Design considerations for prompting
Summarize
Summary of Design considerations for prompting
Test generation in ServiceNow is a Now Assist-backed capability designed to create Automated Test Framework (ATF) tests within the current application scope. It focuses on generating clear and concise test prompts that define test steps effectively. This feature supports only specific test types such as form interactions, server operations, email handling, application navigation, reporting, and service catalog activities. It does not cover other functional or integration tests and cannot modify or delete existing ATF tests.
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Key Features
- Scope: Test generation operates within the active application scope and supports ATF tests only.
- Supported Test Actions: Includes form operations (open/submit, field validation, UI actions), server operations (impersonation, CRUD operations, logging), email generation and validation, application navigation, reporting visibility, and service catalog item processing.
- Workspace Compatibility: Supports workspace form UI types such as serviceoperationsworkspace, assetworkspace, and cmdbworkspace.
Design Best Practices for Prompting
Effective prompts must be clear, concise, and detailed to ensure accurate test generation. Good prompts explicitly specify:
- The exact test action (e.g., create or impersonate user)
- Precise field values and expected outcomes
- Full identifiers for entities like catalog items
- Clear instructions for validations or updates
Poor prompts are typically incomplete, ambiguous, or lack necessary details such as user roles, specific field names, or the exact nature of the action, which leads to inaccurate or ineffective test creation.
Why It Matters
By following these design considerations, ServiceNow customers can generate reliable, maintainable ATF tests faster and with less manual effort. Clear prompting ensures tests precisely reflect intended workflows and validations, enhancing automated testing quality and reducing the need for manual corrections.
Generate your desired test by following the guided principles of effective prompting.
- Clear and concise ATF prompts that describes test steps
- Consider the scope and capability of Test generation
- Test generation is a Now Assist backed skill to create ATF tests
- The tests are created in the application scope that you are currently on
- Other types of functional or integration tests are out of Test generation scope
- Test generation can't update or delete existing ATF tests
- Test generation supports the following
- Forms: open/submit form, field validation/visibility, UI/Declarative Action and Modal button. Each form API supports workspace as formUI type, including service_operations_workspace and asset_workspace and cmdb_workspace.
- Server operations: impersonation/create user, log message, record CRUD, replay request, search catalog item and check out shopping cart.
- Email: generate, reply, send and validate inbound / outbound email
- Application Navigator: navigate to module, menu/module visibility
- Reporting: report visibility, dash board visibility and sharing
- Service Catalog: open/order catalog item, add item to shopping cart, set/validate item quantity, submit order, validate quantity, price, and variable status
| Good and effective prompts | Bad and irrelevant prompts | Comparison description |
|---|---|---|
| Write a test to create a new user with name Bill McDermott and assign the "itil" role. Create a new incident record, update the short description to "my new test record" and then validate the record description. Update caller to Bill McDermott, impact and urgency categories to "2- Medium" and submit the record. Delete the record and create a log for the deletion. | I need a new user Bill McDermott to open a new record. Make sure its called my new test record. Update caller to user, impact and urgency categories to Med. Delete the record and create a log for the deletion. | The bad prompt is irrelevant and incomplete for the following reasons:
|
| Write an ATF test, named 'incident record test', impersonate admin, create a new incident record, then update the record short description to 'test update field from example', delete the record, then log a message 'record deleted' | Create an ATF test for an admin to create an incident record. Make description test update field from example. Then delete the record | The bad prompt lacks the following:
|
| Write a test to open Apple iPhone 13 catalog item, set color to 'pink', monthly data allowance to 500MB, validate price to be $800.00 and log the price | Write a test to open iPhone, color should be pink and data should be 500. The price should be 800. Log the price | The bad prompt is incomplete for the following reasons:
|