ServiceNow SDK Extensions Core

A comprehensive TypeScript library that extends the ServiceNow SDK with powerful features for application management, automated testing, log monitoring, and more. Perfect for CI/CD pipelines, development automation, and DevOps workflows.

✨ Features

• 🚀 Application Management - Install, upgrade, and manage ServiceNow applications programmatically
• 🏪 Store Application Management - Search, install, and update apps from the ServiceNow Store
• 🧪 ATF Test Execution - Run automated tests and get detailed results
• 📊 Real-time Log Monitoring - Tail ServiceNow logs with two efficient methods
• 🔄 AMB (Asynchronous Message Bus) - WebSocket-based real-time event monitoring
• 📝 Background Script Execution - Execute server-side scripts programmatically
• 📋 Scope Management - Set/get current application scope programmatically
• 📦 Update Set Management - Create, clone, inspect, and manage update sets
• 🔍 Code Search - Search across platform code, apps, and tables
• 🗄️ Schema Discovery - Discover table schemas, explain fields, validate catalogs
• 📎 Attachment Management - Upload, list, and retrieve file attachments
• ⚡ Batch Operations - Bulk create/update with variable substitution and query-based bulk operations
• 🔧 Workflow Management - Create complete workflows programmatically
• 📌 Task Operations - Add comments, assign tasks, resolve/close incidents
• 🔗 Script Sync - Bidirectional sync of scripts between local files and instance
• 📈 Aggregate Queries - COUNT, AVG, MIN, MAX, SUM with GROUP BY via Stats API
• 🏥 Instance Health - Version, cluster, stuck jobs, semaphore monitoring
• 🗺️ CMDB Relationships - Query and traverse CI relationship graphs
• 🔎 Instance Discovery - List tables, scoped apps, store apps, and plugins
• 🔐 Authentication - Seamless integration with ServiceNow CLI authentication
• 📡 Table API - Full CRUD operations on ServiceNow tables
• 🛠️ Type-Safe - Complete TypeScript definitions for all APIs

📦 Installation

npm install @sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18.x or higher
• ServiceNow CLI configured with instance credentials
• TypeScript 5.x or higher (optional, for TypeScript projects)

ServiceNow CLI Setup

# Install ServiceNow CLI globally
npm install -g @servicenow/sdk

# Configure your instance credentials
snc configure profile set

⚠️ Breaking Change — v3.0.0 (ServiceNow SDK 4.3.0)

If you are upgrading from v2.x, read this first.

This version upgrades the underlying ServiceNow SDK dependencies from 4.2.x to 4.3.0. ServiceNow 4.3.0 changed how credential aliases are stored, replacing the previous keytar-based credential store with a new implementation.

What this means for you:

• Credential aliases created with ServiceNow SDK 4.2.x cannot be read by SDK 4.3.x
• You must re-create all instance aliases after upgrading

Migration steps:

# 1. Update the global CLI
npm install -g @servicenow/[email protected]

# 2. Re-add each instance alias
snc configure profile set
# — or —
npx @servicenow/sdk auth --add <your-alias>

# 3. Verify your aliases work
npx @servicenow/sdk auth --list

All API surfaces in this library remain unchanged — only the underlying authentication storage has changed.

🚀 Quick Start

Basic Connection

import { ServiceNowInstance } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';
import { getCredentials } from '@servicenow/sdk-cli/dist/auth/index.js';

// Get credentials from ServiceNow CLI
const credential = await getCredentials('your-instance-alias');

// Create instance connection
const instance = new ServiceNowInstance({
    alias: 'your-instance-alias',
    credential: credential
});

Real-Time Log Monitoring

import { SyslogReader } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const syslogReader = new SyslogReader(instance);

// Method 1: Using ChannelAjax (faster, more efficient)
await syslogReader.startTailingWithChannelAjax({
    interval: 1000, // Poll every second
    onLog: (log) => {
        console.log(`[${log.sequence}] ${log.message}`);
    },
    outputFile: './logs/servicenow.log'
});

// Method 2: Using Table API (supports filtering)
await syslogReader.startTailing('syslog', {
    interval: 5000,
    query: 'level=error^ORDERBYDESCsys_created_on',
    onLog: (log) => {
        console.error(`ERROR: ${log.message}`);
    }
});

// Stop tailing
syslogReader.stopTailing();

Execute Background Scripts

import { BackgroundScriptExecutor } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const executor = new BackgroundScriptExecutor(instance, 'global');

const script = `
    var gr = new GlideRecord('incident');
    gr.addQuery('active', true);
    gr.query();
    gs.info('Active incidents: ' + gr.getRowCount());
`;

const result = await executor.executeScript(script);
console.log('Script output:', result.output);

