Document Management for ServiceNow
Document Management handles attachments, templates, and document generation.
Document Architecture
Record
├── Attachments (sys_attachment)
│ └── Attachment Data (sys_attachment_doc)
├── Generated Documents
└── Document Templates
Key Tables
| Table | Purpose |
|---|
sys_attachment | Attachment metadata |
sys_attachment_doc | Attachment content |
sys_report_template | Report templates |
dms_document | Document records |
Attachments (ES5)
Upload Attachment
// Attach file to record (ES5 ONLY!)
function attachFile(tableName, recordSysId, fileName, contentType, content) {
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
// Content can be base64 encoded string
var attachmentSysId = attachment.write(tableName, recordSysId, fileName, contentType, content)
return attachmentSysId
}
// Example
var base64Content = "SGVsbG8gV29ybGQh" // Base64 encoded
attachFile("incident", incidentSysId, "notes.txt", "text/plain", base64Content)
Read Attachment
// Read attachment content (ES5 ONLY!)
function getAttachmentContent(attachmentSysId) {
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
var content = attachment.getContent(attachmentSysId)
return content
}
// Get attachment as base64
function getAttachmentBase64(attachmentSysId) {
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
var bytes = attachment.getBytes(attachmentSysId)
// Convert to base64
var base64 = GlideBase64.encode(bytes)
return base64
}
List Attachments
// Get all attachments for record (ES5 ONLY!)
function getRecordAttachments(tableName, recordSysId) {
var attachments = []
var gr = new GlideRecord("sys_attachment")
gr.addQuery("table_name", tableName)
gr.addQuery("table_sys_id", recordSysId)
gr.query()
while (gr.next()) {
attachments.push({
sys_id: gr.getUniqueValue(),
file_name: gr.getValue("file_name"),
content_type: gr.getValue("content_type"),
size_bytes: gr.getValue("size_bytes"),
created_on: gr.getValue("sys_created_on"),
created_by: gr.sys_created_by.getDisplayValue(),
})
}
return attachments
}
Copy Attachments
// Copy attachments between records (ES5 ONLY!)
function copyAttachments(sourceTable, sourceSysId, targetTable, targetSysId) {
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
attachment.copy(sourceTable, sourceSysId, targetTable, targetSysId)
}
// Copy specific attachment
function copyOneAttachment(attachmentSysId, targetTable, targetSysId) {
var source = new GlideRecord("sys_attachment")
if (!source.get(attachmentSysId)) {
return null
}
var attachment = new GlideSysAttachment()
var content = attachment.getBytes(attachmentSysId)
return attachment.write(
targetTable,
targetSysId,
source.getValue("file_name"),
source.getValue("content_type"),
content,
)
}
Document Templates (ES5)
Create Document Template
// Create document template (ES5 ONLY!)
var template = new GlideRecord("sys_report_template")
template.initialize()
template.setValue("name", "Incident Summary Report")
template.setValue("table", "incident")
template.setValue("description", "Summary report for incident resolution")
// Template content with placeholders
template.setValue(
"template",
"<html>\n" +
"<head><title>Incident Summary</title></head>\n" +
"<body>\n" +
"<h1>Incident Summary Report</h1>\n" +
"<h2>${number}</h2>\n" +
"<p><strong>Description:</strong> ${short_description}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>Caller:</strong> ${caller_id.name}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>Priority:</strong> ${priority}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>State:</strong> ${state}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>Resolution:</strong> ${close_notes}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>Resolved By:</strong> ${resolved_by.name}</p>\n" +
"<p><strong>Resolved On:</strong> ${resolved_at}</p>\n" +
"</body>\n" +
"</html>",
)
template.insert()
Generate Document from Template
// Generate document from template (ES5 ONLY!)
function generateDocumentFromTemplate(templateName, recordSysId) {
// Get template
var template = new GlideRecord("sys_report_template")
if (!template.get("name", templateName)) {
return null
}
// Get record
var tableName = template.getValue("table")
var gr = new GlideRecord(tableName)
if (!gr.get(recordSysId)) {
return null
}
// Process template
var content = template.getValue("template")
content = processTemplateVariables(content, gr)
return content
}
function processTemplateVariables(template, gr) {
// Replace ${field} and ${field.property} patterns
var pattern = /\$\{([^}]+)\}/g
var match
while ((match = pattern.exec(template)) !== null) {
var fieldPath = match[1]
var value = getFieldValue(gr, fieldPath)
template = template.replace(match[0], value)
}
return template
}
function getFieldValue(gr, fieldPath) {
var parts = fieldPath.split(".")
var value = gr
for (var i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
if (!value) return ""
if (i < parts.length - 1) {
// Reference field - get referenced record
value = value[parts[i]].getRefRecord()
} else {
// Final field
if (value.isValidField && value.isValidField(parts[i])) {
value = value[parts[i]].getDisplayValue() || value.getValue(parts[i])
} else {
value = ""
}
}
}
return value || ""
}
PDF Generation (ES5)
Generate PDF
// Generate PDF from HTML (ES5 ONLY!)
