UI Builder Patterns for ServiceNow

UI Builder (UIB) is ServiceNow's modern framework for building Next Experience workspaces and applications.

UI Builder Architecture

Component Hierarchy

UX Application
└── App Shell
    └── Chrome (Header, Navigation)
        └── Pages
            └── Variants
                └── Macroponents
                    └── Components
                        └── Elements

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
Macroponent	Reusable container with components and logic
Component	UI building block (list, form, button)
Data Broker	Fetches and manages data for components
Client State	Page-level state management
Event	Communication between components

Page Structure

Page Anatomy

Page: incident_list
├── Variants
│   ├── Default (desktop)
│   └── Mobile
├── Data Brokers
│   ├── incident_data (GraphQL)
│   └── user_preferences (Script)
├── Client States
│   ├── selectedRecord
│   └── filterActive
├── Events
│   ├── RECORD_SELECTED
│   └── FILTER_APPLIED
└── Layout
    ├── Header (macroponent)
    ├── Sidebar (macroponent)
    └── Content (macroponent)

Data Brokers

Types of Data Brokers

Type	Use Case	Example
GraphQL	Table queries	Incident list
Script	Complex logic	Calculated metrics
REST	External APIs	Weather data
Transform	Data manipulation	Format dates

GraphQL Data Broker

// Data Broker: incident_list
// Type: GraphQL

// Query
query ($limit: Int, $query: String) {
  GlideRecord_Query {
    incident(
      queryConditions: $query
      limit: $limit
    ) {
      number { value displayValue }
      short_description { value }
      priority { value displayValue }
      state { value displayValue }
      assigned_to { value displayValue }
      sys_id { value }
    }
  }
}

// Variables (from client state or props)
{
  "limit": 50,
  "query": "active=true"
}

Script Data Broker (ES5)

// Data Broker: incident_metrics
// Type: Script

;(function execute(inputs, outputs) {
  var result = {
    total: 0,
    byPriority: {},
    avgAge: 0,
  }

  var gr = new GlideRecord("incident")
  gr.addQuery("active", true)
  gr.query()

  var totalAge = 0
  while (gr.next()) {
    result.total++

    // Count by priority
    var priority = gr.getValue("priority")
    if (!result.byPriority[priority]) {
      result.byPriority[priority] = 0
    }
    result.byPriority[priority]++

    // Calculate age
    var opened = new GlideDateTime(gr.getValue("opened_at"))
    var now = new GlideDateTime()
    var age = gs.dateDiff(opened, now, true)
    totalAge += parseInt(age)
  }

  if (result.total > 0) {
    result.avgAge = Math.round(totalAge / result.total / 3600) // hours
  }

  outputs.metrics = result
})(inputs, outputs)

Client State Parameters

Defining Client State

// Page Client State Parameters
{
  "selectedIncident": {
    "type": "string",
    "default": ""
  },
  "filterQuery": {
    "type": "string",
    "default": "active=true"
  },
  "viewMode": {
    "type": "string",
    "default": "list",
    "enum": ["list", "card", "split"]
  },
  "selectedRecords": {
    "type": "array",
    "items": { "type": "string" },
    "default": []
  }
}

Using Client State in Components

// In component configuration
{
  "query": "@state.filterQuery",
  "selectedItem": "@state.selectedIncident"
}

// Updating client state via event
{
  "eventName": "NOW_RECORD_LIST#RECORD_SELECTED",
  "handlers": [
    {
      "action": "UPDATE_CLIENT_STATE",
      "payload": {
        "selectedIncident": "@payload.sys_id"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Events and Handlers

Event Types

Event	Trigger	Payload
NOW_RECORD_LIST#RECORD_SELECTED	Row click	{ sys_id, table }
NOW_BUTTON#CLICKED	Button click	{ label }
NOW_DROPDOWN#SELECTED	Dropdown change	{ value }
CUSTOM#EVENT_NAME	Custom event	Custom payload

Event Handler Configuration

// Event: Record Selected
{
  "eventName": "NOW_RECORD_LIST#RECORD_SELECTED",
  "handlers": [
    {
      "action": "UPDATE_CLIENT_STATE",
      "payload": {
        "selectedIncident": "@payload.sys_id"
      }
    },
    {
      "action": "REFRESH_DATA_BROKER",
      "payload": {
        "dataBrokerId": "incident_details"
      }
    },
    {
      "action": "DISPATCH_EVENT",
      "payload": {
        "eventName": "INCIDENT_SELECTED",
        "payload": "@payload"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Client Script Event Handler (ES5)