Run ATF Tests

import { ATFTestExecutor } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const testExecutor = new ATFTestExecutor(instance);

// Execute a test suite
const result = await testExecutor.executeTestSuite('test_suite_sys_id', {
    timeout: 300000,
    onProgress: (update) => {
        console.log(`Progress: ${update.progress}% - ${update.status}`);
    }
});

console.log(`Tests passed: ${result.testsPassedCount}/${result.totalTests}`);

📚 Core Features

1. Application Management

Programmatically manage ServiceNow applications, plugins, and updates.

import { ApplicationManager, BatchInstallation } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const appManager = new ApplicationManager(instance);

// Install from batch definition
const success = await appManager.installBatch('./batch-definition.json');

// Get application details
const appDetails = await appManager.getApplicationDetails('com.example.my_app');

// Check which apps need updates
const needsAction = await appManager.getApplicationsNeedingAction('./batch-definition.json');

Batch Definition Example:

{
  "packages": [
    {
      "id": "com.snc.sdlc.agile.multi.2.0",
      "type": "plugin",
      "load_demo_data": false
    },
    {
      "id": "sn_cicd_spoke",
      "type": "application", 
      "version": "1.2.3",
      "load_demo_data": false
    }
  ]
}

2. ATF (Automated Test Framework) Testing

Execute tests and retrieve detailed results programmatically.

import { ATFTestExecutor } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const testExecutor = new ATFTestExecutor(instance);

// Execute a single test
const result = await testExecutor.executeTest('test_sys_id', {
    timeout: 120000,
    onProgress: (update) => {
        console.log(`Test: ${update.testName} - ${update.status}`);
    }
});

// Execute test suite
const suiteResult = await testExecutor.executeTestSuite('suite_sys_id', {
    timeout: 600000,
    pollInterval: 5000
});

// Get detailed results
console.log(`Pass Rate: ${(suiteResult.testsPassedCount / suiteResult.totalTests * 100).toFixed(2)}%`);
console.log(`Failed Tests:`, suiteResult.testResults.filter(t => t.status === 'failure'));

3. Syslog Reading & Monitoring

Two methods for log monitoring, each optimized for different use cases.

ChannelAjax Method (Recommended for Real-Time)

Benefits:

• ⚡ Faster (1s default polling vs 5s)
• 🎯 100% reliable (sequence-based tracking)
• 💪 Minimal server load
• ✅ No duplicates or missed logs

import { SyslogReader } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const syslogReader = new SyslogReader(instance);

await syslogReader.startTailingWithChannelAjax({
    interval: 1000,
    onLog: (log) => {
        const timestamp = new Date(log.sys_created_on).toLocaleString();
        console.log(`[${timestamp}] [Seq:${log.sequence}] ${log.message}`);
    },
    outputFile: './logs/tail.log'
});

Table API Method (Supports Filtering)

Benefits:

• 🔍 Server-side filtering with encoded queries
• 📋 Access to syslog_app_scope table
• 🎨 Custom field selection
• 📊 Rich formatting options

await syslogReader.startTailing('syslog', {
    interval: 5000,
    query: 'level=error^sys_created_on>javascript:gs.minutesAgoStart(10)',
    onLog: (log) => {
        if (log.level === 'error') {
            sendAlert(log);
        }
    },
    formatOptions: {
        fields: ['sys_created_on', 'level', 'source', 'message'],
        dateFormat: 'relative',
        maxMessageWidth: 100
    }
});

Query and Export Logs

// Query recent errors
const errors = await syslogReader.querySyslog(
    'level=error^ORDERBYDESCsys_created_on',
    50
);

// Print formatted table
syslogReader.printTable(errors, {
    fields: ['sys_created_on', 'level', 'source', 'message'],
    maxMessageWidth: 80
});

// Export to file
await syslogReader.saveToFile(errors, './logs/errors.json', 'json');
await syslogReader.saveToFile(errors, './logs/errors.csv', 'csv');
await syslogReader.saveToFile(errors, './logs/errors.txt', 'table');

4. AMB (Asynchronous Message Bus)

Monitor real-time events and record changes via WebSocket.

import { AMBClient, MessageClientBuilder } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const builder = new MessageClientBuilder();
const subscriptions = builder.buildClientSubscriptions();
const client = new AMBClient(subscriptions, instance);

// Authenticate and connect
await client.authenticate();
client.connect();

// Watch for incident changes
const channel = client.getRecordWatcherChannel('incident', 'active=true', null, {
    subscriptionCallback: (message) => {
        console.log('Incident updated:', message);
    }
});

channel.subscribe((message) => {
    console.log('Change detected:', message);
});

// Disconnect when done
client.disconnect();

