JSUtil - Global

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 7 minutes to read

    • The JSUtil script include provides shortcuts for common JavaScript routines.

    This API is available in global server-side scripts, not scoped scripts.

    JSUtil - doesNotHave(Object item)

    Checks if item is null or is undefined.

    Table 1. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The object to check
    Table 2. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean True if the specified object is null or undefined. 
    var x = "the quick brown fox";
var y = "";
var z;
 
gs.print("x = '" + x + "', JSUtil.doesNotHave(x) = " + JSUtil.doesNotHave(x));
gs.print("y = '" + y + "', JSUtil.doesNotHave(y) = " + JSUtil.doesNotHave(y));
gs.print("z = '" + z + "', JSUtil.doesNotHave(z) = " + JSUtil.doesNotHave(z))
    Output: 
    x = 'the quick brown fox', JSUtil.doesNotHave(x) = false
y = '', JSUtil.doesNotHave(y) = false
z = 'undefined', JSUtil.doesNotHave(z) = true

    JSUtil - escapeAttr(String text)

    Escape ampersands commonly used to define URL attributes.

    Table 3. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    text String The text
    Table 4. Returns
    Type Description
    String The text with ampersands properly escaped. 
    var attr = "sysparm_query=active=true&sysparm_view=special";
 
gs.print(JSUtil.escapeAttr(attr));
    Output: This is the returned text. If the text is displayed in the application, the page will render the escaped ampersand with a single ampersand.
    sysparm_query=active=true&sysparm_view=special

    JSUtil - escapeText(String text)

    Escapes invalid XML characters such as "< > &".

    Table 5. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    text String The text
    Table 6. Returns
    Type Description
    String The text with escape characters added. 
    var html = "<b>This is my title</b>";
 
gs.print(JSUtil.escapeText(html));
    Output: This is the value returned. If the result is displayed in the application, the page renders the brackets back so it appears that it is not escaped.
    <b>This is my title</b>

    JSUtil - getBooleanValue(GlideRecord now_GR, String field)

    Returns the value in a boolean GlideRecord field.

    Table 7. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    now_GR GlideRecord A GlideRecord
    field String The field from which to retrieve the boolean value.
    Table 8. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean Returns the value in a boolean GlideRecord field, returns true if value of field is true, "true", 1, or "1". 
    var inc = new GlideRecord("incident");
//get an active incident
inc.addActiveQuery();
inc.setLimit(1);
inc.query();
inc.next();
 
gs.print(JSUtil.getBooleanValue(inc, "active"));

    Output: true

    JSUtil - has(Object item)

    Checks if item is not null and is not undefined.

    Table 9. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The Object to check
    Table 10. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean True if the specified object is not null and is not undefined. 
    var x = "the quick brown fox";
var y = "";
var z;
 
gs.print("x = '" + x + "', JSUtil.has(x) = " + JSUtil.has(x));
gs.print("y = '" + y + "', JSUtil.has(y) = " + JSUtil.has(y));
gs.print("z = '" + z + "', JSUtil.has(z) = " + JSUtil.has(z));
    Output: 
    x = 'the quick brown fox', JSUtil.has(x) = true
y = '', JSUtil.has(y) = true
z = 'undefined', JSUtil.has(z) = false

    JSUtil - instance_of(Object item, String class)

    Checks to see if the specified object is a member of the specified class.

    For JavaScript objects, this method behaves exactly like the JavaScript operator "instanceof", but also supports Java objects.

    Table 11. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The object to check
    class String The class to check
    Table 12. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean True if the specified object is a member of the specified class. 
    var a = ['a','b','c'];
var b = 10;
var c = new GlideRecord("incident");
 
gs.print("JSUtil.instance_of(a,'Array') = " + JSUtil.instance_of(a,Array));
gs.print("JSUtil.instance_of(a,'String') = " + JSUtil.instance_of(a,String));
 
gs.print("JSUtil.instance_of(b,'String') = " + JSUtil.instance_of(b,String));
 
gs.print("JSUtil.instance_of(c,'GlideRecord') = " + JSUtil.instance_of(c,GlideRecord));
    Output: 
    JSUtil.instance_of(a,'Array') = true
JSUtil.instance_of(a,'String') = false
JSUtil.instance_of(b,'String') = false
JSUtil.instance_of(c,'GlideRecord') = true

    JSUtil - isJavaObject(Object value)

    Checks if the specified object is a Java class.

    Table 13. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    value Object The object to check
    Table 14. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean True if the specified object is an instance of a Java class. 
    var tu = new TableUtils("incident");
var classes = tu.getHierarchy(); //Java ArrayList
var tables = ["task, incident"]; //JavaScript Array
 
gs.print("JSUtil.isJavaObject(classes) = " + JSUtil.isJavaObject(classes));
gs.print("JSUtil.isJavaObject(tables) = " + JSUtil.isJavaObject(tables));
    Output: 
    JSUtil.isJavaObject(classes) = true
JSUtil.isJavaObject(tables) = false

    JSUtil - logObject(Object obj, String name)

    Logs all the properties in the given object: name, type, and value.

    Output is written to the console if you are running from a background script or have debug logging enables. The output is also written to the system log.

