Setting up the ServiceNow App Tile

Matthew Rawls

August 13, 2025 16:37

As part of Simpplr's app tiles feature, we offer several out-of-the-box app tiles your org can set up on home and site dashboards. The article linked below gives an overview of how app tiles work, permissions around setting them up, and various requirements.

Setting Up Out-of-the-Box App Tiles on Dashboards

This article explains the ServiceNow tile.

ServiceNow tile

The ServiceNow tiles allows users to see their ServiceNow tickets in a list format, as well as create new tickets. App managers can define what is displayed in this tile or leave it up to the individual user. The tile can highlight tickets from the last 24 hours, 7 days or 30 days. If the dashboard is App manager controlled or User controlled, you can make this tile user editable so each user can control what they'd like displayed.
ServiceNow app tile.jpg

Create tickets in ServiceNow

Enables users to create ServiceNow support tickets directly from the intranet tile
Displays:
- Impact
- Urgency
- Short description
- Category
- Sub category

Prerequisites & additional setup

- The Simpplr app manager must enable the ServiceNow from Manage > Application > Integrations > Support & Ticketing.
- The end user must have the required permissions to create tickets in ServiceNow.

App and user level integration of ServiceNow will work the same way as the existing integration. Check out this article if this is your first time setting up your org's ServiceNow integration with the intranet.

View recently reported ServiceNow tickets

This tile allows users to track the latest ServiceNow tickets they have submitted.

Displays:

Ticket ID
Status
Created date
Last updated date
(Placeholder for Screenshot)

Required Inputs:

ServiceNow instance URL
User authentication

Prerequisites & Setup:

Users must authenticate using their ServiceNow account.
Navigate to Manage > Application > Integrations > Custom apps > Add new app > Add prebuilt app, then select and add the ServiceNow app.
Configure necessary OAuth details, enable the app, and access it via Add tile.

Create ServiceNow incident with dynamic form support

You can now create a ServiceNow incident directly from Simpplr using a smarter, more flexible form. Instead of being limited to a few fixed fields, the form now adapts based on your ServiceNow setup including your custom views and fields. This means Simpplr users get a tailored experience that fits your organization’s ServiceNow configuration, without needing to write code or change backend settings.

This introduces the following key features:

View Selector: You’ll now see a dropdown at the top of the tile to choose from your existing ServiceNow form views.
Dynamic Field Loading: Once you select a view, the form automatically fetches the fields tied to that view.
Custom Field Support: Both standard and custom fields from your ServiceNow are supported.
Smart Reference Fields: The system understands certain relationships (like assigning a ticket to a user from a specific group) and helps you pick the right values.

How It Works

1. Selecting a view

When you add the ServiceNow tile, you’ll see a required dropdown called View Selector. It lists the form views available in your connected ServiceNow system. Choose the one you want to use.

2. Dynamic form loading

Once you choose a view, Simpplr reaches out to ServiceNow to get that form’s structure. It pulls details such as:

Field names
Field types (text, dropdown, date, etc.)
Which fields are required
Reference values
Special rules (where available)

3. Auto-built form fields

Based on the view you picked, Simpplr will show all the relevant fields for you to fill. Whether you're using standard or custom fields, the form updates accordingly.

4. Smart dropdowns for reference fields

Some fields, like assigned_to, depend on another field, like assignment_group. Simpplr supports this type of connection — so if you choose a group, the form will automatically show only users from that group in the assigned_to dropdown.

Assumptions, Known Limitations & Special Handling

These are important implementation constraints and behaviors to be aware of:

Topic	Notes
Special Handling for assigned_to	ServiceNow does not expose metadata for cross-table reference dependencies. As a result, only known patterns (like assignment_group → assigned_to) are supported.
Advanced/Dynamic Reference Qualifiers	These are currently not supported. Fields using dynamic qualifiers will display unfiltered dropdowns.
Hidden / Cross‑Table Dependency Handling	We support dependent field filtering when both the primary and dependent fields belong to the same table (e.g., fields within the sys_user table). For example, if a field depends on location, and location is a property of sys_user, we can correctly filter the values. However, in cases where dependencies span across tables, i.e., the dependent field is not a direct property of the same record/table (such as assigned_to depending on assignment_group, which requires resolving relationships via a third table like sys_user_grmember), filtered dropdowns are not supported. For most such cross-table dependencies, we fall back to displaying unfiltered values unless explicitly handled (like the assignment_group → assigned_to pair). This limitation is due to ServiceNow’s metadata APIs not exposing reference relationships or qualifiers across unrelated tables.
UI/Data Policies	ServiceNow UI policies (e.g., making fields mandatory based on conditions) are not fully supported unless exposed via metadata APIs. Example: if “State = Closed”, “Resolution Note” should be mandatory.
Dictionary Overrides	Overridden field behaviors (e.g., mandatory, default values) are honored only if they are included in the fetched metadata. Some customizations may not apply in the rendered UI.
Service Account Permissions	We use service-level account credentials to fetch form views, fields, and fields metadata. We expect the connected ServiceNow user to have the admin role to ensure accurate metadata retrieval. End-user connections use their own ServiceNow credentials and do not require any specific roles.

Benefits

Flexible: Works with different ServiceNow setups — even ones with unique field configurations.
Future-Ready: If your ServiceNow form changes, Simpplr will automatically adjust the form — no developer help needed.
User-Friendly: Everything updates based on your selection. No more scrolling through irrelevant fields.