Document template scripts

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 3 minutes to read
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    Summary of Document template scripts

    Document template scripts in ServiceNow allow customers to dynamically modify the text within the body of HTML document templates. These scripts enable both simple and complex data retrieval and formatting tasks, such as displaying HR data or performing advanced database queries. By embedding script tags referencing named scripts, customers can reuse scripts across multiple document templates, enhancing consistency and efficiency.

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    How to Create and Use Document Template Scripts

    Customers create scripts by navigating to Document Templates > Document Templates Script. Scripts are embedded in HTML templates using the syntax ${templatescript:scriptname}, where scriptname is the name of the created script. The output of these scripts is automatically sanitized if the Sanitize option is enabled in the HTML template settings, ensuring secure content rendering.

    Key Features

    • Dynamic Content Generation: Scripts can dynamically generate HTML content based on task records, such as retrieving emergency contact information for employees.
    • Localization Support: Scripts can access the document template’s language and date format settings to translate dynamic tokens and format dates accordingly.
    • Reusable Script Logic: Using embedded script tags, the same script can be reused in multiple templates, reducing duplication.
    • APIs for Localization: Methods like getDisplayValueLang and getByFormat help translate field values and format dates per the document template’s locale settings.

    Practical Application

    A typical use case is an employeeemergencycontacts script that queries emergency contact data related to an employee and outputs it as an HTML table. When called in an HTML document template, this script populates the emergency contacts list dynamically. Furthermore, the script respects the selected language and date format of the document template, ensuring localized display for fields like relationship, priority, and date of birth.

    For example, if the document template language is set to German and the date format to dd/MM/yyyy, the script automatically translates terms and formats dates accordingly in the generated document. This localization enhances document clarity and user experience for diverse audiences.

    Benefits for ServiceNow Customers

    • Enables tailored document generation with dynamic and localized content.
    • Improves maintainability by centralizing complex logic in reusable scripts.
    • Ensures secure and consistent output through automatic sanitization options.
    • Simplifies the creation of rich, data-driven HR and case-related documents.

    With document template scripts, you can dynamically change the text in the body of the HTML template. Document template scripts allow you to perform simple tasks, such as displaying HR data, and complex ones, such as making advanced database queries.

    You can add a ${template_script:script name} embedded script tag to the body of the HTML template, replacing script name with the name of the script you created. This makes it easy to use the same scripts in multiple document templates. You can create a script by navigating toDocument Templates > Document Templates Script.
    Note:
    The output of the HTML script is automatically sanitized when the Sanitize option is enabled in the HTML template. For more details, refer to the Sanitize field in Configure an HTML document template.

    Example of how to create and use a document template script in an HTML template

    1. The employee_emergency_contacts script populates the emergency contacts list in an Employee Profile document.
      (function runTemplateScript(target /*GlideRecord for target task*/ ) {
      	var getHeaderCell = function(label) {
      		return '<th style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + label + '</th>';
      	};	
      	var getDataCell = function(value) {
      		return '<td style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + value + '</td>';
      	};
      	
      	var html = '';
      	var hrTaskGr = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_contact');
      	hrTaskGr.addQuery('user', target.getValue('subject_person'));
      	hrTaskGr.query();
      	while(hrTaskGr.next()) {
      		html = html + '<tr>';
      		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('name'));
      		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('mobile_phone'));
      		html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('relation_to_employee'));
      		html = html + '</tr>';
      	}
      	
      	if(!gs.nil(html))
      		html = '<h4>Emergency Contact Information</h4><table width="500px;"><tr>' + getHeaderCell('Name') + getHeaderCell('Mobile phone') + getHeaderCell('Relationship') + html + '</table>';
      	
      	return html;
      })(target);
    2. The employee_emergency_contacts script is called in an HTML document template by typing $ {template_script:employee_emergency_contacts} in the body of the Employee Profile HTML document template.

      A template showing fields, including a script input area that has basic editing controls.

    3. The Employee Profile HTML document template is selected on a case and the document template is generated with emergency contacts list as follows:

      The HR Case form where you can enter "Employee Profile" in the Document template field.

      A preview of the Employee Profile document.

    Example of how document template script translates text in an HTML template

    Following is an employee_emergency_contacts script that populates the emergency contacts list in an Employee Profile document.

    docTemplate in this script references to the document template record, which helps in identifying the language and date format that are selected on the document template. getDisplayValueLang is an API that helps in changing the language of dynamic tokens to the display language set in the Template language field in a document template. getByFormat is an API that helps in displaying the date in the format set in the Template date format field in a document template.

    (function runTemplateScript(target /*GlideRecord for target task*/, docTemplate /*GlideRecord for doc template*/) {
    
        //Add your code here to return the dynamic content for template
        var getHeaderCell = function(label) {
            return '<th style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + label + '</th>';
        };  
        var getDataCell = function(value) {
            return '<td style="border: 1px solid #dddddd; text-align: left; padding: 8px;">' + value + '</td>';
        };
        
        var html = '';
        var templateLang = docTemplate.getValue('language');
        var templateDateFormat = docTemplate.getValue('template_date_format');
        var hrTaskGr = new GlideRecord('sn_hr_core_contact');
        hrTaskGr.addQuery('user', target.getValue('subject_person'));
        hrTaskGr.query();
        while(hrTaskGr.next()) {
            var dob = hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('date_of_birth');
            var grDOB = new GlideDateTime(dob);
            html = html + '<tr>';
            html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('name'));
            html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getDisplayValue('mobile_phone'));
            html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getElement('relation_to_employee').getDisplayValueLang(templateLang));
            html = html + getDataCell(hrTaskGr.getElement('priority').getDisplayValueLang(templateLang));
            html = html + getDataCell(grDOB.getLocalDate().getByFormat(templateDateFormat)
            );
            html = html + '</tr>';
        }
        
        if(!gs.nil(html))
            html = '<h4>Emergency Contact Information</h4><table width="500px;"><tr>' + getHeaderCell('Name') + getHeaderCell('Mobile phone') + getHeaderCell('Relationship') + getHeaderCell('Priority') + getHeaderCell('Date of birth') + html + '</table>';
        
        return html;
    
    })(target, docTemplate);
    Following is an example of how dynamic tokens are translated in an HTML doc template.
    1. While configuring an HTML template, the template language is selected as German and date format is set to dd/MM/yyyy.The HR Case Employment Verification Letter template. It displays all the fields and the body text that is used for the letter.
    2. The HTML document template is referenced in an HR case.
    3. When the agent previews the document, generates the attachment, or initiates document tasks for participants, priority and relationship fields are translated into the German language, and dates appear in the dd/MM/yyyy format.

      The translated preview of the document template. I is translated to German.