Using action items and action item steps in offline mode

  • Release version: Australia
  • Updated June 1, 2026
  • 2 minutes to read
    • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Using action items and action item steps in offline mode

    This guide explains how action items, also known as writeback actions, function in ServiceNow’s offline mode. These user-initiated actions create, update, or delete records in the ServiceNow instance. When offline, actions are queued locally and synchronized automatically once connectivity is restored, ensuring uninterrupted productivity.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • Writeback Actions: Available across input forms, record views, and lists, enabling operations like saving forms, adding notes, accepting tasks, and recording shifts.
    • Online vs Offline Behavior:
      • Online: Actions execute immediately, updating the instance in real time.
      • Offline: Actions queue in an Outbox and sync back when online; failed actions remain for review and retry.
    • Multistep Writeback Actions: Comprise one parent action with multiple steps that may run online, offline, or both.
      • Offline steps affect only local cached data and require corresponding online steps to update the instance.
      • Online steps execute live instance updates, trigger server-side logic, and handle complex scripted rules.
      • Offline steps support simple validations and immediately reflect changes to users within the app, aiding workflow continuity.

    Key Outcomes

    • Continuous Workflows Without Connectivity: Users can perform business-critical updates and see instant feedback even offline.
    • Reliable Data Synchronization: Changes made offline are stored locally and synchronized automatically when network access is restored.
    • Configurable Action Steps: Separate action steps allow complex processes to be managed efficiently across online and offline modes.
    • Improved User Experience: The app reflects offline changes in real time, providing immediate visual confirmation and maintaining workflow conditions.
    • Offline Record Reconciliation: Offline caching includes related records to ensure consistency when syncing back to the instance.

    Practical Guidance for ServiceNow Customers

    • Configure action items with offline capability to enable create, update, and delete operations without network connectivity.
    • Use multistep actions to balance local offline processing with necessary server updates once online.
    • Design offline steps for simple, rule-based validations and local data updates to keep users informed and workflows active.
    • Ensure offline cache settings include associated records to prevent data conflicts during synchronization.
    • Monitor the Outbox for any failed offline actions needing manual retry to maintain data integrity.

    Action items or writeback actions are user-initiated actions that send data changes to the ServiceNow instance. While offline, writeback actions are queued and automatically synced back, once connectivity is restored.

    What are writeback actions

    Writeback actions can appear across various screens, including input forms, record views, and lists, and perform create, update, or delete operations on records in the database.

    Examples of writeback actions:

    From an input form
    Save or submit the form by creating or updating a record, add a work note or comment, or attach a photo or file.
    From a recprd screen
    Accept a work order task, assign or reassign a record, or record the start or end of a shift.

    Online and offline behavior

    Online

    Writeback actions execute immediately and update the instance in real time.

    Offline
    Writeback actions are queued in the Outbox in the order that they were triggered. Once connectivity is restored, the Outbox syncs them back to the instance. Failed actions remain in the Outbox for review and retry.

    Multistep writeback actions

    A multistep writeback action is configured once but can include steps that run in different modes, such as online, offline, or both.

    The writeback action serves as the parent, containing one or more steps that can run offline, online, or both. Offline steps only affect the local database on the user's device, so any offline step that modifies local data must have a corresponding online step to update the instance database.

    Multistep writeback actions in online and offline
    • Online behavior:
      • Executed against the live instance.
      • Supports both declarative configurations and scripted logic.
      • Examples: Validate a form, update a record, check related tables, and trigger a workflow.
    • Offline behavior:
      • Executed locally on the device against cached data.
      • Supports only declarative configurations.
      • Example: Update the cached version of a record and mark it for synchronization.
    What does the multistep action affect?
    • Online step affects:
      • Updates instance data immediately.
      • Triggers server-side logic, business rules, and workflows.
      • Ability to run complex scripted rules across multiple tables and plugins.
    • Offline step affects:
      • Updates cached data only.
      • Marks changes for later sync to the instance but reflects the changes for the user within the app and affecting workflows where this data is used while offline. For example, for filtering data in lists which show/hide buttons according to conditions.
      • Limited to simple, rule-based validations (no advanced scripting).
      • Final updates and server logic occur only after the device reconnects.
    When to use an offline multistep
    You should consider using offline multistep when users need to continue working without connectivity and immediate feedback of their actions that affect workflows within the app is important also in offline. Offline steps are used for:
    • Showing users the look and feel of their changes while offline.
    • Applying basic record updates that don’t require complex scripting.
    • Selecting the Save progress button in input forms stores the data locally on the user’s device.
    • Ensuring business-critical actions remain available even in areas with poor or no network coverage.