Official Documentation

NowDev Assistant v2.3.1

"The high-performance toolkit designed to reclaim the flow state for ServiceNow developers."

The NowDev Assistant is a comprehensive Chrome browser extension tailored for the modern ServiceNow professional. It enables rapid GlideRecord and GlideAggregate query creation, high-fidelity form inspection, incremental cross-table search, and recursive record previews—all integrated directly into your ServiceNow instances without page reloads.

✨ What's New in the Venus Release (v2.3.0)

The evolution of productivity. Version 2.3.0 introduces mission-critical auditing and intelligence:

  • Sync Center: Side-by-side cross-instance comparison with Git diffing.
  • Version Explorer: Fetch and diff historical record versions instantly.
  • Navigation Memory: Persistent history that survives browser restarts.
  • Record Analytics: High-density intelligence panel for record metadata.

🚀 Getting Started

NowDev Assistant is designed to be as unobtrusive as possible. It lives on the edge of your screen, ready whenever you need it.

1. Opening the Assistant

Once installed, you will see a small floating NowDev toggle on the right side of any *.service-now.com page. Simply click this button to slide the sidebar into view.

Pro Tip: You can customize whether the panel docks to the Left or Right in the Settings tab.

2. Understanding the Workspace

The Assistant is organized into several functional modules accessible via the navigation rail:

  • ⚡
    Code Generator: Your primary workspace for creating GlideRecord queries using natural language.
  • 🔍
    Search Center: The global hub for finding scripts, identifying sys_ids, and jumping to record numbers.
  • 🕵️
    Form Center: Context-aware tools that automatically load when you are viewing a specific record.

🔐 Permissions & Roles

NowDev Assistant intelligently detects your ServiceNow roles to provide a secure and streamlined experience. Some features are restricted to users with elevated privileges.

Feature Required Role Access Level
Code Generator itil Full Access
Search (sys_id / #) itil Core tables (Task, Workflow, Knowledge)
Form Explorer itil Read Field Metadata
Code Search admin Deep Script Scanning
Logic & Executor admin Inspect & Execute Logic
App Navigator admin Browse Application Metadata

🏗️ Core Architecture

The architecture of v2 represents a complete ground-up rebuild focused on performance and total platform isolation.

Shadow DOM Isolation

NowDev mounts its entire UI inside a Shadow Root. This ensures that the extension's CSS never conflicts with ServiceNow's global styles (and vice-versa), providing a consistent UI regardless of platform versions.

Native Push Layout

Unlike other extensions that cover your work, NowDev Assistant uses a Native Push Layout. When the sidebar opens, it dynamically resizes the page body, "pushing" the ServiceNow workspace so everything remains visible.

🔍 Unified Search Center

The Search Center is a new top-level hub designed for high-speed navigation. It eliminates the need to open multiple tabs or rely on the slow global navigator.

1. Incremental Code Search Admin Only

Find logic across Business Rules, Client Scripts, Script Includes, UI Actions, and more. Results are displayed incrementally as they are found.

Search query example: "current.update"
  • Smart Snippets: Automatically extracts the relevant lines of code surrounding your keyword.
  • Collapsible Groups: Results are organized by class with sticky headers for better context during scrolling.

2. Global sys_id Search

Paste any 32-character sys_id to identify it instantly.

Note: Admin users can scan all 30+ platform tables (including Metadata and Audit). Non-admin users are restricted to Core Data, Workflows, and Knowledge tables.

3. Dynamic Record Lookup

Search directly by number (e.g., INC0010001). NowDev uses Dynamic Prefix Resolution to query Number Maintenance (sys_number), ensuring support for custom table prefixes.

🕵️ The Form Center

When you open a record in ServiceNow, the Form Center automatically detects the context and loads a suite of debugging and inspection tools.

📌 New: Record Intelligence

The Form Center now features an anchor-aligned intelligence panel triggered by an Info icon. It provides a high-density view of technical metadata: Table, Sys ID, Application Scope, Update Set status, and Author. This ensures you have core metadata at your fingertips without checking the platform's 'Show XML' modal or looking at the URL.

📌 Context Pinning

Found a critical record but need to navigate away to check configurations? Use the Pin icon in the header to lock the Form Center to your current record. It will stay frozen on that context even as you browse other tables, allowing for uninterrupted investigation.

1. Explorer (The Data Spy)

The Explorer is designed for total visibility. It fetches every field on the record, including those hidden by UI Policies or ACLs.

  • View internal column names & labels
  • Analyze technical types (Reference, Choice, etc)
  • Inspect raw database values vs display values
  • Filter for Null or Not-Null fields

2. Logic Explorer Admin Only

Instantly discover every configuration governing the current form. It even pulls inherited logic from parent tables (e.g., viewing task logic while on an incident).

3. Ajax Tracker

A real-time monitor for background traffic. Every GlideAjax call made by the form is intercepted, revealing the exact payload and server response without needing to open logs.

4. Executor Admin Only

A live JavaScript scratchpad with full access to the page's globals (g_form, g_user, GlideAjax). Test your logic instantly in the live context.

5. Version History Admin Only

Retrieve and analyze previous record states without leaving the form. The Version History tab provides a deep-dive into the platform's sys_update_version table.

🖼️ Contextual Record Preview

The "Peek" feature you've always wanted. Inspect any record in a sidebar overlay without navigating away from your current workspace.

