Overview
Value references allow you to add dynamic information and parameter values to your workflow markup – they are placeholders for information that's located somewhere else.
Each time the reference is encountered, for example in an Action or Condition, the value at that moment in time will be retrieved. This means your workflow can dynamically adapt to changing situations.
Reference types
There are several types of value reference, depending on where the information is stored:
- Attribute References
- Event references
- Metadata references
- Page and User references
- Page Property References
- Parameter References
- Supplier References
- Value Reference Modifiers
Where can I use them?
Value references can be used in macro parameters, sometimes macro body, and even Conditions. However, the actual availability depends on two factors:
- The type of reference determines which macros it can be used in
- The macro determines which parameters support value references
For a full list of places where value references can be used, see: Conditions, Content and Value References – but remember it's the reference type and macro which determine the specifics.
Basic example
In your workflow you might need to refer to the author of a piece of content. You won't know this information in advance. To get round this problem, you can use the @author@ value reference, which is one of the references that the Workflows app creates and updates automatically. When a macro which uses the reference is activated, the reference gets replaced with the username of the person who most recently created or edited the content.
{workflow:Value references}
{state:Editing|submit=Review}
{state}
{state:Review|approved=Published|rejected=Editing}
{approval:Review}
{state}
{state:Published|final=true|updated=Editing}
{state}
{trigger:pageapproved|approval=Review|partial=true}
{send-email:@user@|Subject=Your recent @approvalname@ approval}
Thank you for approving @page@ which was created by @author@
{send-email}
{trigger}
{workflow}
All examples
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Adding page activity to email — Include page activity report, or a link to it, in email notifications
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Assignment Examples — Define who can take part in, or be assigned to, a content review.
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Attachment events — Triggering events when attachments are created, updated or removed.
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Make tasks disable a review — Use a Value Reference Condition to check that all tasks are complete. You need the Reporting for Confluence app in addition to Comala Workflows.
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State expiry dates — Using state expiry dates, defining them with metadata, and making them editable
