Basic Syntax

The Two Data Sources

QuivaWorks flows work with two primary data sources that you can reference using variable mapping:

Trigger Data

Data provided when the flow starts (webhooks, API calls, manual triggers)

$.trigger.property

Node Data

Output data from any previously executed node in your flow

$.NODE_ID.property

Core Syntax Pattern

The basic syntax follows this pattern:

$.source.property

$ - Root indicator (always required)
source - Either trigger or a NODE_ID
property - The data you want to access

The $. prefix tells QuivaWorks to evaluate this as a variable mapping expression rather than treating it as a literal string.

Accessing Trigger Data

Trigger data is available from the very first node in your flow. It contains the data provided when the flow was initiated.

Webhook Trigger
API Trigger
Manual Trigger

When a webhook triggers your flow:

Webhook Payload

{
  "event": "order.created",
  "order_id": "ORD-12345",
  "user_id": "USR-789",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:30:00Z",
  "data": {
    "total": 299.99,
    "items_count": 3
  }
}

Variable Mapping

{
  "eventType": "$.trigger.event",
  "orderId": "$.trigger.order_id",
  "userId": "$.trigger.user_id",
  "orderTotal": "$.trigger.data.total",
  "itemCount": "$.trigger.data.items_count"
}

Result:

{
  "eventType": "order.created",
  "orderId": "ORD-12345",
  "userId": "USR-789",
  "orderTotal": 299.99,
  "itemCount": 3
}

When an API call triggers your flow:

API Request Body

{
  "action": "process_payment",
  "customer_id": "CUST-456",
  "amount": 150.00,
  "currency": "USD",
  "metadata": {
    "source": "mobile_app",
    "device": "iPhone"
  }
}

Variable Mapping

{
  "action": "$.trigger.action",
  "customerId": "$.trigger.customer_id",
  "paymentAmount": "$.trigger.amount",
  "paymentCurrency": "$.trigger.currency",
  "source": "$.trigger.metadata.source"
}

When manually starting a flow with form data:

Manual Form Input

{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "message": "Please process my request",
  "priority": "high"
}

Variable Mapping

{
  "recipientEmail": "$.trigger.email",
  "recipientName": "$.trigger.name",
  "requestMessage": "$.trigger.message",
  "priorityLevel": "$.trigger.priority"
}

Trigger data is read-only throughout the flow. It contains the original input and doesn’t change as nodes execute.

Accessing Node Data

Node data becomes available after a node completes execution. You can reference any previously executed node using its unique ID.

Basic Node Access

{
  "id": "CUST-789",
  "firstName": "Alice",
  "lastName": "Smith",
  "email": "alice@example.com",
  "phone": "+1-555-0123",
  "tier": "premium"
}

{
  "customerId": "$.fetch_customer.id",
  "customerEmail": "$.fetch_customer.email",
  "customerTier": "$.fetch_customer.tier"
}

{
  "customerId": "CUST-789",
  "customerEmail": "alice@example.com",
  "customerTier": "premium"
}

Execution Order Matters

Node 1: fetch_customer

Executes first. Can access $.trigger.* but no other nodes yet.

Node 2: fetch_orders

Can access $.trigger.* and $.fetch_customer.*

Node 3: send_email

Can access $.trigger.*, $.fetch_customer.*, and $.fetch_orders.*

You cannot reference a node that hasn’t executed yet. If Node 2 tries to access $.node_3.data, it will return undefined.

Nested Properties

Access deeply nested data using dot notation:

Simple Nesting
Complex Nesting
Mixed Sources

Data

{
  "fetch_user": {
    "profile": {
      "contact": {
        "email": "user@example.com",
        "phone": "+1-555-0100"
      }
    }
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "email": "$.fetch_user.profile.contact.email",
  "phone": "$.fetch_user.profile.contact.phone"
}

Data

{
  "api_response": {
    "data": {
      "user": {
        "account": {
          "settings": {
            "notifications": {
              "email": true,
              "sms": false
            }
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "emailNotifications": "$.api_response.data.user.account.settings.notifications.email",
  "smsNotifications": "$.api_response.data.user.account.settings.notifications.sms"
}

Mapping

{
  "triggerId": "$.trigger.request_id",
  "userEmail": "$.fetch_user.profile.contact.email",
  "orderTotal": "$.fetch_order.payment.total",
  "shippingAddress": "$.fetch_user.addresses.shipping.street"
}

Combine trigger data with nested node data seamlessly.

