Service Catalog variable editors

  • Release version: Zurich
  • Updated July 31, 2025
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    Summary of Service Catalog variable editors

    Service Catalog variable editors in ServiceNow display variable values entered by requesters during catalog item requests or record producer submissions. These editors show variable answers in fulfiller forms, enabling fulfillers to view and interact with the requested data. Different editors are used depending on whether the record originates from a catalog item or a record producer.

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    Key Variable Editors

    • VEditor: Used exclusively for catalog item requests, this formatter appears on Requested Item (RITM) and catalog task forms. It displays variable values stored in the internal scitemoption table. To control catalog UI policies or client scripts on this editor, enable the "Applies on Requested Items" and "Applies on Catalog Tasks" options. It can be made read-only via an onLoad client script named Variable Editor Readonly applied on the Requested Item and Catalog Task tables.
    • Default Variable Editor: Used only for records generated by record producers on task-extended tables (like Incident and Change by default). It displays variable values from the internal questionanswer table. Catalog UI policies, client scripts, data lookups, and dependent references are supported here for task-extended tables by enabling "Applies on the Target Record" on the relevant policies or scripts.

    Usage in Interfaces

    • Agent Workspace: If the variable editor formatter is present in the workspace form view, it is automatically included in the Variables section. Variable editors embedded inside workspace sections do not display in the Agent Workspace UI. Some variable types (Macro, Macro with Label, UI Pages) are not shown, while others (Multiple Choice, Numeric Scale, Lookup, Multiple Choice) appear as select boxes.
    • Service Portal: The variable editor is available for forms with the formatter. However, Service Portal primarily supports requester use cases, so using Agent Workspace is recommended for variable editors. To make the VEditor read-only in Service Portal, set the readonlyvariableeditor flag to true in the portal configuration.

    Making Variable Editors Read-Only

    • In ServiceNow AI Platform and Agent Workspace, the GlideForm.setVariablesReadOnly() method can be used on requested items, catalog tasks, and target records to make the variable editor read-only.
    • In Service Portal, read-only mode is enabled by specifying a configuration flag in the portal settings; however, some variables like UI Pages and Macros will still render.

    Configuring Default Variable Editor for Task-Extended Tables

    For records created by record producers on task-extended tables, the default variable editor can be configured to allow viewing and editing of variable answers. This setup supports enhanced interaction with variables during fulfillment for applicable records.

    Important Notes and Warnings

    • Do not activate the Variables column on the Task [task] table as it is inactive by default and required by the variable editors.
    • Do not add business rules to the internal tables scitemoption or questionanswer where variable values are stored.
    • Catalog UI policies and client scripts must be configured with appropriate "Applies on" settings depending on the editor type and context.

    Variable editor displays variable values in fulfiller forms. A requester, while requesting the item, specifies these variable values in the catalog item questions.

    Types of variable editors based on the catalog item type:

    • For a catalog item, the VEditor (com.glideapp.servicecatalog.VEditor) displays the values of questions in the requested item and catalog task forms.
    • For a record producer, the default variable editor (com.glideapp.questionset.DefaultQuestionEditor) displays the values of questions for records generated from a record producer for task-extended tables.
    Warning:
    The variable editor depends on the Variables column of the Task [task] table. By default, this column is inactive, and you should not make it active.

    VEditor

    The VEditor is applicable only for the requests created from catalog items.

    In ServiceNow AI Platform, this editor is a formatter added on the requested item (RITM) form (Default View) and the catalog task form (Default View).

    The VEditor is applicable only for RITMs and catalog tasks. It cannot be used for any other tables. To support catalog UI policies or catalog client scripts on the VEditor for the RITM and catalog task form, select the Applies on Requested Items and Applies on Catalog Tasks check boxes for the catalog UI policy or the catalog client script.

    Note:
    The values in the VEditor are displayed from the Options [sc_item_option] table. This is an internal table and you should not add any business rules to this table.
    To make the VEditor read-only in ServiceNow AI Platform, activate the onLoad client script, Variable Editor Readonly, for the following tables:
    • Requested Item [sc_req_item]
    • Catalog Task [sc_task]
    Note:
    You can make the Variable Editor Readonly scripts conditional, by adding conditions to them.
    Figure 1. VEditor
    Screenshot for VEditor

    Default variable editor

    The default variable editor is applicable only for record producers. This editor is a formatter added on records that are generated by a record producer for task-extended tables. This editor displays the values of questions specified in the record producer.

    By default, this editor is applicable for the Incident and Change tables. For other tables, you can configure this editor.

    Catalog UI policies, catalog client scripts, catalog data lookups, reference qualifiers, and dependent reference fields are supported on the default variable editor only for task-extended tables. To support a catalog UI policy or a catalog client script on this editor, select the Applies on the Target Record check box for the catalog UI policy or the catalog client script.
    Note:
    The values in the default variable editor are displayed in the Question Answer [question_answer] table. This is an internal table and you should not add any business rules to this table.
    Figure 2. Default variable editor
    Screenshot for the default variable editor

    Variable editor in Agent Workspace

    In Agent Workspace, the following scenarios are possible:
    • If the variable editor formatter is available in the Workspace view of the form, the variable editor is automatically added to the Variables section in the Agent Workspace UI.
    • If the variable editor formatter is added inside a section in the Workspace view of the form, that section does not display the variable editor in the Agent Workspace UI.
    The following variable types are not displayed in the variable editor.
    • Macro
    • Macro With Label
    • UI Pages
    The following variables are displayed as a select box in the variable editor:
    • Multiple Choice
    • Numeric Scale
    • Lookup Multiple Choice

    Variable editor in Service Portal

    In the Service Portal UI, the variable editor is available for forms with the variable editor formatter.

    Note:
    Since Service Portal is only for requester use cases, it is recommended to use the Agent Workspace UI for the variable editor.

    Making a variable editor read-only

    The following options are available to make a variable editor read only, depending on application.

    Service Catalog variable editors in the core UI
    The GlideForm setVariablesReadOnly() method is supported for ServiceNow AI Platform and Agent Workspace forms to make the variable editor read-only. This method is intended for requested item, target record, and catalog tasks.
    Note:
    This method is not applicable in Service Portal and is not recommended for catalog forms.
    Service Portal variable editors
    To make the VEditor read-only in Service Portal, navigate to Service Portal > Portals, select Service Portal, and specify the following code in the Quick start config field.
    "readonly_variable_editor": "true"
    Note:
    The UI Page, Macro, and Macro with Label variables are rendered even when the variable editor is read-only.