---
sourceDocument: Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities
sourceDocumentLink: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/servicenow-platform

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia ServiceNow AI Platform Capabilities

ft:clusterId :

    - platcap

bundleId :

    - platcap

workflow :

    - Platform


---

# Workflow timelines

# Workflow timelines {#ariaid-title1}

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

The system provides a timeline view of history activities associated with a workflow
context.

Timelines display a linear calendar of activities, such as tasks and approvals, defined by
their start and end dates. Each activity on the timeline is represented by a span, which is
displayed as a horizontal, colored bar. Each span has a label and a tooltip that contains
additional information about the activity. The left pane displays all the activities in the
context (or contexts) in an expandable hierarchy. You can change the timeline's perspective for a
more granular view of the data.  
Note:  
Workflow timelines reflect context history only and are not real-time gauges of workflow activity.

## Use a timeline {#ariaid-title2}

By default, the timeline displays all activities and transitions requested when first
opened.

### About this task

Collapse any part of the hierarchy in the activity pane and the timeline adjusts
automatically. Date/time and duration controls enable you to scale the timeline to
view all the elements at once. To display a timeline, click a UI action within a
Workflow Context record.

### Procedure

1. Navigate toAllWorkflowLive WorkflowsActive Contexts.
2. Select a context.
3. In Related Links, click Show Timeline to display the timeline for the entire context.  
   The timeline opens with all activities expanded and the view set to
   Max, which displays the entire timeline at the
   width of the pane. The title of the timeline is in the form Workflow
   context: \<context name\>, Requested Item: \<requested item number\>.  
4. Use the Range Selectors at the top of the timeline to change the perspective.  
   ![Timeline perspective bar]()

   The increments go from one day to one year. To limit the timeline to an
   increment between the start date of the first span and the end date of the
   last span, click Max.
5. Use the starting and ending calendar fields to select the timeline perspective.  
   These fields control the same perspective as the slider at the bottom of the
   timeline.
6. Use the pink slider at the bottom of the timeline to change the perspective.  
   ![Workflow timeline slider]()
   1. Move the slider from right to left to view all the spans on a long timeline.
   2. Adjust the end points of the slider to make arbitrary changes to the magnification.A narrow slider zooms in on the spans and
      provides a more detailed view of complex timelines. A wide
      slider pulls the view out and makes more of the timeline visible
      on the screen.

   {#t_UseATimeline__ol_bf1_125_qq}
7. To focus the timeline view on selected activities, expand or collapse the activity tree.  
   Spans not visible in the activity tree are not shown in the timeline
   pane.  
8. Hover over an activity span to display a tooltip with information about the activity.  
   This action highlights the activity in the activity pane.  
9. Hover over the transition between two activities to highlight the activity and the predecessor activity in the activity pane.  
10. Double-click a span to display a history record for that activity.  
    History records shows information such as the State
    and the starting and ending times.  

## Timeline for a selected activity {#ariaid-title3}

You can display a partial workflow timeline.

### Procedure

1. Navigate toAllWorkflowLive WorkflowsActive Contexts.
2. Open a Workflow Context record.
3. On the Workflow Activity History related list, select one or more individual activities.
4. Click Show Timeline from the action menu.  
   The resulting view is a snapshot of the timeline, showing only the selected
   activities and their transitions, if any.
5. Collapse the tree to confine the view even further.  
6. To view a timeline displaying activities from different contexts:  
   You might use this feature to display a subflow's context with the parent workflow context.
   1. Navigate to WorkflowLive WorkflowsHistory.
   2. Select individual history items from the list.
   3. Select the Show Timeline option from the actions menu.

      History items are arranged in a hierarchy in the activities
      pane under their contexts. The timeline title is Multiple Contexts. The timeline draws only the activities and
      relationships of the history items selected.
   {#t_TimelineForASelectedActivity__ol_srt_5f5_qq}

## View subflows in a workflow timeline {#ariaid-title4}

In a workflow timeline, subflow spans appear as a different color than the activities of
the main workflow.  
Figure 1. Workflow timeline subflow

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