The Input Builder allows you to construct dynamic values for activity input parameters. A dynamic value is a variable for which the Input Builder obtains a value at run time. You can also construct complex literal values. The Input Builder is also available for some fields in the Configuration Console. For detailed examples of using the Input Builder to construct input values, see the sample workflows in Workflow Examples.
The Input Builder allows you to construct a value with one or more of the following input elements:
Retrieves an output value from another activity in the workflow. You can retrieve any output parameter from any activity in the workflow, such as the name of the trigger that activated the Start of Workflow activity. This element is available only in the Workflow Designer.
Retrieves information related to a specific activity’s start time, end time, or duration during the course of a workflow. This element is available only in the Workflow Designer.
Retrieves the specified attribute value from the event that triggered the work item, such as the subject line on an email event.
Retrieves the specified attribute value from the current work item, such as the subject or description. You can also retrieve custom work item attributes.
Retrieves the specified attribute value from the trigger that initiated the work item. This element is available only in the Workflow Designer.
Retrieves the value from the specified global setting at run time, such as the name of the email server or the URL for the Operations Console.
Retrieves the URL of the user input form associated with the specified Collect Input from User activity. For more information, see Linking to a User Input Form.
Allows you to add text to the constructed value. For example, if you use the Send Email activity in a workflow, you can use the Input Builder to construct the message body with a combination of free-form text and activity output parameters. The text you type is the same for each work item. The variables retrieve values at run time.
Adds a new line to the constructed value. For example, if you use the Send Email activity in a workflow, you can use the Input Builder to construct the message body with a combination of literal values and variables. You can separate blocks of text with one or more new lines. This element is only available in the Workflow Designer.
Adds a space to the constructed value. For example, if you want to specify the full name of a user in an input parameter, and you must retrieve the first and last names as separate values, you can use the Input Builder to concatenate the two values into one value at run time, separated by a space.
Adds an empty string to the constructed value. For example, if the input parameter requires an entry at design time, but you want to specify a null value, you can use the Input Builder to populate the input parameter with an empty string.
Adds a tab to the constructed value. For example, if you want to construct the contents of a text file, you can insert a tab to indent the start of a paragraph.