--- title: Context Variables slug: context-variables docTags: createdAt: 2025-08-11T11:13:46.000Z --- Context variables hold data about the current playbook run: trigger payloads, playbook inputs, action results, assets, variables, and runtime metadata. You use them in expressions to map inputs, build conditions, and transform data. ## When to Use Context Variables Use context variables when you need to: - Map data from a trigger into an action input (for example, `$event.data.body.email`) - Reference earlier action results (for example, `$actions.http_request.result.body`) - Build conditional logic (for example, `$actions.lookup.status == "success"`) - Use playbook inputs or variables at runtime (for example, `$inputs.customerId, $variables.counter`) ## Using Context Variables in Expressions Use dot notation to access properties and bracket notation for arrays or keys with special characters. **Examples:** :::BlockQuote \# Trigger data $event.data.body.severity $event.data.headers\["x-request-id"]# Playbook inputs $inputs.ticketId $inputs.items\[0].id# Action results $actions.enrich.result.ip $actions.lookup.status# Variables $variables.retryCount $loop.value ::: **Where you can use expressions:** - Action inputs (static value, playbook property, or expression) - Conditions (flows, triggers, and retries) - Transformations and scripts ## Finding the Right Names and Paths Use these spots in the UI to confirm the exact names and paths you should reference: - **Action outputs**: Open the action **Outputs** tab to see the output schema and property names. See [Outputs](docId\:tXmjLSnfToViGfg30Wbl7). - **Discovered outputs**: Use **Discovered Outputs** when testing actions to capture runtime fields that aren't in the base schema. See [Discovered Outputs and Testing](docId:0m_vna2tE15I4msHcDnJ1). - **Trigger schemas**: The trigger configuration defines the `$event.data `structure for that trigger. - **Action names**: Use the action name shown on the canvas as the `` in `$actions.`. ## Context Variable Reference | Context Variables | Description | Example | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | $playbook | The name of the playbook | find\_iocs | | $inputs | User-defined schema of inputs for a playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | "$inputs": \{
"some\_string\_playbook\_input": "some\_string\_passed\_to\_the\_playbook"
} | | | | \::: | | | | $event | Data related to the sensor event that triggered the playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | **Webhook**
 
"$event": \{
"data": \{
"headers": \{
"x-account-id": "228edce1-be3e-4b45-99d5-b4a11ac41489",
"x-tenant-id": "911b9bae-540e-4064-93dc-33c1364587dd",
"host": "turbine\_webhook\_agent\_pool",
"connection": "close",
"authorization": "Basic U3dpbWxhbmU6YXNk",
"user-agent": "PostmanRuntime/7.28.3",
"accept": "\*/\*",
"cache-control": "no-cache",
"postman-token": "fc42206a-66a0-4649-9885-a16e00ab8e9d",
"accept-encoding": "gzip, deflate, br"
},
"url": \{
"hostname": "turbine\_webhook\_agent\_pool",
"href": "http\://turbine\_webhook\_agent\_pool/v1/webhook/5e60bc88-5780-42a9-8026-329fd0060d55/triggers\_webhook\_am9pa",
"ips": \[],
"pathname": "/v1/webhook/5e60bc88-5780-42a9-8026-329fd0060d55/triggers\_webhook\_am9pa",
"port": 80,
"protocol": "http",
"query": \{}
},
"method": "GET"
},
"post": \{},
"type": "custom\_webhook",
"action": "request",
"fqn": "turbine.custom\_webhook.request",
"timestamp": 1717444327944,
"sensor": \{
"name": "triggers\_webhook\_am9pa",
"tags": \{}
},
"agent": \{
"name": "webhook-agent-a966253ee5a4-f975040d-f3e5-4a96-beec-bd729605537e",
"tags": \{}
},
"tags": \{}
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $event | Data related to the sensor event that triggered the playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | **Record**
 
"$event": \{
"data": \{
"application": \{
"id": "aXRvgAk9ufrM86LOp",
"uid": "records-testing-658c9",
"name": "Records Testing"
},
"currentUser": \{
"id": "a6d44865-ed5d-4b9a-a29d-d0d3302d5629",
"username": "[swimlaneadmin@swimlane.com](mailto\:swimlaneadmin@swimlane.com)",
"isSystemUser": false
},
"record": \{
"id": "aN1Kk0cot6maprd0C",
"url": "https\://localhost:443/account/228edce1-be3e-4b45-99d5-b4a11ac41489/tenant/911b9bae-540e-4064-93dc-33c1364587dd/record/aXRvgAk9ufrM86LOp/aN1Kk0cot6maprd0C",
"values": \{
"text": "Example",
"multiline-text": "Multi line example",
"radio-buttons": "option-2",
"numeric": 1,
"tracking-id": "ORT-9",
"first-created": "2024-06-03T19:56:10.0259161Z",
"last-updated": "2024-06-03T19:56:10.0606078Z"
}
}
},
"post": \{},
"type": "record",
"action": "create",
"fqn": "turbine.record.create",
"timestamp": 1717444570268,
"sensor": \{
"name": "turbine",
"tags": \{}
},
"agent": \{
"name": "sw\_api",
"tags": \{}
},
"tags": \{}
} | | | | \::: | | | | $event | Data related to the sensor event that triggered the playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | **Cron**
 
