Sort Option form

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Sort Option form

    The Sort Option form in the AI Search application configuration enables ServiceNow customers to create and manage search result sort options. These options define how search results are ordered in the search application's sort menu, enhancing the user experience by allowing tailored result sorting based on specific fields.

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    Key Features

    • Label: Defines the display name for the sort option in the search interface.
    • Sort Field: Specifies the source table field or common index field used for sorting. Supports date, number, or string fields with specific formatting requirements:
      • Qualified format: Uses [indexedsourcetablename].[fieldname] to sort by a field in a source table, e.g., kbknowledge.author.
      • Unqualified format: Uses common AI Search index fields like title or language to sort results.
    • Special cases for sorting:
      • Parent table fields: Sorting includes values from both parent and child tables if the parent table's field is specified.
      • Child table fields: Fields unique to child tables can be used for sorting by specifying the parent table as the qualifier.
    • Application: Automatically sets the application scope for the sort option.
    • Ascending: Option to sort results in ascending (a to z) or descending (z to a) order.
    • Active: Activates the sort option for use within the AI Search application.

    Important Considerations

    • Using unsupported sort field types will trigger an error upon saving.
    • The linked search profile must include a source derived from the indexed table specified in the sort field. Otherwise, saving the sort option will fail.
    • The qualifier in the sort field must reference the parent table name, not child tables directly.

    Practical Benefits

    By configuring sort options properly, ServiceNow customers can offer end users flexible and relevant ways to order search results based on meaningful fields, improving search efficiency and user satisfaction within AI Search applications.

    The Sort Option form enables you to create a search result sort option in the search application configuration for an AI Search application.

    For details on creating or editing search result sort options, see Search result sort options in AI Search application configurations.

    Table 1. Sort Option form
    Field Description
    Label Label displayed for the search result sort option in the search application's sort menu.
    Sort Field Name of a source table field or common index field that the sort option uses to sort search results.
    The sort field can be a date, number, or string field.
    Note:
    If you specify a sort field of an unsupported type, an error message appears when you attempt to save the sort option.
    Supports the following formats:
    Qualified [indexed_source_table_name].[field_name] entry

    Sort search results on their values from the specified table's field.

    For example, enter kb_knowledge.author to sort search results by their Author field values.
    Note:
    The parent search application configuration's linked search profile must include a search source derived from the specified indexed source table. If this condition isn't met, an error message appears when you attempt to save the sort option.
    Unqualified common index field name

    Sort search results on their values from the specified common AI Search index field.

    For example, enter title to sort search results based on their titles, or language to sort search results based on their language.

    The [indexed_source_table_name] qualifier must be the name of a table specified in an indexed source. Don't specify indexed source child table names for this qualifier.

    Special cases include:
    Sorting on parent table fields

    If you specify an indexed source parent table's field in a sort option, AI Search includes values from the same field on child tables from the indexed source.

    For example, suppose you create an indexed source for custom table Parent [u_parent] which is extended by custom table Child [u_child], and then specify u_parent.author as the field for a sort option. When a user applies the sort option, AI Search uses both u_parent.author and u_child.author field values to sort the search result list.

    Sorting on child table fields

    You can specify a field that's unique to an indexed source's child table as a sort option field.

    Continuing the previous example, if your Child [u_child] table includes an Editor field that's not present on the Parent [u_parent] table, you can define u_parent.editor as a sort option field to sort search result s using this field's values.
    Note:
    Be sure to specify the parent table's name as the qualifier, not the child table's name.
    Application Application scope for the search result sort option. This field is automatically set.
    Ascending Option to make the search result sort option display results in ascending order (a to z). Clear this option to make the search result sort option display results in descending order (z to a).
    Active Option to activate the search result sort option for use in the search application.