🌳 New: Relationship Hierarchy

Version 2.2.1 introduces the Related tab. It automatically builds a recursive tree of parents, children, and siblings (e.g., REQ → RITM → Task). You can traverse the entire life-cycle of a record from a single unified view.

Platform-Accurate UI

Unlike the Explorer, the Preview intelligently mirrors the native ServiceNow experience. It respects the "Default view" field order and displays proper section headers.

Recursive Drill-down

Click the Preview icon on any reference field within the sidebar to open a new preview overlay. Use the Back button to navigate through your investigation history.

Encrypted Data Safety

To maintain platform security, the preview automatically identifies and masks all encrypted field types (masked, password, digest). These fields never show the original value.

📦 App Navigator Admin Only

A dedicated browser for your scoped applications. It replaces the slow global navigator with a focused view of your current work context.

  • Searchable Apps: Find any scoped app instantly.
  • Metadata Tree: Browse application files grouped by class.
  • Integrated Flow: Click to open files directly in the main iframe.

📃 List Helper

Extract data and generate logic directly from any ServiceNow list view.

  • ✓
    List-to-Glide Generator: Convert your active list filters (Breadcrumbs) into a ready-to-use GlideRecord query script with one click.
  • ✓
    Saved Filters: Persist complex list filters locally. Give them names and access them with one click from any list view.
  • ✓
    One-Click Preview: Peek at the first 20 records matching your saved filter without Construction or navigation.

🔄 Sync Center (Audit & Compare)

Perform side-by-side audits between different ServiceNow environments without ever manually comparing XMLs. Sync Center identifies "Configuration Drift" instantly.

Cross-Instance Diffing

Initiate a comparison from one instance and jump to another. NowDev Assistant automatically pulls the same record from the target instance and highlights discrepancies using high-contrast line diffs for scripts and XML payloads.

One-Click Source Capture

Simply click the Compare Icon on a record in your Dev instance to set it as the "Source". When you navigate to that record in Test or Prod, Sync Center will be waiting with the audit results.

⌨️ Code Generator Syntax

Write GlideRecord queries using intuitive natural language. The core engine translates your thoughts into production-ready scripts.

<gr|ga> [operation] <table> [clauses]

Command Structure

  • gr: Standard GlideRecord operation.
  • ga: GlideAggregate operation for counting and grouping.
  • [operation]: Defaults to query. Also supports insert, update, delete.
  • <table>: The internal name of the table (e.g., incident, sys_user).

Supported Operations

1. Query Records 

gr incident where active=true, priority=1

2. Update Records 

gr update incident set state=2 where priority=1

3. Insert Records 

gr insert incident set short_description=test, priority=2

Natural Date Shortcuts

Keyword ServiceNow Equivalent
today gs.beginningOfToday()
yesterday gs.beginningOfYesterday()
last_week gs.beginningOfLastWeek()
this_month gs.beginningOfThisMonth()

Special Keywords

Use these shortcuts to write cleaner, more intuitive queries.

User Logic

me: Represents the current logged-in user. 

gr task where assigned_to=me

State Logic

active: Shortcut for addActiveQuery(). 

gr task where active

Multi-Value & Range Logic

Filter records matching multiple values using array or OR syntax.

In Array

Supports list filtering using brackets. 

gr incident where state in [1, 2, 3]

OR Logic

Quick OR separation using pipe character. 

gr incident where state = 1 | 2 | 3

Joins & Aggregates

Perform complex database operations without writing raw JavaScript.

Database Joins 

gr task where active=true join incident on task_id=sys_id

Aggregates (ga) 

ga incident where active=true group by priority aggregate count, avg(priority)

Combine & Conquer

You can combine all features—joins, dates, keywords, and limits—in a single natural language prompt.

Power User Prompt 

gr update incident set state=2 where priority=1, active order by created limit 5

⚙️ Settings & Feedback

Personalize your development experience, manage environments, and provide feedback via the dedicated Settings tab at the bottom of the navigation rail.

Sidebar Positioning

Dock the Assistant to either the Left or Right side. The UI dynamically flips to maintain a natural ergonomic flow.

Environment Switcher

Manage multiple ServiceNow instances safely. Configure Visual Guardrails (color-coded borders) for different environments to prevent accidental modifications, and use Contextual Switching to jump between nodes while maintaining your current record context. This also includes the Quick Switcher—a floating shortcut for ultra-fast transitions between nodes even when the sidebar is closed.

Community Feedback

We build for the community. Use the Feedback section within the Settings tab to report bugs or suggest a new feature.

🔐 Security & Privacy

NowDev Assistant is built with a "Privacy First" philosophy. All processing happens locally in your browser using your active ServiceNow session.

  • 🛡️ Shadow DOM Isolation: Your ServiceNow UI and NowDev styles remain completely separate.
  • 🔒 Encrypted Data Safety: Masked and password fields are never requested or displayed in previews.
  • ☁️ 100% Local: No external API calls are made for core processing or GlideRecord generation.

❓ Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
Clipboard blocked Ensure browser permissions for clipboard access are enabled for the extension.
Form Center not loading Refresh the page. Ensure you are on a standard .do page with a valid Sys ID.
Search not responding Incremental search yields to the browser. If the instance is very large, allow a few seconds for the scan.