Get Your App Published on the ServiceNow Store (Part 3)

In Parts 1 and 2 of our blog series on developing apps for the ServiceNow Store we discussed some tips for situations where/when the Store can benefit your application, how to design your app, tools that might help, and how to prepare your app for certification review. Now it's time to submit it! Need a refresher first? Check back in on Part 1 and Part 2. 

Certification Submission: Just a Few More Clicks!

So, you’ve gone through all the preparation steps and nailed the QA testing. What’s left to get to the finish line? Open up your application and give it a version number. Traditional practice might say use 0.##.## for anything still in beta, and consider moving to 1.##.## when you think the app is ready for prime time. When you upload the app, you do need to decide on a version number, and each patch or new version will need a unique version number of its own.Image 1: Give your app a version number

Also, any change in version number requires a run of the Certification Self-Test Tool mentioned in Part 2, so don’t forget!

Once you’re ready to submit, locate the “Publish to ServiceNow Store” link on your application page:Image 2: Find the "Publish to ServiceNow Store" link

This will launch a small pop-up where you indicate the version you want to appear in the Store, some notes about your release, and the credentials for your TPP account. ServiceNow will use this information to upload your application to the Partner Portal. If you’ve used the internal App Repository to move your applications between instances, this will look similar, but the end result will be in TPP instead. We’re almost there!Image 3: Enter app version number, dev notes, TPP credentials

TPP’s interface is divided into several tabs, and the bulk of what we’re talking about is located on the “Certify” tab. Here you’ll see any and all active app certifications you have access to, and each will display two process flows for the Application Certification as well as the “Listing Certification”.Image 4: Certify tab within TPP interface

All we have to do in order to get the app submitted is edit the app details (click the app title or “Edit” in the dropdown), upload your certification documents, provide some release notes, and submit the code for review. You’ll see the status of your app move to “Submitted”, and away it goes.

From there you should expect to hear back from the Certification team within a few days with some follow-up instructions. Some apps will require a demo to the certifier to allow you to demonstrate how it works and discuss the artifacts involved, and they’ll typically let you know how to schedule a time with them. Finally, once they’ve reviewed the application, they’ll respond with a list of findings for items that you can correct within the application, allowing you to fix those items and upload a new version. Sometimes there is a bit of back and forth as fixes are developed, so plan for a few weeks to go through the process, especially your first time.

And, as you can see there may be a few days/weeks involved in the technical components, but don’t let that time go to waste. While the certifier is reviewing the code, you can use that opportunity to take care of the other half of your Store app: the “listing”.Image 5: Enter listing details while waiting for your app to be certified

In TPP, there are additional pieces of information included on the listing such as descriptions of the app, main features, screenshots, User-Facing documentation links, support contacts, sales contacts, etc. If you’re part of a larger company with its own marketing department, this is a perfect time to line up discussions with them to get the information lined up and presentable. You can save the listing and preview it to see what it will ultimately look like in the Store before you submit the listing for ServiceNow review.

With both the listing and application finally ready and through all the approval gates, you’ll have your Store app ready for its big debut! Through TPP, you can finalize your submission details, and that’s it! Your listing should be findable in the ServiceNow Store. Customers will have access to request your app, and through TPP you can handle authorizing them to load the app on their instances and processing any payment details if you choose.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Your great idea is well on its way to stardom.

What is next? 

At Thirdera, we’ve built more certified ServiceNow apps than any other ServiceNow partner. Let our experience help turn your app from idea to asset on the ServiceNow Store!