Array Access

Arrays use zero-based indexing (first element is at index 0).

Accessing Array Elements

{
  "fetch_orders": {
    "orders": [
      {"id": "ORD-001", "total": 99.99},
      {"id": "ORD-002", "total": 149.99},
      {"id": "ORD-003", "total": 79.99}
    ]
  }
}

{
  "firstOrder": "$.fetch_orders.orders[0]",
  "secondOrder": "$.fetch_orders.orders[1]",
  "thirdOrder": "$.fetch_orders.orders[2]"
}

{
  "lastOrder": "$.fetch_orders.orders[-1]",
  "secondLastOrder": "$.fetch_orders.orders[-2]"
}

Negative indexes count from the end:

[-1] = last item
[-2] = second to last item
[-3] = third to last item

Accessing Properties in Array Items

Data

{
  "products": [
    {"name": "Widget", "price": 29.99, "stock": 100},
    {"name": "Gadget", "price": 49.99, "stock": 50},
    {"name": "Doohickey", "price": 19.99, "stock": 200}
  ]
}

Mapping

{
  "firstProductName": "$.node.products[0].name",
  "firstProductPrice": "$.node.products[0].price",
  "lastProductStock": "$.node.products[-1].stock"
}

Result

{
  "firstProductName": "Widget",
  "firstProductPrice": 29.99,
  "lastProductStock": 200
}

Combining Trigger and Node Data

Real-world flows typically combine both data sources:

// Webhook triggers flow with order ID
// Flow fetches customer and order details
// Combines all data for email

{
  "event": "order.shipped",
  "order_id": "ORD-12345",
  "tracking_number": "TRK-98765"
}

{
  "fetch_customer": {
    "name": "Alice Smith",
    "email": "alice@example.com"
  },
  "fetch_order": {
    "items": [
      {"product": "Widget", "quantity": 2},
      {"product": "Gadget", "quantity": 1}
    ],
    "total": 179.97
  }
}

{
  "to": "$.fetch_customer.email",
  "subject": "Your Order |$.trigger.order_id| Has Shipped!",
  "body": {
    "customerName": "$.fetch_customer.name",
    "orderId": "$.trigger.order_id",
    "trackingNumber": "$.trigger.tracking_number",
    "itemCount": "$.fetch_order.items.length",
    "total": "$.fetch_order.total"
  }
}

Type Handling

Variable mapping preserves data types from the source:

Strings
Numbers
Booleans
Arrays & Objects

Input

{
  "node": {
    "name": "Alice Smith",
    "status": "active"
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "userName": "$.node.name",
  "userStatus": "$.node.status"
}

Output (Strings)

{
  "userName": "Alice Smith",
  "userStatus": "active"
}

Input

{
  "node": {
    "count": 42,
    "price": 29.99,
    "rating": 4.5
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "itemCount": "$.node.count",
  "itemPrice": "$.node.price",
  "itemRating": "$.node.rating"
}

Output (Numbers)

{
  "itemCount": 42,
  "itemPrice": 29.99,
  "itemRating": 4.5
}

Input

{
  "node": {
    "active": true,
    "verified": false,
    "premium": true
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "isActive": "$.node.active",
  "isVerified": "$.node.verified",
  "isPremium": "$.node.premium"
}

Output (Booleans)

{
  "isActive": true,
  "isVerified": false,
  "isPremium": true
}

Input

{
  "node": {
    "tags": ["urgent", "vip", "priority"],
    "metadata": {
      "source": "api",
      "version": "2.0"
    }
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "allTags": "$.node.tags",
  "meta": "$.node.metadata"
}

Output (Preserved Structure)

{
  "allTags": ["urgent", "vip", "priority"],
  "meta": {
    "source": "api",
    "version": "2.0"
  }
}

Handling Missing Data

When a path doesn’t exist, variable mapping removes the property from the output entirely:

{
  "node": {
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "alice@example.com"
  }
}

{
  "userName": "$.node.name",
  "userPhone": "$.node.phone",
  "userAddress": "$.node.address.street"
}

{
  "userName": "Alice"
}

Properties with missing data are removed from the output entirely. They won’t appear as undefined or null - they simply won’t exist in the result object.

