How to Modify the Order of Properties as Displayed on a Properties Page - Support and Troubleshooting

How to Modify the Order of Properties as Displayed on a Properties Page Issue  Overview As a general rule, the system properties as displayed on a specific System Properties page are configured to display in a relevant and logical order. However, in certain cases (particularly after new system properties may have been added to the page), the ordering of these properties as appearing on the page may need to be modified. This article will describe the steps which can be used to modify this ordering.

Procedure The steps detailed below will allow for adjusting the order on the majority of System Property pages as found within a ServiceNow instance. However, there are several System Properties pages that use a somewhat different mechanism to render and display the properties, and as such the methods detailed here may not achieve the needed result for those specific pages. These special pages in which this will not work as described, include the following; Standard Change Properties, Service Catalog Properties, MId-Server Properties, Email Properties, Import Export Properties, and Approval Engines. See KB article How to Add Properties to the Non-Standard Properties Pages for amplifying information regarding these special pages. Other then these few exceptions, almost every other property page will allow the display order of the properties as found on the page to be ordered to an admin user's preference.

To begin, there are two orderings that must be understood. A system properties page can be one list of properties or it can consist of several categories or groupings of similar properties. Thus, each grouping (or Category) is listed in a specific order on the page, with the individual system properties listed under each category listed in a specific order within that category.

The ordering of the specific categories on the system properties page is solely controlled by an ascending alphabetical ordering of the Name of the category. Thus, System Property Categories that begin with the letter C will appear higher on the page than those starting with the letter D. Because the actual Name of the system property category does not actually display on the system properties page, the user can have some control of the ordering of these categories on the page by adjusting this name. However, it should also be remembered that this Name field is how the properties will appear in record lists and also slush bucket controls (such as displayed when adding System Properties to System Property Categories).

However, much more configurable is the ordering of the individual system properties within a category. If a page contains only one populated system property category, then the System Properties will appear directly on the page in the order specified. To change the ordering of the individual System Properties as displayed on the page, perform these steps:

Ensure to be logged into the instance with an account having administrator rights to the instance.

Make note of the System Properties that are to be included on the page and the preferred ordering of these System Properties as displayed on the page (within the Category).

Browse to the following location on the instance: System Properties -> Categories .

This should display a list of all the System Property Categories as found on the instance. Locate the property name corresponding to the name of one of the Categories of Properties that is to appear on the page. Open this record for editing.

Once the Category record is opened, click the Edit button in the Properties related list section of the record.

A slushbucket control will appear. The list displayed on the right side of the slush bucket will contain all the System Properties currently configured to appear on the page. The ordering of these System Properties as shown in that list will directly correspond to the order these System Properties will appear on the page. Thus, to change the order, click on one of the properties in this list and click the up/down arrows to position the System properties in the ordered wanted for that Category.

Once satisfied with the ordering of the System Properties in the list, click the Save button.

Click the Back button at the System Properties category.

Note that, as System Properties are re-odered, the Order field will automatically be updated by the system, in increments of 100.

Note : From this same slushbucket control, a user can add and remove System Properties as associated to this Category which will determine if the System Property is displayed on the System Properties page.

This process should be repeated for each Category of System Properties that will appear on the System Properties page.

Once configured, the appropriate System Properties page can be opened to verify that the System Properties are appearing in the configured order on the page.

Additional Information For information on adding a new System Property to an existing page, see KB article How to add a System Property to a Properties Page .

For information regarding the non-standard System Properties pages, see KB article How to Add Properties to the Non-Standard Properties Pages .