Base system widgets are read-only so you can benefit from future updates. To make changes, you can clone base system widgets. However, cloned widgets are considered custom and don't benefit from future updates to the widgets they were cloned from. To learn more about cloning or creating widgets, see Developing custom widgets.

    When you create or update a page in the Service Portal Designer, you can add widgets to that page by searching in the widget filter and dragging a widget onto the page. You can then configure widget behavior, visual appearance, and content to update the information presented on the widgets. Each time you add a widget to a page, an instance of that widget is created that can be modified individually for use on that page. For each instance of a base system widget that you add to a page, you can configure the instance options available for that widget.

    For a list of base system widgets that enable you to configure various pages within the GOV.UK Design System Service Portal, see Widget Library. You can also access all widget records from the platform at All > Service Portal > Widgets.

    There are four main categories of widgets available for use with the GDS Service Portal.

    Service Catalog widgets

    Service Catalog widgets let you browse, request, and track services directly from the GDS Service Portal. They provide the building blocks for a complete Service Catalog experience, allowing users to find what they need and submit requests in one central place.

    Service Catalog widgets allow portal users to do the following:
    • Browse available services and catalog items.
    • Search the catalog from the portal homepage.
    • View services by category and submit requests.
    • Track requests and approvals.

    These widgets display service information in a streamlined, task‑focused way. For example, some widgets help users search or browse the catalog, while others let users view request details or check the status of services they have already requested. As an admin, you can use the Service Catalog widgets to build a catalog for your portal.

    Knowledge Management widgets

    Knowledge Management widgets enable users to search, browse, and read knowledge articles directly in the GDS Service Portal, so they can find answers to their questions and learn how to use services without contacting support. These widgets provide the core components for building a knowledge experience that can help them find answers quickly and consistently. For more information on creating and maintaining the articles that are shown on the Knowledge Management widgets, see Knowledge Management.

    Constituents can use Knowledge Management widgets to do the following:
    • Search the knowledge base for information and solutions.
    • Browse knowledge bases and categories.
    • View knowledge articles and related content.
    • See popular, featured, or top‑rated articles.
    • Interact with articles by rating or commenting, when available.

    These widgets organize knowledge content in a clear, navigational way. Some widgets help users discover articles through search and filters, while others display article details and related information on the article page. As an admin, you can use Knowledge Management widgets to build a knowledge base for your portal. For more information on maintaining a knowledge base within a portal, see Configure Knowledge Base.

    Service Portal configuration page widgets

    Service Portal configuration page widgets help you set up and manage your Service Portal experience. Use these widgets when you configure portals, pages, themes, and widgets in the Service Portal Configuration workspace. These widgets support portal configuration tasks such as:
    • Navigating Service Portal configuration pages.
    • Viewing portals and pages in a structured, tree‑based layout.
    • Editing portal themes and previewing design changes.
    • Configuring pages and widgets using visual editors.

    Service Portal configuration page widgets run behind the scenes and are internal to the configuration experience. For example, they power tools like the Portal Map, Page Map, Branding Editor, and Widget Editor, helping you understand and manage how your portal is structured and displayed.

    As an admin, navigate to Service Portal > Service Portal Configurationto use these widgets.

    Search widgets

    Service Portal search widgets let you find information quickly across the GDS Service Portal. Use these widgets to search for knowledge articles, catalog items, records, and other content without navigating through multiple pages.

    Search widgets help users to do the following:
    • Search for answers, services, and records from a single search bar.
    • See relevant results as they type with predictive search.
    • Filter and refine search results to find what they need.
    • Get suggested or context‑aware results while submitting requests.

    Service Portal search widgets work in different locations, such as the portal homepage, search results page, or within record producers. Some widgets display a search bar, while others show detailed results with filters and facets for easier discovery. As an admin, you can configure search in Service Portal using any of the search widgets by navigating to Service Portal > Service Portal Configuration and adding widgets to a page. For a list of Search Widgets available by default in the GDS Service Portal, see Widget Library.

    Example widgets

    Service Portal example widgets help show what you can do in the GDS Service Portal. These widgets demonstrate how common portal features work and what information you can access directly from a portal page, serving as example code for how scripts are used in a widget.

    Example widgets help users to do the following:
    • Search for answers, services, and records from a single search bar.
    • See relevant results as they type with predictive search.
    • Filter and refine search results to find what they need.
    • Get suggested or context‑aware results while submitting requests.

    These widgets appear as ready‑to‑use components in the GDS Service Portal configuration. Some focus on everyday tasks, such as approving requests or changing a password, while others show interactive or informational elements you might see on a portal page.

    As an admin, you can use the example widgets to see how to use HTML, CSS, or client and server scripts in the GDS Service Portal, and clone and extend each widget to suit your needs. For a list of example Widgets available by default in the GDS Service Portal, see Widget Library.

    For more information on using configurable widgets in portals, see Using portal widgets.