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

document-management

Document Management for ServiceNow

Document Architecture

Key Tables

Attachments (ES5)

Upload Attachment

Read Attachment

List Attachments

Copy Attachments

Document Templates (ES5)

Create Document Template

Generate Document from Template

PDF Generation (ES5)

Generate PDF

Document Workflow (ES5)

Document Approval

Version Control

Attachment Security (ES5)

Check Attachment Access

MCP Tool Integration

Available Tools

Example Workflow

Best Practices