ServiceNow Business Rules

Name: servicenow-business-rules
Rating: 87
Author: DanielMadsenDK

Quick start

Basic wrapping pattern (prevents global variable pollution):

javascript

(function executeRule(current, previous) {
    // Your code here
})(current, previous);

Execution timing:

Type	Use Case	Key Constraint
Before	Modifying current record before save	DO NOT use `current.update()`
After	Updating related records immediately	DO NOT modify `current` directly
Async	Integrations, heavy calculations	Runs in background
Display	Pass data to `g_scratchpad`	Read-only access

Preventing recursion:

javascript

// ✓ CORRECT: Direct field assignment in Before rule
current.state = 3; // Auto-saved

// ✗ WRONG: Never use update() in Before/After
current.update(); // Causes loop

Validation pattern

javascript

if (current.u_start_date > current.u_end_date) {
    gs.addErrorMessage('Start date must be before end date');
    current.setAbortAction(true); // Blocks DB transaction
}

Best practices

•Use IIFE wrapper for all rules
•Check execution timing before using current.update()
•Refactor complex logic (>10 lines) into Script Includes
•Test recursion prevention on sub-production first
•Use Condition builder in the UI when possible

Reference

For complete execution matrix and advanced patterns, see BEST_PRACTICES.md