    Table 15. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    obj Object The object for which to enumerate properties
    name String Optional name for the logged object
    Table 16. Returns
    Type Description
    void 
    var arr = ["a","b","c"];
 
var inc = new GlideRecord("incident");
//get an active incident
inc.addActiveQuery();
inc.setLimit(1);
inc.query();
inc.next();
 
JSUtil.logObject(arr, "arr");
JSUtil.logObject(inc, "inc");
    Output: 
    Log Object: arr
  Array of 3 elements
    [0]: string = a
    [1]: string = b
    [2]: string = c
Log Object: inc
  GlideRecord('incident') @ INC0000002

    JSUtil - nil(Object item)

    Checks if item is null, undefined, or evaluates to the empty string.

    Table 17. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The object to check
    Table 18. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean True if the item is null, undefined, or evaluates to the empty string. 
    var x = "the quick brown fox";
var y = "";
var z;
 
gs.print("x = '" + x + "', JSUtil.nil(x) = " + JSUtil.nil(x));
gs.print("y = '" + y + "', JSUtil.nil(y) = " + JSUtil.nil(y));
gs.print("z = '" + z + "', JSUtil.nil(z) = " + JSUtil.nil(z));
    Output: 
    x = 'the quick brown fox', JSUtil.nil(x) = false
y = '', JSUtil.nil(y) = true
z = 'undefined', JSUtil.nil(z) = true

    JSUtil - notNil(Object item)

    Checks if an item is null, undefined, or evaluates to the empty string.

    Note:
    This method returns an error if the object provided isn’t declared.
    Table 19. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The object to check.
    Table 20. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean Flag that indicates whether the item exists and isn’t empty. An error returns if the object provided isn’t declared.
    Valid values:
    • true: The object provided has been declared and defined. If the object is a string, it isn’t empty.
    • false: The object provided is null, undefined, or evaluates to an empty string.

    The following example shows results for a string variable, an empty string variable, and an undefined variable.

    var x = "the quick brown fox";
var y = "";
var z;

gs.print("x = '" + x + "', JSUtil.notNil(x) = " + JSUtil.notNil(x));
gs.print("y = '" + y + "', JSUtil.notNil(y) = " + JSUtil.notNil(y));
gs.print("z = '" + z + "', JSUtil.notNil(z) = " + JSUtil.notNil(z));
    Output: 
    x = 'the quick brown fox', JSUtil.notNil(x) = true
y = '', JSUtil.notNil(y) = false
z = 'undefined', JSUtil.notNil(z) = false

    JSUtil - toBoolean(Object item)

    Converts the specified object to a Boolean.

    Table 21. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    item Object The object to convert
    Table 22. Returns
    Type Description
    Boolean If the specified object is a boolean, it is passed through. Non-zero numbers return true. Null or undefined return false. Strings return true only if exactly equal to 'true'. 
    var zero = 0;
var one = 1;
var number = 12;
var trueBoolean = true;
var trueString = "true";
var otherString = "random text";
 
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(zero) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(zero));
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(one) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(one));
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(number) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(number));
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(trueBoolean) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(trueBoolean));
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(trueString) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(trueString));
gs.print("JSUtil.toBoolean(otherString) = " + JSUtil.toBoolean(otherString));
    Output: 
    JSUtil.toBoolean(zero) = false
JSUtil.toBoolean(one) = true
JSUtil.toBoolean(number) = true
JSUtil.toBoolean(trueBoolean) = true
JSUtil.toBoolean(trueString) = true
JSUtil.toBoolean(otherString) = false

    JSUtil - type_of(Object value)

    Determines the type of the specified object.

    Table 23. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    value Object The object to check
    Table 24. Returns
    Type Description
    String The type of the specified object.
    • 'null' if the given value is null or undefined
    • 'string' if the given value is a primitive string or a String wrapper instance
    • 'number' if the given value is a primitive number or a Number wrapper instance
    • 'boolean' if the given value is a primitive boolean or a Boolean wrapper instance
    • 'function' if the given value is a function
    • 'object' otherwise
    		 
    var a = ["a","b","c"];
var b = 10;
var c = new GlideRecord("incident");
var d = true;
var e;
 
gs.print("JSUtil.type_of(a) = " + JSUtil.type_of(a));
gs.print("JSUtil.type_of(b) = " + JSUtil.type_of(b));
gs.print("JSUtil.type_of(c) = " + JSUtil.type_of(c));
gs.print("JSUtil.type_of= " + JSUtil.type_of(d));
gs.print("JSUtil.type_of(e) = " + JSUtil.type_of(e));
    Output: 
    JSUtil.type_of(a) = object
JSUtil.type_of(b) = number
JSUtil.type_of(c) = object
JSUtil.type_of= boolean
JSUtil.type_of(e) = null

    JSUtil - unescapeAttr(String text)

    Restore ampersands from escaped text.

    Table 25. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    text String The text
    Table 26. Returns
    Type Description
    String The text with escape characters removed. 
    var attr = "sysparm_query=active=true&amp;sysparm_view=special";
 
gs.print(JSUtil.unescapeAttr(attr));
    Output: 
    sysparm_query=active=true&sysparm_view=special

    JSUtil - unescapeText(String text)

    Removes escape characters.

    Table 27. Parameters
    Name Type Description
    text String The text to process.
    Table 28. Returns
    Type Description
    String The the text without escape characters. 
    var html = "&lt;b&gt;This is my title&lt;/b&gt;";
 
gs.print(JSUtil.unescapeText(html));
    Output: This is the value returned. If the text is displayed in the application the page, it renders the html tags and displays the text in bold.
    <b>This is my title</b>