PDF Application Guide

Overview

What it Does

UXstorm PDF enables you to produce PDF(s) on a record in ServiceNow. PDF Forms use select data on or related to an established record in ServiceNow to create and map that data into a printable PDF. The Forms use an original PDF that is fillable and non-protected/encrypted. They can be designed to look however you want; whether you use preexisting PDF forms in your organization or create personalized PDF forms with Adobe DC.

To make it easy and flexible, UXstorm PDF creates a Form containing the original PDF Form and the table in ServiceNow for use in data mapping. At this point, all the fields from the PDF are added to the UXstorm PDF Form and you can specify how to map that data from ServiceNow into the PDF. This mapping can handle the simple to the complex.

Depending upon the sensitivity of the data in the PDF and what needs to be transferred to the MID Server, the PDF can be password protected and any field can be encrypted during any transfer. Realize that all communications are already encrypted via the HTTPS communication channel from the MID Server and the Instance. This just ensures that the data is encrypted in the ECC queue.

The generation of the PDF on the record can occur either conditionally or nonconditionally. Conditionally generated PDFs occur only when a specific condition occurs to any record that the Form is mapped to. Nonconditional forms are only generated upon calling a JavaScript routine using a UI action, Business Rule, etc.

How it works

Using the UXstorm LocalScript , PDFs are generated on a MID Server using the iText 2.1.7-10 library.

Two Phases for PDFs

  1. Definition of how to map the ServiceNow data into the Form
  2. Production of the PDF using data from ServiceNow

External Requirements

  • ServiceNow MID Server - At minimum, one ServiceNow MID Server must be configured to produce the PDFs. You can use any existing ServiceNow MID Server in your environment. If you do not have a ServiceNow MID Server, then you must create one. If this is the case, this MID Server can be isolated on the network and have no other connectivity to the local network but only access to your ServiceNow Instance.
  • UXstorm LocalScript – This is required for the MID Server communications

Adobe Lifecycle / Experience Designer

Adobe Lifecycle or Experience Designer forms are not supported unless they are converted to a "Static PDF" and unlocked. These tools seem to produce a PDF because of the extension, but it is not an ISO compliant PDF. It has been extended for these applications and the forms data is stored differently in the PDF and not through the standard acroform's object. If the PDF is converted to Static and unlocked, the PDF Field names will be a programmable numeration and will not make sense to casual reading. For these forms, please ensure that the tooltip description is provided and use that in the PDF Forms Mapping to identify each field.