Configuring Applications for Collaboration · Topic 3 of 6
Form Templates, Saving Options and Advanced Form Configuration
ServiceNow form templates, Save versus Insert and Insert and Stay, form views, view rules, dictionary overrides and related list relationships explained.
- 5 min
- A template fills fields; the user must still save the record.
- Personal templates are private; global templates are shared.
- Save stays on the form; Update returns to the list; Insert copies the record.
What it is
A form template is a saved set of field values that a user applies to a form to fill it in quickly. Saving options are the form actions that decide whether a record is updated, copied or created, and where the user lands afterward.
Advanced form configuration goes beyond moving fields: it covers form views, view rules, dictionary overrides, formatters, annotations and related list relationships.
How it works
Form templates
A template stores field values, not the record itself. Applying it fills those fields on the form, and the user can still change them before saving.
- Creating: fill in a form with the values you want, then use the form context menu to save it as a template. Administrators and users with a template editor role can create them.
- Applying: open the template bar on the form and click a template. The values fill in and the record is not saved until the user saves it.
- Scope: a template can be personal, visible only to its creator, or global, visible to chosen groups or everyone.
A typical use is a "printer is jammed" incident template that sets Category, Assignment group and the short description, so the service desk does not retype them.
Saving options
The options in the form header and context menu behave differently. Learn the pairs.
| Option | What it does | Where you land |
|---|---|---|
| Submit | Creates a new record from a new form | The list, or a blank form |
| Save | Saves changes to the current record | Stays on the form |
| Update | Saves changes to the current record | Returns to the previous list |
| Insert | Creates a copy of the current record | Returns to the list |
| Insert and Stay | Creates a copy of the current record | Opens the new copy |
The key contrast is Save versus Insert. Save updates the record you are looking at. Insert creates a second record that duplicates the first, and the original stays as it was.
To create several similar records in a row, use Insert and Stay. Edit the new copy, then insert again.
Insert and Insert and Stay can be hidden on some forms by an admin, so a missing button is not always a fault.
Form views
A view is a named arrangement of fields, sections and related lists for one table. One table can have several views, so different audiences see different forms.
- The Default view is used when nothing else applies.
- A simpler view can be built for end users, with fewer fields than the fulfiller sees.
- Users switch views from the form context menu.
- View rules (System UI > View Rules) pick a view automatically when conditions are met, such as a role or a field value.
Each view has its own layout, so a field added to one view does not appear on the others until you add it there.
Dictionary and dictionary overrides
The dictionary holds the definition of every field: label, type, maximum length, default value, whether it is mandatory or read-only, and for references, the target table.
A dictionary override changes one of those attributes on a child table without touching the parent. For example, the Task table can leave Description optional while the Incident table overrides it to be mandatory.
| Need | Feature |
|---|---|
| Change a field attribute for one child table only | Dictionary override |
| Show a different set of fields to different audiences | View, selected by a view rule |
| Add a note or divider on the form | Annotation |
| Show a special display, such as the process flow | Formatter |
An annotation is display-only text on the form. A formatter is a special element, such as the process flow bar that shows the stages of a choice field.
Related lists and relationships
Related lists appear because of a reference field on another table or a defined relationship. Admins can add or hide related lists in the form layout and, with a relationship definition, show records that are connected by a rule instead of a simple reference.
How the exam asks about this
- "Service desk agents retype the same values on every printer incident." Create a global template.
- "A user clicked Insert and now sees two nearly identical records." Insert creates a copy; Save would have updated the original.
- "Make Description mandatory on Incident only, not on other tasks." Use a dictionary override on the Incident table.
What to remember for the exam
- A template fills fields; the user must still save the record.
- Personal templates are private; global templates are shared.
- Save stays on the form; Update returns to the list; Insert copies the record.
- Insert and Stay copies the record and opens the copy.
- A view is a layout for one table; view rules choose the view automatically.
- A dictionary override changes a field attribute on a child table only.
Do not mix up Save and Insert. A question about "creating a copy" is Insert; a question about "keeping the user on the same record" is Save.
Common mistakes
Thinking a template creates a record. It only prefills the form. Nothing exists until the user saves or submits.
Editing the parent field when only a child needs the change. That alters every child table. A dictionary override is the narrower tool.
Expecting a new field on every view. Layouts are per view. Add the field to each view that needs it.
Check yourself
What does Insert and Stay do?
It creates a copy of the current record and opens the copy so you can keep working.
How can one table show different forms to different audiences?
Create multiple views and use view rules or the view menu to pick the right one.
What is a dictionary override used for?
It changes a field attribute, such as mandatory, for a child table without changing the parent table's field.
Topic 3 of 6 in Configuring Applications for Collaboration
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