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Version: Latest (4.6.0)

Application Menus

Guide for creating ServiceNow Application Menus and Modules using the Fluent API. Application menus define top-level sections in the ServiceNow navigator sidebar, and modules define the clickable items within them.

When to Use​

  • Adding an application to the ServiceNow navigator ("All" menu)
  • Creating menu items that link to tables, UI pages, reports, or URLs
  • Organizing navigation with separators and sub-menus
  • Restricting menu visibility to specific roles

Instructions​

  1. Create both parts: An application menu requires two records: an ApplicationMenu for the top-level entry in the navigator, and one or more Record entries in sys_app_module for the child menu items. Neither works alone.
  2. Link modules to their menu: Set application: applicationMenu.$id on each module Record to associate it with the parent menu.
  3. Choose the right link_type: This determines what the module links to -- see the link_type reference below.
  4. Set order for positioning: Lower numbers appear higher in the navigator. Use increments of 100 to leave room for future items.
  5. Restrict with roles: Set roles on both the ApplicationMenu (array of Role objects or names) and modules (comma-separated role names) to control visibility.

Key Concepts​

  • LIST -- Shows a list of records from a table. Set name to the table name.
  • NEW -- Opens a new record form. Set name to the table name.
  • DIRECT -- Links to a URL. Set query to the relative path (e.g., my_page.do).
  • SEPARATOR -- Creates a sub-folder/divider to group subsequent modules.
  • REPORT -- Links to a report. Set report to the report identifier.
  • FILTER -- Shows a filtered list. Set name to the table and filter to the encoded query.

All valid link_type values: LIST, FILTER, NEW, DIRECT, SEPARATOR, TIMELINE, DETAIL, HTML, ASSESSMENT, SCRIPT, CONTENT_PAGE, SEARCH, SURVEY, DOC_LINK, MAP, REPORT.

Use the Record API with table sys_app_category to define a category with custom styling. Reference the category from the ApplicationMenu to apply a visual style to the menu section.

Avoidance​

  • Never create modules without a parent ApplicationMenu -- orphaned modules will not appear in the navigator
  • Never forget to set active: true on modules -- modules default to active: false and will not appear
  • Avoid hardcoding sys_ids in query or filter -- use encoded queries or relative references instead

API Reference​

For the full property reference, see the applicationmenu-api topic.

Examples​

Complete Application Menu with Modules​

import { ApplicationMenu, Record } from '@servicenow/sdk/core'

// Define a menu category for custom styling
export const appCategory = Record({
    table: 'sys_app_category',
    $id: Now.ID[9],
    data: {
        name: 'example',
        style: 'border-color: #a7cded; background-color: #e3f3ff;',
    },
})

// Create the top-level Application Menu
const applicationMenu = ApplicationMenu({
    $id: Now.ID['my_app_menu'],
    title: 'My App Menu',
    hint: 'This is a hint',
    description: 'This is a description',
    category: appCategory,
    roles: ['admin'],
    active: true,
})

// Module: link to a table list
const tableSubMenu = Record({
    $id: Now.ID['my_app_module_1'],
    table: 'sys_app_module',
    data: {
        title: 'My Table',
        application: applicationMenu.$id,
        link_type: 'LIST',
        name: 'x_snc_example_to_do',
        hint: 'Link to my table',
        roles: 'admin,itil',
        active: true,
        order: 100,
    },
})

// Module: separator to group items
const separatorSubMenu = Record({
    $id: Now.ID['my_app_module_separator'],
    table: 'sys_app_module',
    data: {
        title: 'UI Pages',
        application: applicationMenu.$id,
        link_type: 'SEPARATOR',
        roles: 'admin,itil',
        active: true,
        order: 200,
    },
})

// Module: direct link to a UI page
const uiPageSubMenu = Record({
    $id: Now.ID['my_app_module_2'],
    table: 'sys_app_module',
    data: {
        title: 'My UI Page',
        application: applicationMenu,
        link_type: 'DIRECT',
        query: 'my_ui_page.do',
        hint: 'Link to my UI Page',
        roles: 'admin,itil',
        active: true,
        order: 300,
    },
})