Collaborating on apps using ServiceNow Studio

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated July 29, 2024
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Collaborating on apps using ServiceNow Studio

    ServiceNow Studio enables collaborative app development within your organization through delegated development features. This allows multiple developers to co-create and manage applications together by inviting collaborators or requesting collaboration access. Collaboration roles include owners and editors, with permissions tailored by role or customized by administrators.

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    Key Features

    • Delegated Development: Builds on existing delegated development capabilities to facilitate co-development by multiple users within the ServiceNow AI Platform.
    • Collaboration Roles:
      • Owners: Automatically assigned to app creators; can manage collaborators, delete apps, and have full delegateddeveloper permissions.
      • Editors: Collaborators with editing rights and the ability to invite others, but with limited app editing permissions compared to owners.
      • Custom Roles: Admins can define custom collaboration descriptors to tailor permissions beyond default roles.
    • Access Control: Users with the admin role have full app access in Studio, while delegateddevelopers can access their own apps, those they are invited to, and apps within their scope.
    • Collaboration Management: Inviting collaborators triggers approval workflows handled through the App Engine Management Center (AEMC) or via the Collaboration Tasks interface for admins without AEMC.
    • Collaboration App Integration: The ServiceNow AI Platform Collaboration app is automatically installed with Studio to facilitate managing collaborators and permissions.

    Practical Application for ServiceNow Customers

    • To co-develop apps, ensure you have the Collaboration plugin and an App Engine Enterprise license for full functionality.
    • Admins should manage and approve collaboration requests, ensuring proper roles and permissions are assigned to collaborators.
    • Use the Collaboration app within ServiceNow Studio to view, add, modify, or remove collaborators, streamlining team-based development.
    • When you need access to an app not visible in Studio, contact your admin to be granted collaboration permissions.
    • Leverage custom collaboration descriptors to fine-tune development roles and control contributor capabilities based on project needs.

    Benefits

    • Facilitates efficient team collaboration on application development within ServiceNow Studio.
    • Ensures secure and controlled access to app development through defined roles and approval workflows.
    • Provides flexibility with custom permissions to align with organizational governance and development processes.

    You can collaborate, or share app development in ServiceNow Studio with other people in your company.

    Collaboration is delegated development

    Collaboration, also referred to as delegated development, builds on the existing delegated development feature set in the ServiceNow AI Platform. It enables developers to invite other developers into apps so that they can co-create and develop the app together. Depending on your permissions, you can invite others to collaborate on an app with you, or request to join someone else's app. For more information on delegated development, see Delegated development and deployment.

    There are two standard types of collaborators when you co-develop an app with other people: owners and editors. Admins can create a custom collaboration role by adjusting permissions.

    Requirements for collaboration

    ServiceNow Studio supports the collaboration plugin for properly licensed customers.
    Note:
    1. You must have an App Engine Enterprise license to take full advantage of collaboration.
    2. If you already have the collaboration plugin installed, you can continue to use collaboration.
    3. Customers that don't have Collaboration installed will not be able to manage delegated development permissions in ServiceNow Studio. Existing delegated development permissions will still be respected within ServiceNow Studio.

    Apps that you can access

    The two ServiceNow Studio roles that can access ServiceNow Studio, admin and delegated_developer, have different access to apps:
    • Users with the admin role automatically have access to all apps in ServiceNow Studio.
    • Users with the delegated_developer role have access to:
      • Apps they create
      • Apps they've been invited to edit (as an editor on the app)
      • All apps within the scope you have access to. For more information on scopes, see Application scope.

    If you know of an app that you want to work on but don't see it in ServiceNow Studio, contact your admin and ask that they give you permission to work on the app using the Collaboration app. The ServiceNow AI Platform Collaboration app is automatically installed with ServiceNow Studio. For more information about the Collaboration app, see Application collaboration.

    What app owners and editors can do

    There are two default collaborator roles for working on apps with other developers: owner and editor.
    • If you create an app, you're the owner of that app.
    • If you see an app in ServiceNow Studio that you've been delegated to work on, you can open it and begin working on it with whatever collaboration role the owner assigned you. That role is usually editor.
    Table 1. Default collaboration descriptors
    Descriptor Description
    Owner Owner of the application.
    • If you created the app, you're automatically the owner.
    • Owners can manage other collaborators for the app.
    • Owners can delete apps because they have the delete app permission.
    • Owners automatically get the delegated_developer role for the app.
    Editor
    • Editors can invite collaborators.
    • Editors have a more limited ability to edit the app.
    Note:
    For the full list of default owner and editor collaborator collaboration type permissions, see Collaboration permissions for ServiceNow Studio.

    Custom collaboration descriptors and permissions

    The collaboration descriptor that someone is assigned determines if they can assign, manage, and monitor delegated development permissions. For example, people who are owners can do more than people with the editor collaboration descriptor.

    If you want to create a customized collaboration role for help building your app, you can create a custom collaboration descriptor, which is a customized collaboration role. You then use collaboration permissions to control what developers (or users who deploy applications) can do in the app.

    If needed, admins can define custom collaboration descriptors to select when managing collaborators using the Collaboration app. For more information on custom descriptors, see Create collaboration descriptors to assign permissions.

    Managing collaboration permissions for other developers

    If you invite someone to collaborate on an app and they don't have the Delegated developer (delegated_developer) role, an App Engine admin must approve the collaboration request. For more information, see Delegated development and deployment.

    When you add a user or group to collaborate on an app, a collaboration task is generated behind the scenes, which initiates an approval flow. If you have App Engine Management Center (AEMC) installed, your admin can review and approve/deny these collaboration request tasks there. The collaboration task that goes to your admin provides information on which app a developer is being added to, and what permissions they get. Admins and approvers sometimes need to review these task records before they add developers to the application.

    If you don’t have AEMC installed, admins can navigate to All > App Engine > Collaboration > Collaboration Tasks.