How to Autopopulate the Manager's Email Address in a ServiceNow Form

When designing forms in ServiceNow, it's common to need certain fields to automatically populate based on user selections. A frequently encountered requirement is autopopulating a manager's email address when a manager is selected. Here’s a straightforward method to achieve this using Client Scripts and getReference in ServiceNow.

You have a form with two fields:

  • Manager (Reference field): referencing the User table (sys_user).
  • Manager Email (String field): intended to store the email address of the selected manager.

Recommended Solution

Use an On-Change Client Script with a getReference callback to fetch and populate the manager’s email address automatically when the manager field changes.

Step-by-Step Implementation

  1. Create an On-Change Client Script:

Navigate to: System Definition → Client Scripts and create a new client script.

Set the following properties:

  • Type: OnChange
  • Table: Your specific table
  • Field Name: Manager (or your reference field's name)
  • Script Content:
function onChange(control, oldValue, newValue, isLoading) {
    if (isLoading || newValue === '') {
        return;
    }

    // Fetch the manager's record
    g_form.getReference('manager', getEmail);

    function getEmail(manager) {
        // Populate the email address field with manager's email
        g_form.setValue('manager_email', manager.email);
    }
}

Explanation:

  • getReference retrieves the full manager record.
  • The callback function getEmail is invoked once the record is retrieved.
  • g_form.setValue sets the email field to the manager's email.

Alternative Approaches

If you'd prefer other methods, here are alternatives:

  • Dot-Walking: Directly dot-walk from the manager reference field to the email attribute (manager.email).
  • GlideAjax: Use GlideAjax if additional server-side logic is needed before populating.

Recommendations

  • Prefer simple approaches like getReference or dot-walking unless complex logic is required.
  • Ensure fields referenced (manager, manager_email) are accurately named to avoid confusion.

Implementing these steps will help efficiently autopopulate the manager’s email address and enhance user convenience and data accuracy on your forms.