5. Table API Operations

Full CRUD operations on ServiceNow tables.

import { TableAPIRequest } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const tableAPI = new TableAPIRequest(instance);

// Create a record
const createResponse = await tableAPI.post('incident', {}, {
    short_description: 'Test incident',
    urgency: '2',
    impact: '2'
});

// Read records
const readResponse = await tableAPI.get('incident', {
    sysparm_query: 'active=true',
    sysparm_limit: 10
});

// Update a record
const updateResponse = await tableAPI.put('incident', 'sys_id_here', {
    state: '6', // Resolved
    close_notes: 'Issue resolved'
});

// Partial update
const patchResponse = await tableAPI.patch('incident', 'sys_id_here', {
    work_notes: 'Added update via API'
});

6. Background Script Execution

Execute server-side GlideScript with full control.

import { BackgroundScriptExecutor } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const executor = new BackgroundScriptExecutor(instance, 'global');

// Execute script
const result = await executor.executeScript(`
    var gr = new GlideRecord('sys_user');
    gr.addQuery('active', true);
    gr.addQuery('last_login', '>', gs.daysAgoStart(30));
    gr.query();
    
    var count = gr.getRowCount();
    gs.info('Active users (last 30 days): ' + count);
    
    return count;
`);

console.log('Script output:', result.output);
console.log('Return value:', result.result);

📖 API Reference

Core Classes

• ServiceNowInstance - Instance connection and configuration
• ServiceNowRequest - HTTP request handling with authentication
• TableAPIRequest - ServiceNow Table API wrapper (CRUD)

Application Management

• ApplicationManager - Install, upgrade, and validate applications via batch definitions
• AppRepoApplication - App repository operations
• CompanyApplications - Store application search, install, update, and progress tracking

Scope & Configuration

• ScopeManager - Set/get current application scope, list and retrieve applications
• UpdateSetManager - Create, clone, inspect, move records, and manage update sets

Testing & Automation

• ATFTestExecutor - ATF test execution and monitoring with progress tracking
• BackgroundScriptExecutor - Server-side GlideScript execution

Code & Schema

• CodeSearch - Search across platform code by term, app, or table
• SchemaDiscovery - Discover table schemas, explain fields, validate catalog items

Data Operations

• AttachmentManager - Upload, list, and retrieve file attachments
• BatchOperations - Sequential bulk create/update with variable substitution
• QueryBatchOperations - Query-based bulk update/delete with dry-run safety

Workflow & Task

• WorkflowManager - Create complete workflows with activities, transitions, and conditions
• TaskOperations - Add comments, assign tasks, resolve/close incidents, approve changes

Scripting

• ScriptSync - Bidirectional sync of Script Includes, Business Rules, and more

Monitoring & Discovery

• AggregateQuery - COUNT, AVG, MIN, MAX, SUM with GROUP BY via Stats API
• InstanceHealth - Version, cluster nodes, stuck jobs, semaphores, operational counts
• CMDBRelationships - Query direct relationships and traverse CI graphs (BFS)
• InstanceDiscovery - List tables, scoped apps, store apps, and plugins

Logging & Real-time Events

• SyslogReader - Log querying, formatting, export, and real-time tailing
• AMBClient - WebSocket-based real-time event subscriptions
• MessageClientBuilder - AMB client configuration

Utilities

• Logger - Winston-based logging with file output
• NowStringUtil - String manipulation utilities
• AppUtil - Application utility functions

🎯 Use Cases

CI/CD Pipeline Integration

// Install required apps before deployment
const appManager = new ApplicationManager(instance);
await appManager.installBatch('./required-apps.json');

// Run tests
const testExecutor = new ATFTestExecutor(instance);
const testResults = await testExecutor.executeTestSuite('deployment_test_suite');

if (testResults.testsPassedCount !== testResults.totalTests) {
    throw new Error('Tests failed, aborting deployment');
}

Log Analysis & Monitoring

// Real-time error monitoring with alerts
const syslogReader = new SyslogReader(instance);

await syslogReader.startTailing('syslog', {
    query: 'level=error',
    onLog: async (log) => {
        if (log.message.includes('OutOfMemory')) {
            await sendPageAlert('Critical: OOM detected');
        }
        await saveToElasticsearch(log);
    }
});

Data Migration Scripts

const executor = new BackgroundScriptExecutor(instance, 'global');
const tableAPI = new TableAPIRequest(instance);

// Export data
const response = await tableAPI.get('custom_table', {
    sysparm_limit: 1000,
    sysparm_query: 'sys_created_on>2024-01-01'
});

// Process and transform
const records = response.bodyObject.result;
// ... transformation logic ...

