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Action Designer

Automate a task with a sequence of related steps such as lookup a record, create a record, and log details about the record creation. Actions separate complexity from the Flow Designer environment, enabling flow designers to add actions to multiple flows with minimal configuration.

Using Action Designer, subject matter experts can:

Create application-specific actions with pre-set configuration details, enabling process analysts to easily add actions to a flow with little configuration.
Create scripted actions that appear code-less when added to a flow.
Build integrations using IntegrationHub.

Core actions

Core actions that come with your instance cannot be viewed or edited from the Action Designer interface. Some applications include spokes which include application-specific actions. Spoke actions are typically read-only but can be copied and customized.

Custom actions

Unlike core actions where flow designers must manually configure flow logic, custom actions always use the same configuration when added to a flow. If your flow designers often use an action with the same configuration, you might create a reusable action.

A reusable action includes these components.

Inputs

Inputs are data variables used in your action. For example, if an action step creates a record in the incident table, your input might be a reference to the incident table. Once added as an input, the table and its fields are available to steps and outputs in the flow.

Each input you define for an action becomes a configuration option in the Flow Designer interface. To use the action in a flow, flow designers must define a value for each mandatory input. The more inputs an action has, the more data flow designers must define and the more familiar they must be with the underlying data model to use the action effectively.

Inputs provide advanced options based on their data type. All inputs have advanced options to add a hint or provide a default value. Use advanced options to guide flow designers through adding and configuring an action to a flow. For example, create a choice input to provide flow designers with a pre-defined list of configuration options to choose from. For more information about the configuration options available to particular data types, see field types.

Action steps

An action step or step is a single reusable operation within an action. For example, the Create Record step allows action designers to specify the table and field values to use during record creation. Action steps require subject matter expertise with application tables, fields, and business logic. Application developers or IT generalists add action steps to actions from the Action Designer design environment. Flow Designer provides a set of ServiceNow core action steps to automate Now Platform processes. You can add application-specific action steps by activating the associated spoke.

Outputs

Outputs are data variables that represent the results of the action. These results are available to other actions in a flow.

Action Designer environment

Subject matter experts build custom actions in Action Designer.

Action Designer interface

Create and edit actions by defining inputs and adding action steps. Test actions to verify if they complete successfully and review the runtime values they generate. Copy actions to use existing actions as templates. Publish actions to activate them, which makes them available to activated flows and to preserve their current action steps, variables, and sequence as a snapshot separate from further configuration changes.

More Actions

Click the More actions icon ( More actions icon ) to access additional options for the action.

Copy action: Create a copy of the open action in an application you specify.
Configurations: Enable or disable the Show inline script toggle option.
Code Snippet: Generate a code snippet for the action.
Manage security: Enable or disable the Callable by Client API option.
Manage natural language title: Create or edit an action title with styled or dynamic text. For more information, see Manage natural language titles.

Testing actions

After adding inputs and action steps, users with the flow_designer role can test an action. To test an action, users must provide the required inputs.

Note: Inputs must be provided for all the required fields.

Flow designers should always test actions on non-production instances containing relevant demonstration data because testing an action creates or changes records on the instance.

Note: User must have the flow_designer or admin role to view the executions.

Roles

To create custom actions, a user must have the action_designer or admin role.

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Action Designer

Using Action Designer, subject matter experts can:

Create application-specific actions with pre-set configuration details, enabling process analysts to easily add actions to a flow with little configuration.
Create scripted actions that appear code-less when added to a flow.
Build integrations using IntegrationHub.

Core actions

Custom actions

A reusable action includes these components.

Inputs

Action steps

Outputs

Outputs are data variables that represent the results of the action. These results are available to other actions in a flow.

Action Designer environment

Subject matter experts build custom actions in Action Designer.

Action Designer interface

More Actions

Click the More actions icon ( More actions icon ) to access additional options for the action.

Copy action: Create a copy of the open action in an application you specify.
Configurations: Enable or disable the Show inline script toggle option.
Code Snippet: Generate a code snippet for the action.
Manage security: Enable or disable the Callable by Client API option.
Manage natural language title: Create or edit an action title with styled or dynamic text. For more information, see Manage natural language titles.

Testing actions

After adding inputs and action steps, users with the flow_designer role can test an action. To test an action, users must provide the required inputs.

Note: Inputs must be provided for all the required fields.

Flow designers should always test actions on non-production instances containing relevant demonstration data because testing an action creates or changes records on the instance.

Note: User must have the flow_designer or admin role to view the executions.

Roles

To create custom actions, a user must have the action_designer or admin role.

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