Inserting a variable
Most block fields accept a variable in place of a fixed value. While you edit a field, click the{x} use variable control to open the picker. You can also type to search the available outputs. The variable you choose appears as a token such as {Deal name}. Each token resolves to a single output from the trigger or an earlier block when the workflow runs.
One rule explains the whole picker. A later block can use only an output from a block that runs before it. So a variable you expect may be missing from the picker. If that happens, the block that produces it sits after the block you are editing. Move your block so it runs later in the path.
To insert a variable into a field:
1
Open the field for editing
Click into the input you want to populate, for example the Message field on a Slack block or an attribute on an Update record block.
2
Open the variable picker
Click the
{x} use variable control on the field. The picker lists every output reachable from this point in the path, grouped by the trigger and each upstream block.3
Pick the output
Type to filter the list, for example
Deal name, then select the output. It drops into the field as a token like {Deal name}.4
Mix with static text
Type around the token to build a template. A message such as
{Deal name} moved to {New value} fills in the live values on each run, producing output like Acme renewal moved to Negotiation.Outputs you can reference
The picker exposes three sources of variables. Each block’s reference page documents the exact outputs that block emits.- Trigger outputs. These are the record or list entry that fired the workflow. They also include fields specific to the event, such as the old and new value on Attribute value changed. A trigger’s record data is a snapshot from the moment it fired. So after a write, reference the write’s output instead.
- Block outputs. Each block documents its outputs on its reference page. For example, Find records returns the matched records, and Parse JSON returns the parsed fields.
- Loop item. Inside a Loop, the current item, its position, and the item count are available to every block in the loop body.
Expressions and formulas
A single variable token carries one value. On its own, it cannot do math, join text together, make a decision, or work out a date. To do anything beyond inserting a value, use a calculation block. Do not try to express logic inside the token itself.- Formula computes a value from other variables, such as a score or a joined-together label. The supported function set is documented on that block’s page.
- Adjust time adds to or subtracts from a date. This is how you build renewal windows and staleness thresholds.
- Aggregate values sums, counts, or averages across many records.
- Execute code runs JavaScript for transformations the other blocks can’t express. Its cost is Variable (complexity-based); see Credits & pricing explained.
The exact function names and operators a Formula accepts are documented on that block’s page and can change between engine versions. Treat the Formula page as canonical, and verify a function in-product if it isn’t listed.
Null-safety and types
A variable takes the type of the field it came from. An empty source field produces an empty value, not an error. The following rules keep an empty or wrong-type value from breaking a later block.- Empty inputs. When a referenced output is empty, the next block receives an empty value. If a step needs the value to be present, guard it first with a Filter or an If.
- Formula safety. A Formula with an empty variable fails the whole block with “Invalid formula”. Set a fallback such as
0on every numeric variable that could be empty. - Type mismatches. A variable carries the type of its source field. Writing text into a number or select attribute can fail, or it can force the value into the wrong shape. Check the target attribute’s type on its Update record step before you map the variable.
- Multi-value fields. Multi-select and relationship attributes hold several values at once. Process them with a Loop rather than assuming a single value.