Overview

The Service Portal in ServiceNow provides a modern, customizable user interface for users to access ServiceNow applications and services. Working with Service Portal involves creating and customizing widgets, which are the building blocks of Service Portal pages. Implementing custom Service Portal widgets allows for tailored user experiences, supporting specific business requirements and workflows.

Key Concepts

1. Widgets: The basic UI elements in Service Portal, containing HTML, CSS, and AngularJS.
2. Service Portal Designer: The tool used to create and arrange widgets on a portal page.
3. AngularJS and Server Script: The client and server-side scripting languages used to create dynamic widget functionality.

Common Interview Questions

Basic Level

1. What is a Service Portal widget in ServiceNow?
2. How do you create a basic custom widget in ServiceNow Service Portal?

Intermediate Level

3. How can you pass data from the server script to the client script in a custom widget?

Advanced Level

4. Discuss a complex project where you optimized Service Portal widget performance. How did you achieve it?

Detailed Answers

1. What is a Service Portal widget in ServiceNow?

Answer: A Service Portal widget in ServiceNow is a modular, reusable user interface component that serves as the building block for creating pages within the Service Portal. Widgets can encapsulate everything from simple content like text and images, to complex functionality like search forms and custom applications. They are designed using HTML for structure, CSS for styling, and AngularJS for dynamic behavior.

Key Points:
- Widgets are the primary UI components in Service Portal.
- They support HTML, CSS, and AngularJS.
- Widgets can be reused across different pages and portals.

Example:

// This example illustrates a conceptual approach rather than specific C# code.
// ServiceNow widgets are developed using HTML, CSS, and AngularJS.

// Example HTML structure of a widget
<div class="widget-example">
    Hello, world!
</div>

// Example CSS for the widget
.widget-example {
    font-size: 20px;
    color: blue;
}

// Example AngularJS controller for the widget
function($scope) {
    $scope.greeting = "Hello, world!";
}

2. How do you create a basic custom widget in ServiceNow Service Portal?

Answer: Creating a basic custom widget in ServiceNow Service Portal involves a few key steps: defining the widget's structure with HTML, styling it with CSS, and adding functionality with client-side scripting using AngularJS. The process includes accessing the Widgets section in the Service Portal configuration, using the Widget Editor to add the HTML, CSS, and AngularJS code, and configuring any necessary server-side scripts to fetch data.

Key Points:
- Access the Service Portal > Widgets module to create a new widget.
- Utilize the Widget Editor for coding and configuration.
- Server script for data retrieval and client script for dynamic interaction.

Example:

// This example is conceptual. ServiceNow widgets do not use C#.

// HTML part
<div>
    {{data.message}}
</div>

// Server Script part
(function() {
    data.message = "Welcome to our Service Portal!";
})();

// Client Script part
function() {
    // Client-side logic can be added here if needed
}

3. How can you pass data from the server script to the client script in a custom widget?

Answer: In a custom widget, you can pass data from the server script to the client script by setting properties on the data object in the server script. The data object is automatically available in the client script's AngularJS controller, allowing you to access any of the properties set in the server script.

Key Points:
- The data object acts as a bridge between server and client scripts.
- Properties set on data in the server script can be accessed in the client script.
- This mechanism is useful for initializing widget data dynamically.

Example:

// Server Script
(function() {
    data.userName = "John Doe"; // Passing user name to the client script
})();

// Client Script
function($scope) {
    // Accessing the userName in the client script
    $scope.userName = $scope.data.userName;
}

4. Discuss a complex project where you optimized Service Portal widget performance. How did you achieve it?

Answer: In a complex ServiceNow Service Portal project, widget performance was critical due to the high volume of users and interactions. The optimization process involved several strategies, including minimizing server calls, using the cache effectively, and optimizing AngularJS bindings.

Key Points:
- Minimize Server Calls: Reduced the number of server-side calls by batching requests and ensuring only necessary data was fetched.
- Effective Caching: Implemented caching strategies both on the server side and client side to store and reuse data, reducing load times.
- Optimize AngularJS Bindings: Reviewed and optimized AngularJS data bindings to reduce watchers and improve digest cycle performance.

Example:

// Example illustrating conceptual optimization strategies
// Note: ServiceNow development does not involve C# coding.

// Minimizing server calls: Batched data retrieval in server script
(function() {
    // Pseudocode: Fetch multiple pieces of data in a single call
    data.userInfo = getUserInfo();
    data.recentTickets = getRecentTickets();
    // Implement caching if data doesn't change frequently
})();

// Client Script: Optimize AngularJS bindings
function($scope) {
    // Use one-way binding (::) where possible to reduce watchers
    $scope.userInfo = ::$scope.data.userInfo;
}

This answer provides a conceptual overview of optimizing a ServiceNow Service Portal widget, focusing on reducing server calls, using caching, and optimizing AngularJS bindings for better performance.