Improving Load Time on Classic Forms in ServiceNow

If you've spent any time in ServiceNow, you've probably noticed that classic forms with a large number of related lists can take a significant amount of time to load. It's especially noticeable in a Visual Task Board, because you're just sitting in the modal window watching the "Loading..." message and cursing your inability to proceed with your work. It can be downright frustrating. ??

You may be aware that there is a User Preference you can set that can significantly improve the load time of your forms. In the Display section, there is a preference called Load related lists in classic forms. This defaults to "With the form", but you can switch it to "After the form loads" or "On demand". Both of those options can have a huge impact on your form performance. Here's the run down on them:

?? After the form loads: This will load the main body of your form almost instantaneously, with your related lists loading once that's complete. You can begin entering data in the form right away. The downside is that opening/auto-completing of reference fields won't work until the related lists are fully loaded.

?? On demand: This will also load the body of your form in a flash, and in this case, you can immediately begin interacting with all the data, including reference fields. The downside is that your related lists won't load unless you click a button, and if you use them frequently, this can be a pain to do every time.

Personally, I find "After the form loads" to be the sweet spot between improved performance and ease of use, but you can select your favorite!

In my experience, users who switch to one of the faster form load options love it, but most users either don't know about this or don't understand the value of making this change. Luckily, I discovered recently that there's a way to update the default value of that user preference for any user who hasn't set it!

All you have to do is create a global user preference, as explained in this older ServiceNow knowledge article I stumbled across. Here are the steps to follow:

? Navigate to User Administration > User Preferences.

? Click the New button.

? Fill out the form as shown below, using glide.ui.related_list_timing as the Name and leaving the User field blank. Also, be sure to check the System checkbox.

? For the Value, enter deferred for "After the form loads" or ondemand for "On demand".

? Click the Submit button!

That's all you need to do! Now all your users can enjoy improved load time on their classic forms, including within VTBs. And if they choose to set that user preference as something other than what you created, the system will honor their choice. It's a win-win! ??