A formatter is a form element used to display information that is not a field in the record. Add formatters to a form by configuring the form.

Table 1. Examples of formatters in the base platform
FormatterDescription
Activity formatter Displays the list of activities, or history, on a task form.
Process flow formatter Displays the different stages in a linear process flow across the top of a record.
Parent breadcrumbs formatter Provides breadcrumbs to show the parent or parents of the current task.
Approval summarizer formatter Displays dynamic summary information about the request being approved.
CI relations formatter Displays on the CI form a toolbar for viewing the relationships between the current CI and related CIs.
Note: Formatter elements cannot be exported to PDF. When exporting PDF data from a form, any formatter elements added to the form are not displayed in the PDF output.

To create a custom formatter, create a UI macro to define content for the formatter, then create a formatter that refers to the UI macro. You can then add the formatter to a form.