// Import to another instance
for (const record of transformedRecords) {
    await targetTableAPI.post('target_table', {}, record);
}

📋 Command-Line Tools

The library includes ready-to-use CLI tools:

Log Tailing (ChannelAjax)

node docs/examples/syslog-tail-channel.mjs your-instance ./logs/tail.log 1000

Log Tailing (Table API)

node docs/examples/syslog-tail.mjs your-instance error ./logs/errors.log

📚 Documentation

Comprehensive documentation is available in the /docs directory:

Getting Started:

• Getting Started - Setup and basic usage
• API Reference - Complete API documentation
• Examples - Working code examples

Application & Scope Management:

• Application Manager - Application management guide
• Store Applications - Store app search, install, and update
• Scope Manager - Application scope management
• Update Set Manager - Update set lifecycle management

Code, Schema & Search:

• Code Search - Platform code search
• Schema Discovery - Table schema and field discovery

Data Operations:

• Attachment Manager - File attachment operations
• Batch Operations - Bulk create/update with variable substitution
• Query Batch Operations - Query-based bulk update/delete

Workflow, Task & Scripting:

• Workflow Manager - Programmatic workflow creation
• Task Operations - ITSM task management
• Script Sync - Bidirectional script synchronization

Monitoring & Discovery:

• Aggregate Query - Stats API aggregations
• Instance Health - Health monitoring
• CMDB Relationships - CI relationship graph traversal
• Instance Discovery - Table, app, and plugin discovery

Testing & Logging:

• ATF Test Executor - Testing automation
• Syslog Reader - Log monitoring guide
• ChannelAjax Tailing - Advanced log tailing

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Custom Request Handlers

import { RequestHandler, ServiceNowInstance } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const handler = new RequestHandler(instance, {
    timeout: 30000,
    maxRetries: 3,
    retryDelay: 1000
});

Custom Logging

import { Logger } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const logger = Logger.createLogger('MyApp');
logger.info('Application started');
logger.error('Error occurred', { details: errorObj });

Authentication Handler

import { NowSDKAuthenticationHandler } from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

const authHandler = new NowSDKAuthenticationHandler(
    'instance-alias',
    credential
);

const token = await authHandler.getToken();

🤝 TypeScript Support

The library is written in TypeScript and includes full type definitions:

import type {
    ServiceNowInstance,
    SyslogRecord,
    ATFTestResult,
    ApplicationDetailModel,
    BatchDefinition
} from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

🐛 Error Handling

import { 
    FileException, 
    InvalidParameterException 
} from '@sonisoft/now-sdk-ext-core';

try {
    await appManager.installBatch('./batch.json');
} catch (error) {
    if (error instanceof FileException) {
        console.error('File not found:', error.message);
    } else if (error instanceof InvalidParameterException) {
        console.error('Invalid parameter:', error.message);
    } else {
        console.error('Unexpected error:', error);
    }
}

⚡ Performance Tips

1. Use ChannelAjax for log tailing - 5x faster than Table API polling
2. Batch operations - Group multiple API calls when possible
3. Adjust poll intervals - Balance responsiveness vs. API load
4. Use encoded queries - Server-side filtering is more efficient
5. Implement retry logic - Handle transient network issues

🔒 Security Best Practices

1. Never hardcode credentials - Use ServiceNow CLI authentication
2. Use environment variables - For configuration
3. Implement role-based access - Verify user permissions
4. Audit API usage - Log all operations
5. Use HTTPS - Always use secure connections

📦 Dependencies

• @servicenow/sdk 4.3.0 / @servicenow/sdk-cli 4.3.0 / @servicenow/sdk-core 4.3.0 - ServiceNow SDK and CLI tools
• axios - HTTP client
• cometd / cometd-nodejs-client - WebSocket support for AMB
• winston - Logging
• xml2js / fast-xml-parser - XML parsing
• ws - WebSocket client
• zod - Runtime schema validation
• lodash - Utility functions

🧪 Testing

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run specific test suite
npm test -- --testPathPattern=SyslogReader

# Run with coverage
npm test -- --coverage

🏗️ Building from Source

# Clone the repository
git clone <repository-url>

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript
npm run buildts

# Run tests
npm test

# Create package
npm pack

📝 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

🙏 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes with tests
4. Submit a pull request

📞 Support

For issues, questions, or contributions:

• 📧 Create an issue in the repository
• 📖 Check the documentation in /docs
• 💬 Review existing examples in /docs/examples

🗺️ Roadmap

• [ ] GraphQL API support
• [ ] Webhook integration
• [ ] Performance metrics dashboard
• [ ] Standalone CLI tool package
• [ ] Plugin development tools

Made with ❤️ for the ServiceNow Developer Community