RenderTypes

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This document is intended for ServiceNow / Squid administrators wanting to understand how Squid works or creating custom configurations.

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While References and Relations define what is to be rendered, RenderTypes define how that data is rendered.

RenderTypes have an impact on

• the rendered JSON and with that what data is returned as well as how that data is structured.
• the database load (some RenderTypes can cause exponentially more database queries).
• your retrieved entities count. Some RenderTypes count toward your licensed entities limit.

Defining how to render references is straightforward. We have the following options:

• SysId - Render just the SysId.
• Reference - Render the referenced entity as well.
• Inline Content - Render the referenced entity inline.
• Literal - Render the value of the reference field.
• Display Value - Render the referenced entity via ServiceNow's Display Value.
• Disable - Exclude the reference from the output.

Relations have other options that mirror those for references. Relations can additionally define where and when a relation is rendered. We have these options:

RenderTypes starting with Relation*. These render the relation in the dedicated relations section of returned JSON.

• Relation SysId - Render the relation with just the SysId of the target.
• Relation Reference - Render the relation with the target entity rendered as reference.
• Relation Inline Content - Render the relation with the target entity rendered inline.
• Relation Literal - Render the relation with the value of the target field.
• Relation Display Value - Render the relation with the target entity via ServiceNow's Display Value.

and RenderTypes starting with Inline*. These render the relation inline with the referencing entity.

• Inline SysId - Render the relation inline with just the SysId of the target.
• Inline Reference - Render the relation inline with the target entity rendered as reference.
• Inline Content - Render the relation inline with the target entity rendered inline.
• Inline Literal - Render the relation inline with the value of the target field.
• Inline Display Value - Render the relation inline with the target entity via ServiceNow's Display Value.

Quick Decision Guide for References

For details see RenderTypes Reference.

Use Case	RenderType
Only need the sys_id	SysId
Bulk export with referenced data	Reference
Single entity, self-contained JSON	Inline Content
Field value already is the required value	Literal
Render ServiceNow displayValue	Display Value
Exclude a reference from output	Disable

Quick Decision Guide for Relations

For details see RenderTypes Relations.

First, decide where the relation should be rendered:

Requirement	Use RenderTypes starting with...
Bulk export, optimized performance	Relation*
Single entity, self-contained JSON	Inline*

Then, decide what data to render:

Relation* RenderTypes

These render in the relations section.

Use Case	RenderType
Only need sys_id, no entity data	Relation SysId
Bulk export with full entity details (recommended)	Relation Reference
M-to-N relation, field value is what you need	Relation Literal
Human-readable display names (locale-dependent)	Relation Display Value

Inline* RenderTypes

These render inline with the referencing entity and require Allow Inline Relations on the requested configuration.

Use Case	RenderType
Self-contained JSON, only need sys_id	Inline SysId
Self-contained JSON with full entity details	Inline Reference
Single entity request, fully nested JSON	Inline Content
M-to-N relation, field value inline	Inline Literal
Human-readable display names inline (locale-dependent)	Inline Display Value

Performance

For bulk data exports, prefer Relation Reference over any Inline* RenderType.
Inline* RenderTypes cause additional SQL queries per entity and should be reserved for single-entity requests.