# Workflow variable and action nodes

> Create, read, write, and route values owned by a workflow, and define Workflow Action entry points other controls can trigger.

These nodes are listed under Workflow in the Node Pool. Use them to keep values in a workflow, share them with other workflows or positions, and expose value routing. Choose a node Workflow Variable : create a named value owned by the current workflow Workflow Variable Read : read a variable from this workflow or another workflow Workflow Variable Write : update a variable in this workflow or another workflow Value Router : expose workflow values as routable sources and destinations on the Router UIs Workflow Action : define an action entry point with typed options for other controls or workflows to trigger Workflow Variable Create a named value owned by the current workflow. What you see in the editor Set Variable Key and Type . Set Initial Value for a fresh node's starting value: this field disappears once Persist Value is on, since the last persisted value is used instead. The Name field shown in the card's Details section is a read-only echo of Variable Key , not a separate display name. Enable Persist Value only when the last value should return after the workflow reloads. The card shows Current Value while the workflow runs. Connections Kind Label What it provides Editor control Current Value Change the variable while testing or operating the workflow. Workflow value The variable Available to Workflow Variable Read nodes and to supported position controls. Example Create a Boolean variable named automation-enabled , then read it from another part of the workflow to open or close a gate. Workflow Variable Read Read a variable from this workflow or another workflow. What you see in the editor Choose Workflow , then choose Variable . The current value appears on the card. Connections Kind Label What it provides Output Value The selected variable’s current value. Example Read a shared show-mode variable and connect Value to Case Switch to choose the active branch. Workflow Variable Write Update a variable in this workflow or another workflow. What you see in the editor Choose Workflow , then choose Variable . Connections Kind Label What it provides Input Write Writes a new value to the selected variable when this input changes. Example Connect a result from Event Switch to Write so named events update a shared operating-mode variable. Value Router Expose sources and destinations from this workflow on the Router UIs in the system, so the resulting routes can drive custom routing functionality. What you see in the editor Set Src and Dst to the number of source and destination ports to generate: each is a count from 2 to 200 (default 10), not a list of named entries. Set Lvls (1–10, default 1) to add that many sub-ports to every Src and Dst port, labeled A , B , C , and so on. The card lists one row per port: an input handle labeled A Src *N on the left (then B Src *N *, C Src *N *, and so on for further levels) and an output handle labeled **Dst *N A (then *Dst *N B , and so on) on the right. The level letter is shown even when Lvls is 1. Each destination row also shows which source is currently routed to it, such as Src 3 → Dst 1A . The generated ports appear in Buttons routing views (for example Routing → Ports ) under a Connection entry named after this workflow, with each port's User Label following the same Src *N * / Dst *N * pattern: confirmed live, no naming controls exist for them beyond the port count. Use this node when a workflow value must participate in routing. Use normal workflow connections when the value stays inside one workflow. Connections Kind Label What it provides Inputs Src *N * handles (one per source port and level) A workflow value to publish as a routable source. Outputs Dst *N * handles (one per destination port and level) The value currently routed to that destination, delivered into the workflow. Example Feed a workflow-generated value into a Src handle to publish it as a routable source, then route it to a Dst handle elsewhere (on this workflow or another) to deliver it as an output. Build the actual route from the Routing views, not from this node. Workflow Action Define an action entry point with typed options for other controls or workflows to trigger. What you see in the editor The card only shows the options you've already added, as output handles: Title , Description , and Add Option aren't on the card. Select the node to open its Configuration panel, which is where this node is actually built: Set an optional Title to identify this action wherever it can be triggered from, and a Description shown alongside it there. Use Add Option to define a typed input the caller fills in: Text , Number , True/False , Dropdown , or Multi Dropdown . Each option gets a Label and a Default value; Dropdown and Multi Dropdown also need a list of choices, each with an ID and a Value . Every configured option appears as its own output handle on the card, carrying the value supplied the last time the action ran. States outputs every option's value together as one object, Timestamp outputs when it last ran, and Event fires each time it runs. All outputs are empty until the action has run at least once. Trigger this node from outside its own workflow using the Trigger Workflow Action action, available on button and other control actions and from other workflows' Internal Action node: choose the Workflow , then this node by its Title , then fill in the same options configured here. Connections Kind Label What it provides Outputs One per configured option, named as configured That option's value from the last time the action ran. Output States Every option's value together, as one object. Output Timestamp When the action last ran. Output event Event Fires each time the action runs, carrying the same values as its payload. Example Add a Workflow Action with a Dropdown option named Mode , then trigger it from a button's Trigger Workflow Action action to switch the workflow's behavior from outside it.