Change Variable Step

The Change variable step can write a new value, clear it, or modify it using the current value. For example, you can increase a counter, append text to a string, or add an item to an array.

Select A Variable

Add the step from the catalog, select it on the workflow, and open the Variable field. The variable selection dialog opens. Choose a tab:

Process: the value is used only inside one run;
Project: a shared project value visible to all its runs;
Lead: the value is stored for the current lead and is available to later runs;
Dialog: the value is stored in the current conversation and is available to later runs in it.

A background automation has no current lead or dialog, so its Lead and Dialog tabs are not shown.

In the dialog, you can search by name or description or select the create action.

Click Select next to the desired variable. The dialog closes, and the step field shows its scope and name.

Select A Variable. Highlighted elements: 3. variable selection dialog; 4. search by name or description; 5. create action — 3. variable selection dialog · 4. search by name or description · 5. create action

If the variable does not exist yet, create it from the same dialog. A run variable only needs a name; a project, lead, or dialog variable needs a definition. See the creation steps with screenshots in Automation variables.

After selecting or creating a run variable, choose its type in the step settings: text, number, Yes / No, date, array, object, or JSON. A lead, dialog, or project variable type comes from its definition.

Choose How To Change The Value

First, choose an operation. All types support:

Set: replace the current value;
Clear: remove the value;
Set if not set: write a value only when the variable is empty.

Additional operations depend on the type:

text: append or prepend text;
number: increase or decrease;
Yes / No: toggle the value;
date: set the current date and time, or shift it forward/backward by minutes, hours, or days;
array: append items, prepend items, add only missing items, or remove matching items;
object: add or update fields, or remove fields;
JSON: only the three universal operations.

Clear, Toggle, and Set current date do not need another value. For the other operations, fill in the Value field. You can enter a literal or insert a compatible variable.

Add only missing items compares complete values. Strings, numbers, Boolean values, arrays, or objects that are already present are not added again; new items are appended in the specified order.

When an operation accepts several value representations, a Value type field appears above the value. Specify whether you are passing text, a number, Yes / No, a date, an array, an object, or JSON. When an operation accepts only one type, the cabinet selects it automatically and does not show this field.

Choose How To Change The Value. Highlighted elements: 1. operation; 2. Value field — 1. operation · 2. Value field

When shifting a date forward or backward, choose a change unit: minutes, hours, or days.

Change A Field Inside A Variable

If you need to change only one field inside an object or array, select the pencil next to the variable picker and enter a path such as run.customers.0.name. See Variables for the nested-value rules.

A run variable value is applied inside the current run. A lead, dialog, or project value remains available after that run finishes.

Changing a project variable affects more than the current run. Before publication, check which agents and other automations use the same name.

What Is Validated Before Execution

The scope, name, type, and operation are required. A value is required only for operations that use one. For project, lead, and dialog variables, publication also verifies that the definition exists in the current project. A run variable does not require a separate definition.