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Variables

With variables, you can enter a value once and reuse it within the process without maintaining it in multiple places. Imagine you want to use the same centrally maintained value (e.g. a url or a responsible person) in an email and in a document. Instead of entering the value in both places, you define it once as a variable and reference it there. Each execution of the process (each running process) continues to use the value the process currently holds via the variable.

Variables Panel​

You can open the variables panel in the process designer using the following button in the top toolbar:

The panel then opens, where you can manage the variables of the process.

Add a variable​

To add a variable, proceed as follows:

  1. Click Add variable in the variables panel.
  2. Enter a Name for the variable. The name must be unique within the process and later serves as the label of the placeholder.
  3. Select the Data type the variable accepts. The following options are available:
    • Text
    • Number
    • Person
    • Date
    • File
  4. Enter a Value that is assigned to the variable when the process starts. The value is entered according to the selected data type (e.g. via a date picker or the people picker). No default values can be maintained for the data type File.
  5. Confirm using Confirm to apply the variables. Using the delete icon at the end of a row (), you can remove a variable again.
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A new variable is only available as a placeholder after saving the process.

Reference variables​

Within the process, you reference a variable as a placeholder. In the placeholder selection, you find the variables of the process in the group Process Variable under the name of the respective variable. When the process is executed, the placeholder is replaced by the current value of the variable.

Set variable value​

You can change the value of a variable during the course of the process. For this purpose, the action Set variables value is available. When this action is executed, the value of the respective process instance is set to the new value - the variable in the process definition remains unchanged.

Display values in dashboards​

Variable values that are filled or changed during the course of the process can also be displayed in dashboards. There, you reference the variable via the same placeholder and display the current value of the process.