// Client Script for custom event handling
;(function (coeffects) {
  var dispatch = coeffects.dispatch
  var state = coeffects.state
  var payload = coeffects.action.payload

  // Custom logic
  var selectedId = payload.sys_id

  // Update multiple states
  dispatch("UPDATE_CLIENT_STATE", {
    selectedIncident: selectedId,
    detailsVisible: true,
  })

  // Conditional dispatch
  if (payload.priority === "1") {
    dispatch("DISPATCH_EVENT", {
      eventName: "CRITICAL_INCIDENT_SELECTED",
      payload: payload,
    })
  }
})(coeffects)

Component Configuration

Common Components

Component	Purpose	Key Properties
now-record-list	Data table	columns, query, table
now-record-form	Record form	table, sysId, fields
now-button	Action button	label, variant, icon
now-card	Card container	header, content
now-tabs	Tab container	tabs, activeTab
now-modal	Modal dialog	opened, title

Record List Configuration

{
  "component": "now-record-list",
  "properties": {
    "table": "incident",
    "query": "@state.filterQuery",
    "columns": [
      { "field": "number", "label": "Number" },
      { "field": "short_description", "label": "Description" },
      { "field": "priority", "label": "Priority" },
      { "field": "state", "label": "State" },
      { "field": "assigned_to", "label": "Assigned To" }
    ],
    "pageSize": 20,
    "selectable": true,
    "selectedRecords": "@state.selectedRecords"
  }
}

Form Configuration

{
  "component": "now-record-form",
  "properties": {
    "table": "incident",
    "sysId": "@state.selectedIncident",
    "fields": ["short_description", "description", "priority", "assignment_group", "assigned_to"],
    "readOnly": false
  }
}

Macroponents

Creating Reusable Macroponents

Macroponent: incident-summary-card
├── Properties (inputs)
│   ├── incidentSysId (string)
│   └── showActions (boolean)
├── Internal State
│   └── expanded (boolean)
├── Data Broker
│   └── incident_data (uses incidentSysId)
└── Layout
    ├── now-card
    │   ├── Header: @data.incident.number
    │   ├── Content: @data.incident.short_description
    │   └── Footer: Action buttons
    └── now-modal (if expanded)

Macroponent Properties

{
  "properties": {
    "incidentSysId": {
      "type": "string",
      "required": true,
      "description": "Sys ID of incident to display"
    },
    "showActions": {
      "type": "boolean",
      "default": true,
      "description": "Show action buttons"
    },
    "variant": {
      "type": "string",
      "default": "default",
      "enum": ["default", "compact", "detailed"]
    }
  }
}

MCP Tool Integration

Available UIB Tools

Tool	Purpose
snow_uib_page_manage (action='create')	Create new page
snow_uib_page_manage (action='add_element')	Add component to page
snow_create_uib_data_broker	Create data broker
snow_create_uib_client_state	Define client state
snow_create_uib_event	Configure events
snow_create_complete_workspace	Full workspace
snow_record_manage (action='update')	Modify page

Example Workflow

// 1. Create workspace
await snow_create_complete_workspace({
  name: "IT Support Workspace",
  description: "Agent workspace for IT support",
  landing_page: "incident_list",
})

// 2. Create data broker
await snow_create_uib_data_broker({
  page_id: pageId,
  name: "incident_list",
  type: "graphql",
  query: incidentQuery,
})

// 3. Add components
await snow_uib_page_manage({
  action: "add_element",
  page_id: pageId,
  component: "now-record-list",
  properties: listConfig,
})

// 4. Configure events
await snow_create_uib_event({
  page_id: pageId,
  event_name: "NOW_RECORD_LIST#RECORD_SELECTED",
  handlers: eventHandlers,
})

Best Practices

1. Use Data Brokers - Never fetch data directly in components
2. Client State for UI - Use for filters, selections, view modes
3. Events for Communication - Decouple components via events
4. Macroponents for Reuse - Create reusable building blocks
5. GraphQL for Queries - More efficient than Script brokers
6. Review Structure - Manually verify page layout and bindings before deployment
7. Mobile Variants - Create responsive variants
8. Accessibility - Follow WCAG guidelines