ServiceNow Quote Experience use case: Document generation with Google Docs

Generate documents from ServiceNow Quote Experience by using Google Docs and Google Apps Script.

To generate a document from ServiceNow Quote Experience, Google Docs combined with Google Apps Script provides an efficient and straightforward solution. By creating custom APIs using Apps Script, you can easily receive GET and POST requests from a direct URL. This eliminates the need for middleware, streamlining integration with services like ServiceNow CPQ or ServiceNow Quote Experience.

You can trigger document generation by either of these methods:

• ServiceNow CPQ Webhook: Automatically send POST requests to initiate document creation.
• ServiceNow Quote Experience: Use this for managing and automating processes.

Setting up a Google doc to pull ServiceNow CPQ data

To access the developer window, open the Google doc where you want to integrate the script. In the menu bar, go to Extensions > Apps Script to open the development environment.

You can write custom JavaScript to process data and interact with Google Docs by using the Apps Script editor.

Coding

Google Apps Script includes GET and POST requests.

• GET requests (doGet) respond with a simple text output, useful for verifying that the web app is running.
• POST requests (doPost) handle incoming data (usually JSON), generates the document based on the template, and returns a link to the newly created document.

This video explains how the doGet and doPost work in a Google Doc app script.

When using ServiceNow Quote Experience, you need to transform the JSON to send over to Google Docs. Below is an example template. If you are using a webhook, see Webhooks for how the data will be sent over to Google Docs.

The following code block shows an example Transform Template, sent as a POST to the doPost function.

{ 
  "transaction": { 
    "uuid": "{{txn.uuid}}", 
    "term": {{txn.term}}, 
    "stage": "{{txn.stage}}", 
    "status": "{{txn.status}}", 
    "account": "{{txn.account}}", 
    "endDate": "{{txn.endDate}}", 
    "netTotal": {{txn.netTotal}}, 
    "termUnit": "{{txn.termUnit}}", 
    "createdBy": "{{txn.createdBy}}", 
    "quoteName": "{{txn.quoteName}}", 
    "startDate": "{{txn.startDate}}", 
    "accountName": "{{txn.accountName}}", 
    "createdDate": "{{txn.createdDate}}", 
    "opportunity": "{{txn.opportunity}}", 
    "paymentTerm": "{{txn.paymentTerm}}", 
    "quoteNumber": "{{txn.quoteNumber}}", 
    "contractTerm": {{txn.contractTerm}}, 
    "contractType": "{{txn.contractType}}", 
    "currencyCode": "{{txn.currencyCode}}", 
    "estTaxAmount": {{txn.estTaxAmount}}, 
    "modifiedDate": "{{txn.modifiedDate}}", 
    "billToAddress": "{{txn.billToAddress}}", 
    "hardwareTotal": {{txn.hardwareTotal}}, 
    "servicesTotal": {{txn.servicesTotal}}, 
    "shipToAddress": "{{txn.shipToAddress}}", 
    "softwareTotal": {{txn.softwareTotal}}, 
    "discountAmount": {{txn.discountAmount}}, 
    "expirationDate": "{{txn.expirationDate}}", 
    "lastModifiedBy": "{{txn.lastModifiedBy}}", 
    "primaryContact": "{{txn.primaryContact}}", 
    "customerSegment": "{{txn.customerSegment}}", 
    "discountPercent": {{txn.discountPercent}}, 
    "transactionType": "{{txn.transactionType}}", 
    "estTaxPercentage": {{txn.estTaxPercentage}}, 
    "agreementDiscount": {{txn.agreementDiscount}}, 
    "taxEntityLocation": "{{txn.taxEntityLocation}}", 
    "transactionNumber": {{txn.transactionNumber}}, 
    "totalPriceEstimate": {{txn.totalPriceEstimate}}, 
    "overallDealDiscount": {{txn.overallDealDiscount}}, 
    "annualTransactionBands": "{{txn.annualTransactionBands}}", 
    "annualTransactionCount": {{txn.annualTransactionCount}}, 
    "accountSpecificDiscount": {{txn.accountSpecificDiscount}} 
  },   
  "lines": [
  {{#each lines}} 
    { 
      "uuid": "{{txn.line.uuid}}", 
      "productInfo": {
        "productId": "{{txn.line.productId}}",
        "productSku": "{{txn.line.productSku}}",
        "productCode": "{{txn.line.productCode}}",
        "productName": "{{txn.line.productName}}",
        "productType": "{{txn.line.productType}}",
        "productDescription": "{{txn.line.productDescription}}"
      },
      "pricing": {
        "netPrice": {{txn.line.netPrice}},
        "listPrice": {{txn.line.listPrice}},
        "discountAmount": {{txn.line.discountAmount}},
        "discountPercent": {{txn.line.discountPercent}},
        "netTotal": {{txn.line.netTotal}},
        "customerLineDiscount": {{txn.line.customerLineDiscount}},
        "agreementLineDiscount": {{txn.line.agreementLineDiscount}}
      },
      "dates": {
        "startDate": "{{txn.line.startDate}}",
        "endDate": "{{txn.line.endDate}}",
        "createdDate": "{{txn.line.createdDate}}",
        "modifiedDate": "{{txn.line.modifiedDate}}"
      },
      "quantity": {{txn.line.quantity}},
      "currencyCode": "{{txn.line.currencyCode}}",
      "configUUID": "{{txn.line.configUUID}}",
      "orderDetails": {
        "globalOrder": {{txn.line.globalOrder}},
        "orderNumber": {{txn.line.orderNumber}},
        "transactionLineNumber": {{txn.line.transactionLineNumber}}
      },
      "termDetails": {
        "term": {{txn.line.term}},
        "termUnit": "{{txn.line.termUnit}}",
        "termMultiplier": {{txn.line.termMultiplier}}
      },
      "approvals": "{{txn.line.approvals3}}",
      "lastModifiedBy": "{{txn.line.lastModifiedBy}}"
    }
    {{#unless @last}},{{/unless}} 
  {{/each}}
  ]
}

If you do not set the doGet function and try to access the URL you will receive an error. If not using the doGet for other purposes, it is best to always set it to the following and just modify the text.

function doGet(e) {
  return ContentService.createTextOutput('Document Generation Web App is running.');
}

When you access the live URL, you receive this message:

The doPost is important, because it will probably handle the Webhook or Integration payloads being sent from ServiceNow CPQ via POST requests.

