ServiceNow Studio: Developers' Arsenal, Now Unified for Ultimate Efficiency!
ServiceNow has once again shown that it listens to its community of developers and customers. The launch of ServiceNow Studio is a prime example. Over the years, ServiceNow has provided a range of tools to boost user efficiency. But with ServiceNow Studio, they've truly upped their game. Imagine having all your powerful tools in one unified, intuitive environment – that's the promise of ServiceNow Studio.
As developers, we know the struggle of juggling multiple disjointed tools. ServiceNow Studio aims to change that. By the end of this article, you'll see why this should be your new starting point for development on the platform. It's not just about having the tools; it's about having the right experience to use them seamlessly.
No, I haven't transitioned my career into sales. I'm still a developer and loving it! I'm just super excited about this new feature. I initially thought about starting with a Spider-Man meme, but it wouldn't do justice if I didn't start by saying:
The way current applications are designed, we often have to touch at least 2-3 scopes to make some changes. For instance, if you're in the Security Application and want to configure an OOTB integration, you're already dealing with multiple scopes. And every time you try to edit a file, you get that annoying message. Well, no more of those messages! Now you can manage all your metadata in one place and eliminate time-consuming context switching with cross-scope editing.
Notice the colors in the header bar? Each color denotes a separate scope. I can literally edit files without worrying about scope.
Kudos to ServiceNow for this fantastic feature!
Now this studio, that studio. But how many studios??
Let's be honest with ourselves: the intention behind AES was good. It aimed to provide a UI that could be used by both low-code developers and traditional developers (pro prefers using an IDE). However, it fell short of serving both groups effectively. Low-code developers faced a steep learning curve, while traditional developers encountered too many restrictions.
ServiceNow recognized this issue and decided to separate the two. Business Technologists now use Creator Studio, while traditional developers also go to Servicenow Studio. Since all three are built on the same App Shell, transitioning between them is seamless. For someone like me, who usually works in Creator Studio, it's easy to switch to an IDE if I feel like coding without wizards.
So, what will happen with 'legacy studio' and AES? According to my sources, by the end of 2025, you won't see legacy studio anymore. ServiceNow will gradually retire AES, meaning there will be no active development to improve it.
It's clear that this has been designed specifically to cater to the ServiceNow developer persona. As Andrew Barnes puts it: "You don't need to leave ServiceNow Studio if you are doing active development. All the features you need to develop on the platform are available in this developer-centric, built-from-the-ground-up experience for developers."
How to get it?
To enjoy this amazing tool you need to be in Xanadu Patch 3. Its available as an official store app. With Yokohama I guess it will be auto-installed (since its free, GRATIS !!) By the way its available in PDIs.
Some features that I personally liked:
We have already discussed its cross scope file editing so that's on top. Next up:
Search on face !!
If you're a fan of code search or know the tricks from legacy studio or SNUtils, you'll love this. Only a developer would ask for a search feature right in the center of the screen! Of course, you can disable code search if you're doing a global search. The same search functionality is available in the navigation panel as well, which opens the same search wizard. Loved it!
Swift Navigation via Recent and Bookmark !!
Just like any other developer, I hate having to go back and search for what I was working on because I love to shift focus to improve concentration. Suddenly, while working on something else, the solution to an earlier problem hits me, and I need to quickly navigate back to it. Now, I can do that easily. The History tab works, but look at this view:
Bookmark is cherry on top !!
The importance of these features can only be truly appreciated by developers. That's why when Andrew said it's based on developer feedback (he's one of my favorites when it comes to LCHH), I totally believed it, even though I was initially a bit skeptical.
If I am saying "unified experience" multiple times, apologies, but it really is a unified experience. As of now, the tools that are part of it are:
Seamless Deployments !!
We've heard a lot about App Publishing and the modern deployment packages, with claims that update sets are a thing of the past. However, update sets are still considered one of the easiest ways to deploy. In ServiceNow Studio, whether you use update sets or the app repository, you get a seamless way to deploy your solution.
Personally, I believe app repositories are the way to go, but that doesn't mean I don't use update sets. Having the flexibility to choose between them without leaving my view is simply amazing.
Application File Grouping !!
I used to navigate to 'Legacy Studio' specifically for this feature. This view is incredibly helpful for visualizing the design of the application and makes troubleshooting much easier. Now that this feature has been integrated into the new ServiceNow Studio, it ensures that I don't have to leave my view, providing a unified experience as a developer.
Article is getting bit lengthy so I will just paste resources so that you can explore something by yourself and let me know in the comment section. But before going:
Here is what I see can be improved ->
I didn't like how, when you click Create > File, the wizard for new file creation appears at the bottom.
Final thoughts with resources:
I personally enjoy the product as an experience, and it's definitely going to be part of my daily routine. I believe every developer will appreciate it. So, I'll stop rambling and leave you with some resources:
Feel free to share your feedback on ServiceNow Studio with Andrew Barnes . He loves chatting with developers!