Get the display value of a reference field

Reference fields store sys_ids internally but display human-readable labels in the UI. New developers instinctively use getValue() expecting the display name, then wonder why they're getting 32-character strings instead. getDisplayValue() performs an additional query to fetch the display field from the referenced table — it's not just a formatting function. Understanding this distinction is critical because you'll need both methods depending on whether you're building user messages or database queries.

When to use getDisplayValue()

• Email notifications where you need user-friendly names instead of sys_ids
• Building display strings for UI messages or log entries
• Comparing reference field values to hardcoded display names in business logic
• Generating reports or exports where end users expect readable values

When NOT to use getDisplayValue()

• Building GlideRecord queries — use getValue() to get the sys_id for addQuery()
• Setting reference field values — setValue() expects sys_ids, not display values
• Performance-critical loops — each getDisplayValue() call triggers a database lookup
• REST API payloads where client applications need stable sys_id references

Key behaviors and gotchas

• getDisplayValue() returns an empty string for null references, while getValue() returns an empty string as well — check field.nil() for proper null detection
• Display values respect ACLs — if the current user can't read the referenced record, you'll get an empty result
• The display field is determined by the referenced table's display attribute in the dictionary — usually name or number
• Works identically on extended tables — a reference to cmdb_ci_server will return the name field from the base cmdb_ci table
• Cross-scope references may fail if the current scope lacks read access to the target application