Next, we create a function to generate a Google Doc using the doPost function.

In your Google Apps script, the doPost function will receive a POST request containing data (in JSON format) that you want to populate into a Google Doc template. The main logic for interacting with the Google Doc (i.e., replacing placeholders like {{EXAMPLE}} with actual values) will be placed in a separate function that is called from doPost.

To set up the doPost function, define the doPost function to handle incoming POST requests and call your custom document generation function. Below is an example of how to structure it.

function doPost(e) {
  // Parse the JSON data from the POST request
  const postData = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);

  // Call the function to create and populate the Google Doc
  const docLink = createGoogleDocFromTemplate(postData);

  // Return the public link to the generated document in the response
  return ContentService.createTextOutput(docLink);
}

In this code:

• The postData object contains the parsed data sent in the POST request.
• createGoogleDocFromTemplate(postData) is the function you will define to handle the Google Docs generation.
• The docLink is the public link to the generated Google Doc, returned to the caller.

Next, create the document generation function. The createGoogleDocFromTemplate function will:

1. make a copy of a Google Doc template.
2. replace placeholders (e.g., {{EXAMPLE}}) in the document with the corresponding data.
3. return a public link to the generated document.

The following code block shows an example createGoogleDocFromTemplate function:

function createGoogleDocFromTemplate(data) {
  // Specify the ID of the Google Doc template
  var templateId = 'YOUR_TEMPLATE_DOC_ID_HERE';
  // Make a copy of the template
  var templateDoc = DriveApp.getFileById(templateId).makeCopy();
  var doc = DocumentApp.openById(templateDoc.getId());
  var body = doc.getBody();
  // Replace placeholders with actual data from the POST request
  body.replaceText('{{ACCOUNT_NAME}}', data.transaction.accountName);
  body.replaceText('{{QUOTE_NUMBER}}', data.transaction.quoteNumber);
  body.replaceText('{{USER}}', data.transaction.createdBy);
  // Continue to replace all other placeholders...
  // Save and close the document
  doc.saveAndClose();
  // Make the document public (optional, based on your needs)
  templateDoc.setSharing(DriveApp.Access.ANYONE, DriveApp.Permission.VIEW);
  // Return the public link to the newly created document
  return templateDoc.getUrl();
}

In this function:

• The templateId variable stores the Google Doc template’s ID. You should replace 'YOUR_TEMPLATE_DOC_ID_HERE' with the actual ID of your template.
• makeCopy() creates a copy of the template.
• replaceText('{{EXAMPLE}}', data.key) replaces each placeholder in the document with actual data from the incoming POST request. For example, {{ACCOUNT_NAME}} is replaced by data.transaction.accountName.
• The document is made public with setSharing(), but you can adjust the sharing settings as needed.

Logging

Google Apps Script offers built-in logging via Logger.log() for debugging, but better logging is available in Google Cloud Logs. To access logs:

Go to > View > Executions to check outputs from your script. Then, connect your project to the Google Cloud Platform to view the logs.

In the Google Cloud Logs Explorer, apply the filter resource.type="app_script_function" to view logs related to your app.

Deploying

• Click the “Deploy” button in the top right corner of the Apps Script editor.
• Select “Deploy as web app.”
• Set the project version (you can create a new one).
• Define who can access the app:
  • Execute as: This should be set to Me, so the script runs with your permissions.
  • Who has access: Choose “Anyone” (public).

  

Once deployed, you’ll get a URL ending in /exec for live usage and /dev for testing. This is the URL that users will target to trigger the doGet function or send POST requests to trigger doPost.

In the following examples, the ellipsis (...) represents the unique App Script number for your script.

• Live: https://script.google.com/macros/s/.../exec
• Dev: https://script.google.com/macros/s/.../dev

If you want to test your changes before pushing them live, use the Dev URL to test your script with real data.

Every time you redeploy, you need to create a new version of your script. Follow these steps:

1. In the Google Apps Script editor, click the Deploy button in the top right.
2. Select Manage deployments from the menu.
3. In the Deployments window, click Edit on the existing deployment, or create a new deployment.
4. Click Select Version, and then click New version.

In the pop-up window, you can give your version a name or description. This is optional, but helpful for tracking changes. Click Save to create the new version.

To view or manage your current deployments:

1. In the Google Apps Script editor, click the Deploy.
2. Select Manage deployments. Here you’ll see all active versions of your script.
3. You can edit, delete, or redeploy any version by clicking the three-dot menu next to the version.

• Edit: Update an existing deployment to point to a new version.
• Delete: Remove the deployment entirely (Note: the live link will stop working if the deployment is deleted).

If needed, you can roll back to an older version of your web app:

1. Go to Deploy > Manage deployments.
2. Find the previous version you want to return to and click Edit.
3. Select the earlier version from the Select Version menu.
4. Click Deploy to activate the previous version.

This provides an easy way to revert any issues that may arise with newer versions.