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Workflow Variables
Workflow Variables
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Written by Hannah Hill
Updated over a week ago

Who Can Do This?

  • Dashboard Users

  • Owners


Workflow variables allow you to collect custom data and associate it with submissions in a workflow.


To get you started, here are some example scenarios of when using workflow variables might be helpful:

  • When you want to collect data from the completer that will be autofilled into other places in the workflow, but don't want to create a separate form to collect that data

  • When the workflow and forms are not changing, but the event, topic, or details change from time to time and you want to be able to determine and include that data beforehand, such as a field trip permission workflow where the location and date change

With that in mind, let's begin setting up your workflow variables.

Navigate to the workflow on which you'd like to add workflow variables and click on Workflow from the options on the left side of your screen.

Make sure your workflow is unlocked. Then click the blue Start button at the top of your workflow.

The configuration window for your start settings will open on the right side of your screen. Click on Workflow Variables (0) at the bottom.

Click Add Variable in the middle of this window.

Give the workflow variable a title, type, and description, if needed. As a best practice, give each variable a clearly identifiable title so that it is easy to understand what data is appearing in this variable later. Instead of "Name", use "Student Name" or "Teacher Name". The Type that you select will control what type of data will be allowed in this variable. For example, if you choose Number, only numbered data will be allowed in this variable.

Repeat these steps until all of the workflow variables that you need have been created.

Click the purple Update button to save your workflow variables.

At this point, you have decided what custom pieces of data you'd like to associate with the submissions in this workflow, and they are ready to be used.

There are two ways to collect this custom data using workflow variables.

  1. By allowing the completer to enter their own data into the custom fields you just created when they start a new submission

  2. By determining ahead of time what data needs to appear in the custom fields you just created and entering it through the Submission Request table (for more information on Submission Requests, click here)

First, let's take a look at how to use workflow variables to collect data at the start of a new submission. If you've completed the above steps to initially setup your workflow variables, there's not much more you need to do if you are collecting data this way. The completer will see each of the workflow variable fields that you created when they begin their submission and will be required to complete them then.

Next, let's take a look at how to use workflow variables to collect data that is entered ahead of time through the Submission Request table. You will use this when you know ahead of time what data needs to appear in these fields and you do not want the completer to enter in any of this data.

While on the workflow builder page, click on Submission Requests on the left side of your screen.

Make sure your request groups and any rosters within those groups are already created before continuing. You can read more about how to do that here.

Click on the request group for which you would like to enter workflow variable data.

Inside this group, click on the roster for which you would like to enter workflow variable data.

To enter individual workflow variable data for each submission request, click the purple Add Request button on the right side of your screen.

When the configuration window appears on the right side of your screen, you will see the workflow variables that you created at the bottom. This is where you can enter in the data you'd like to appear for this specific submission. Once this is done, the completer will not see these fields or be able to enter their own data into these fields.

To add multiple submission requests at once, you can click Import CSV on the right side of your screen.

On your CSV file, you can include a column for each workflow variable, with the appropriate data in each of those columns. Again for more details on importing your CSV of submission requests, please click here.

Whether you added them individually or did a bulk add through a CSV file, you'll now notice that your workflow variables appear as columns in your submission request table, where the custom data is associated with each submission.

If you need to edit the data that you entered for a particular workflow variable, click on the submission you'd like to change.

When the configuration window opens on the right side of your screen, scroll down and click on the Edit button next to the Workflow Variables section.

Make your changes, and then click the purple Save button.

If you would like the data collected in your workflow variables to be autofilled somewhere in the workflow, find out more about setting up your autofill fields here.

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