"$event": \{
"data": \{
"cron": "\* \* \* \* \*"
},
"post": \{},
"type": "schedule",
"action": "cron",
"fqn": "turbine.schedule.cron",
"timestamp": 1717446660290,
"sensor": \{
"name": "turbine",
"tags": \{}
},
"agent": \{
"name": "engine-local",
"tags": \{}
},
"tags": \{}
} | | | | \::: | | | | $event | Data related to the sensor event that triggered the playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | **Manual**
 
"$event": \{
"data": \{},
"post": \{},
"type": "playbook",
"action": "executeTest",
"fqn": "turbine.playbook.executeTest",
"timestamp": 1717442522695,
"sensor": \{
"name": "turbine",
"tags": \{}
},
"agent": \{
"name": "api-local-dev",
"tags": \{}
},
"tags": \{} | | | | \::: | | | | $event.data | Data/inputs from the event |   | | $event.post | Any data post-processing from the trigger |   | | $event.type | Type of event (events, sensors, schedules) |   | | $event.action | Action of the event type |   | | $event.fqn | Fully qualified event name |   | | $event.timestamp | Integer timestamp of the event in milliseconds |   | | $event.sensor.name | Name of the sensor that received the event |   | | $event.sensor.tags | Tags associated with the sensor |   | | $event.agent.name | Name of the agent that was running the sensor |   | | $event.agent.tags | Tags associated with the agent |   | | $event.tags | Tags associated with the event |   | | $trigger.name | The name of the trigger | \:::BlockQuote | | **Cron**
 
"$trigger": \{
"type": "schedules",
"name": "cron"
} | | | | \::: | | | | $trigger.name | The name of the trigger | \:::BlockQuote | | **Webhook**
 
"$trigger": \{
"type": "sensors",
"name": "triggers\_webhook\_acu1r"
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $trigger.name | The name of the trigger | \:::BlockQuote | | **Records**
 
"$trigger": \{
"type": "records",
"name": "a6tgj.create"
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $trigger.name | The name of the trigger | \:::BlockQuote | | **Manual**
 
"$trigger": \{
"type": "events",
"name": "playbook.executeTest"
} | | | | \::: | | | | $trigger.type | The type of trigger (events, sensors, schedules) |   | | $actions | Object containing all preceding actions that led to the current action | \:::BlockQuote | | "$actions": \{
"some\_create\_variables\_action\_key\_name": \{
"result": \{
"string\_at7xg": "test",
"number\_ajpro": 1,
"boolean\_a7qe9": true,
"object\_a4k88": \{
"string\_amul7": ""
},
"array\_afhe7": \[
\{
"array\_agz7a": \[
""
]
}
],
"attachment\_ah5dr": null,
"iterable": \[
1,
2,
0
]
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"some\_http\_action\_key\_name": \{
"result": \{
"status\_code": 200,
"headers": \{
"date": "Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:08:02 GMT",
"content-type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
"content-length": "2110",
"connection": "close",
"etag": "W/\\"83e-HiAiudLaghvV/6XO4efAJkfVWT0\\"",
"set-cookie": \[
"sails.sid=s%3A6NN48IK2HUVfuh99U38mgwQTe3kfa9ZB.ebTIFfsxekw%2Fn8r1yME8yYz2VzJxsa7pOsv9hBFmaQk; Path=/; HttpOnly"
]
},
"status\_reason": "OK",
"body": \{
"args": \{
"test": "1",
"\{\\"block\_1\\":\{\\"text\\":\\"some text\\",\\"text-2\\":\\"more text\\",\\"text-list\\":": \{
"\\"text1\\",\\"text2\\",\\"text3\\"": \{
"1,2.2,3.45,-4": \{
"\\"one\\",\\"three\\"": \{
"\\"option-1\\",\\"option-3\\"": \{
"\\"ORT-4\\"": \{
"\[\\"ORT-4\\",\\"ORT-5\\"],\\"reference-grid\\":\[\\"ORT-4\\",\\"ORT-5\\"]},\\"block\_2\\":\[\\"text1\\",\\"text2\\",\\"text3\\"],\\"true\\"\:true}": "\[\\"text1\\",\\"text2\\",\\"text3\\"]"
}
}
}
}
}
}
},
"headers": \{
"x-forwarded-proto": "https",
"x-forwarded-port": "443",
"host": "postman-echo.com",
"x-amzn-trace-id": "Root=1-665e22a1-454ed58d1b586c896b75161a",
"accept-encoding": "gzip, deflate, br"
},
"url": "[https://postman-echo.com/get?xxxx](https://postman-echo.com/get?xxxx)"
}
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"some\_loop\_action": \{
"result": \[
\{
"script\_ac4ft": \{
"result": \{
"string\_ano7f": "text1"
}
}
},
\{
"script\_ac4ft": \{
"result": \{
"string\_ano7f": "text2"
}
}
},
\{
"script\_ac4ft": \{
"result": \{
"string\_ano7f": "text3"
}
}
}
],
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"$parent": \{
"published": \{},
"status": "fail"
},
"$current": \{
"result": \{
"actions": \{
"createVariables\_atysx": \{
"result": \{
"string\_awuwp": "asdf"
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
}
},
"published": \{}
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"newComponent\_az0s4": \{
"result": \{
"actions": \{
"createVariables\_atysx": \{
"result": \{
"string\_awuwp": "asdf"
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
}
},
"published": \{}
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"7\_Script": \{
"result": \{},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"condition\_aexis": \{
"result": "3",
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
},
"transformation\_alag3": \{
"result": \{
"block\_1": \{
"text": "some text",
"text-2": "more text",
"text-list": \[
"text1",
"text2",
"text3"
],
"email": "[ian.schultz@swimlane.com](mailto\:ian.schultz@swimlane.com)",
"url": "[https://swimlane.com](https://swimlane.com)",
"rich-text": "\

