Question

Workflow Variables Not Updating Across Parallel Paths

  • 5 September 2023
  • 4 replies
  • 154 views
S
Badge +1

Hi there, I have an issue with getting updated workflow variable values to apply to different branches within a run parallel paths action. My workflow variable is set to Go, and in branch #1 later changes to Stop (labelled “a” in snips, step 51 in workflow testing) if certain conditions are met, but this updated status does not apply to temporally subsequent actions in the second branch. The workflow variable in branch #2 only has the initial Go status at the log an instance and conditional branch (labelled “b” in snips, step 63 in workflow testing). We can see that WF_Reminder_Status = Stop at 8:49 AM (step 52) and = Go at 8:50 AM (step 62) without being further updated.. As a result, Reminder emails are incorrectly being sent. I have increased the “Pause by” durations, it makes no difference. Is there any way to get the workflow variables to be updated across the workflow/get the two branches to “talk” to each other? Otherwise they should just call them branch variables, if they are not actually workflow-wide. Thanks.

 

 

 

4 replies

SimonMuntz
Userlevel 6
Badge +22

Hi @Scotty114,

what you are seeing is expected behaviour. As there is no way of telling which branch will run/complete first, variables cannot be shared between branches. Once all branches are complete the variables will be available to the rest of the workflow.

Cool Nintex courses: https://learn.nintex.com/
S
Badge +1

Hi @Scotty114,

what you are seeing is expected behaviour. As there is no way of telling which branch will run/complete first, variables cannot be shared between branches. Once all branches are complete the variables will be available to the rest of the workflow.

Surely this can’t be desirable behaviour though? There might be no way of telling which branch will run or complete first, but the workflow variables are updated at certain times (as shown) and steps that run temporally subsequent to that “set a variable value” action (in a different branch) should incorporate values from the current state of a workflow variable and not the initial state of the workflow variable pre-branching.

If I can store the current value of a workflow variable into something like Sharepoint or Smartsheets in one branch, and retrieve that same value in a second branch, then Nintex should be able to provide that functionality natively. I would be disappointed if the company did not consider this a significant limitation of the “run parallel paths” action.

SimonMuntz
Userlevel 6
Badge +22

Hi @Scotty114,

 

Thank you for your feedback.  I understand what you are saying but the action is deigned to run action paths simultaneously and independent of each other. As your senario requires different functionality you may need to look at using different actions to achieve your solution.

Cool Nintex courses: https://learn.nintex.com/
B
Userlevel 4
Badge +10

@SimonMuntz 

That’s good to know, and should really be included in the documentation (at least I can’t find it where I would expect it). I never would have expected it would have branch specific variables, as there’s no indication that it would behave that way. 

 

Can you give a fuller explanation for how each branch maintains it’s values for variables, but can still reference the workflows variables?  Is each branch treated like it’s own workflow, with each variable that exists when it starts being treated as an input variable? 

 

Thanks!

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