Reuse a list filter in a script with addEncodedQuery()

Writing encoded queries by hand invites typos. Build the filter in a list, then right-click the breadcrumb and choose Copy query.

var QUERY = 'active=true^priority=1^ORpriority=2^assignment_groupISEMPTY';

var gr = new GlideRecord('incident');
gr.addEncodedQuery(QUERY);

// A field name typo makes the platform drop that condition and match more
// records than you expect. Check the query before relying on it.
if (!gr.isValidEncodedQuery(QUERY)) {
  gs.warn('Encoded query is not valid for this table: ' + QUERY);
} else {
  gr.setLimit(20);
  gr.query();
  while (gr.next()) {
    gs.info(gr.getValue('number') + ' · ' + gr.getDisplayValue('priority'));
  }
}

How it works

• addEncodedQuery() accepts exactly what the list filter produces, including ^OR and ^NQ groups.
• isValidEncodedQuery() catches field names that don’t exist on the table.

Gotchas

• Copied queries can contain sys_ids specific to one instance (assignment groups, users). Swap those for properties before moving code between instances.
• Date conditions copied from lists use javascript:gs.… helpers; they run server-side, which is fine in scripts.