header\

",
"multiline-text": "multiline\ntext\ndata",
"telephone": "123-345-5678",
"ip": "127.0.0.1",
"json": "\{ \\"property1\\": \\"value 1\\", \\"property2\\": true }",
"numeric": 123.4,
"numeric-list": \[
1,
2.2,
3.45,
-4
],
"single-select": "value-2",
"multi-select": \[
"one",
"three"
],
"radio-buttons": "option-2",
"checkboxes": \[
"option-1",
"option-3"
],
"date--time": "2023-11-20T10:45:03Z",
"date": "2023-11-20",
"timespan": "123456789",
"time": "10:45:03",
"usergroups": "swimlaneadmin",
"reference-single": \[
"ORT-4"
],
"reference-multi": \[
"ORT-4",
"ORT-5"
],
"reference-grid": \[
"ORT-4",
"ORT-5"
]
},
"block\_2": \[
"text1",
"text2",
"text3"
],
"true": true
},
"published": \{},
"status": "success"
}
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $actions.\.result | Result of the specified action |   | | $actions.\.post | Posted values from the specified action |   | | $actions.\.status | Status of the specified action |   | | $actions.$current.result | Result of the current action (not populated until the action has run) |   | | $actions.$current.post | Posted values from the current action (not populated until the action has run) |   | | $actions.$parent.result | Result of the previous action |   | | $actions.$parent.post | Posted values from the previous action |   | | $assets | Object of asset names and their respective parameters | \:::BlockQuote | | "$assets": \{
"vt\_asset": \{
"url": "[https://www.virustotal.com](https://www.virustotal.com/gui/)",
"x-apikey": "xxx",
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $published | The current published object. Needed when mapping an output to an application record or to use outside of the playbook | \:::BlockQuote | | "$published": \{
"published\_body": \{
"access\_token": "test\_access\_token"
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $repeat (deprecated) | If job is part of repeat, current iteration's key/value |   | | $loop | If job is part of a loop, current iteration's key/value | \:::BlockQuote | | "$loop": \{
"index": 0,
"key": "0",
"value": "text1"
}, | | | | \::: | | | | $loop.index | Index of the current loop iteration |   | | $loop.key | Key of the current loop iteration |   | | $loop.value | Value of the current loop iteration |   | | $loops | If job is part of a loop or nested loop, current and nested loop iteration keys/values | \:::BlockQuote | | "$loops": \{
"loop\_aey0k": \{
"index": 0,
"key": "0",
"value": "text1"
}
} | | | | \::: | | | | $loops.\ | Specific loop name in nested loops |   | | $loops.\.index | Index of the specific loop iteration |   | | $loops.\.key | Key of the specific loop iteration |   | | $loops.\.value | Value of the specific loop iteration |   | | $variables | Current value of any variables defined upstream of this job | \:::BlockQuote | | "$variables": \{
"string\_at7xg": "new",
"number\_ajpro": 1,
"boolean\_a7qe9": true,
"object\_a4k88": \{
"string\_amul7": ""
},
"array\_afhe7": \[
\{
"array\_agz7a": \[
""
]
}
],
"attachment\_ah5dr": null,
"iterable": \[1,2,0]
} | | | | \::: | | | | $variables.\ | Value of a specific variable defined upstream | \:::BlockQuote | |  $variables.retryCount | | | | \::: | | | ## Trigger-Specific Notes - **Webhook triggers**: Use $event.data for headers, query parameters, and body fields from the incoming request. See [Using Webhook Triggers in Swimlane Turbine](docId\:BE3iKVBsY_HVvNdx3_rUU). - **Flow event triggers**: $event.data matches the event data schema configured in the trigger. See [Flow Event Trigger](docId:7f7WQ-VukMTKDVaNqilV6).