function generatePDF(htmlContent, fileName) {
try {
var pdfCreator = new sn_pdfgeneratorutils.PDFGenerationAPI()
var pdfBytes = pdfCreator.convertToPDF(htmlContent)
// Return as base64
return {
success: true,
content: GlideBase64.encode(pdfBytes),
fileName: fileName || "document.pdf",
}
} catch (e) {
gs.error("PDF generation failed: " + e.message)
return {
success: false,
error: e.message,
}
}
}
// Generate and attach PDF to record
function generateAndAttachPDF(templateName, recordSysId, fileName) {
// Generate HTML from template
var html = generateDocumentFromTemplate(templateName, recordSysId)
if (!html) {
return { success: false, error: "Template generation failed" }
}
// Convert to PDF
var pdf = generatePDF(html, fileName)
if (!pdf.success) {
return pdf
}
// Get table name from template
var template = new GlideRecord("sys_report_template")
template.get("name", templateName)
var tableName = template.getValue("table")
// Attach PDF
var attachmentSysId = attachFile(tableName, recordSysId, fileName, "application/pdf", pdf.content)
return {
success: true,
attachment_sys_id: attachmentSysId,
}
}
Document Workflow (ES5)
Document Approval
// Create document for approval (ES5 ONLY!)
function submitDocumentForApproval(documentSysId, approvers) {
var doc = new GlideRecord("dms_document")
if (!doc.get(documentSysId)) {
return { success: false, message: "Document not found" }
}
// Update state
doc.setValue("state", "pending_approval")
doc.update()
// Create approval records
for (var i = 0; i < approvers.length; i++) {
var approval = new GlideRecord("sysapproval_approver")
approval.initialize()
approval.setValue("sysapproval", documentSysId)
approval.setValue("approver", approvers[i])
approval.setValue("state", "requested")
approval.insert()
}
// Notify approvers
gs.eventQueue("document.approval.requested", doc, approvers.join(","), "")
return { success: true }
}
Version Control
// Create new document version (ES5 ONLY!)
function createDocumentVersion(documentSysId, newContent, changeNotes) {
var doc = new GlideRecord("dms_document")
if (!doc.get(documentSysId)) {
return null
}
// Get current version
var currentVersion = parseInt(doc.getValue("version"), 10) || 1
var newVersion = currentVersion + 1
// Archive current version
var archive = new GlideRecord("dms_document_version")
archive.initialize()
archive.setValue("document", documentSysId)
archive.setValue("version", currentVersion)
archive.setValue("content", doc.getValue("content"))
archive.setValue("created_by", gs.getUserID())
archive.insert()
// Update document with new version
doc.setValue("version", newVersion)
doc.setValue("content", newContent)
doc.work_notes = "Version " + newVersion + ": " + changeNotes
doc.update()
return {
document_sys_id: documentSysId,
version: newVersion,
}
}
// Get document version history
function getDocumentVersions(documentSysId) {
var versions = []
var version = new GlideRecord("dms_document_version")
version.addQuery("document", documentSysId)
version.orderByDesc("version")
version.query()
while (version.next()) {
versions.push({
version: version.getValue("version"),
created_on: version.getValue("sys_created_on"),
created_by: version.sys_created_by.getDisplayValue(),
})
}
return versions
}
Attachment Security (ES5)
Check Attachment Access
// Check if user can access attachment (ES5 ONLY!)
function canAccessAttachment(attachmentSysId) {
var attachment = new GlideRecord("sys_attachment")
if (!attachment.get(attachmentSysId)) {
return false
}
// Check access to parent record
var parentTable = attachment.getValue("table_name")
var parentSysId = attachment.getValue("table_sys_id")
var parent = new GlideRecord(parentTable)
return parent.get(parentSysId) // Returns false if no read access
}
MCP Tool Integration
Available Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|
snow_query_table | Query attachments |
snow_execute_script_with_output | Test document scripts |
snow_find_artifact | Find templates |
Example Workflow
// 1. Get record attachments
await snow_query_table({
table: "sys_attachment",
query: "table_name=incident^table_sys_id=inc_sys_id",
fields: "file_name,content_type,size_bytes,sys_created_on",
})
// 2. Generate document
await snow_execute_script_with_output({
script: `
var html = generateDocumentFromTemplate('Incident Summary', 'inc_sys_id');
gs.info('Generated: ' + (html ? 'success' : 'failed'));
`,
})
// 3. Find document templates
await snow_query_table({
table: "sys_report_template",
query: "table=incident",
fields: "name,description,table",
})
Best Practices
- File Types - Restrict allowed types
- Size Limits - Set max file sizes
- Virus Scanning - Scan uploads
- Access Control - Inherit from parent
- Version Control - Track changes
- Cleanup - Remove orphaned files
- Templates - Use for consistency
- ES5 Only - No modern JavaScript syntax