Use a trailing pipe to ensure missing values create the property with an empty string:

{
  "userPhone": "$.node.phone|",
  "userAddress": "$.node.address.street|"
}

Result:

{
  "userPhone": "",
  "userAddress": ""
}

This keeps the property in the output instead of removing it completely.Note: The trailing pipe also affects how arrays and objects are handled:

Arrays: Joined as comma-separated string (e.g., "a,b,c")
Objects: Converted to "[object Object]" (usually not desired)

Learn more about the pipe operator in Pipe Operator.

Type Handling with Pipe Operator

The trailing pipe (|) forces string conversion, which affects different data types:

Primitives
Arrays
Objects

Data

{
  "node": {
    "name": "Alice",
    "age": 30,
    "active": true
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "name": "$.node.name|",
  "age": "$.node.age|",
  "active": "$.node.active|"
}

Result (unchanged)

{
  "name": "Alice",
  "age": "30",
  "active": "true"
}

Strings, numbers, and booleans are all converted to strings with pipe.

Data

{
  "node": {
    "tags": ["premium", "verified", "active"]
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "withPipe": "$.node.tags|",
  "withoutPipe": "$.node.tags"
}

Result

{
  "withPipe": "premium,verified,active",
  "withoutPipe": ["premium", "verified", "active"]
}

With pipe: Array becomes comma-separated string
Without pipe: Array structure preserved

Data

{
  "node": {
    "address": {
      "street": "123 Main St",
      "city": "Boston"
    }
  }
}

Mapping

{
  "withPipe": "$.node.address|",
  "withoutPipe": "$.node.address"
}

Result

{
  "withPipe": "[object Object]",
  "withoutPipe": {
    "street": "123 Main St",
    "city": "Boston"
  }
}

With pipe: Object becomes unhelpful "[object Object]" string
Without pipe: Object structure preserved

Use trailing pipe carefully:

Scenario	Recommendation
Ensuring property exists when data might be missing	✅ Use pipe: `$.value	`
Simple array to comma-separated string	✅ Use pipe: `$.tags	`
Preserving array structure	❌ No pipe: `$.items`
Preserving object structure	❌ No pipe: `$.user.address`
Array of objects	❌ No pipe: `$.orders`

Best Practices

Use Descriptive Node IDs

Choose clear, meaningful node IDs that describe what the node does:

// ✅ Good - Clear and descriptive
{
  "email": "$.fetch_customer_data.email",
  "total": "$.calculate_order_total.amount"
}

// ❌ Avoid - Unclear and unmaintainable
{
  "email": "$.node_1.email",
  "total": "$.node_5.amount"
}

Check Data Availability

Only reference nodes that have already executed:

Flow Order:
trigger → available to all nodes
node_a → available to node_b, node_c
node_b → available to node_c only
node_c → not available to previous nodes

Use the Flow Debugger to verify node execution order.

Handle Missing Values

Always plan for missing or null data. Use a trailing pipe to ensure empty strings:

{
  "email": "$.user.email|",
  "phone": "$.user.phone|",
  "address": "$.user.address|"
}

Or use static text concatenation for default messages:

{
  "status": "Status: |$.order.status|",
  "note": "Note: |$.order.note|"
}

Test with Real Data

Use the Flow Debugger to test mappings with actual data:

Run your flow with test data
Inspect each node’s output
Verify mapping expressions return expected values
Check for undefined or null values

Common Patterns

Webhook to Database
Enrichment
Notification

{
  "table": "orders",
  "data": {
    "order_id": "$.trigger.order_id",
    "customer_id": "$.trigger.customer_id",
    "created_at": "$.trigger.timestamp",
    "total": "$.trigger.data.total"
  }
}

{
  "enrichedOrder": {
    "orderId": "$.trigger.order_id",
    "customerDetails": "$.fetch_customer",
    "orderDetails": "$.fetch_order",
    "shippingInfo": "$.fetch_shipping"
  }
}

{
  "to": "$.fetch_customer.email",
  "message": "Order $.trigger.order_id is being processed",
  "userId": "$.trigger.user_id",
  "userName": "$.fetch_customer.name"
}

Quick Syntax Reference

Pattern	Description	Example
`$.trigger.prop`	Access trigger data	`$.trigger.order_id`
`$.node.prop`	Access node data	`$.fetch_user.email`
`$.node.nested.prop`	Nested property	`$.user.address.city`
`$.node.array[0]`	First array item	`$.orders[0]`
`$.node.array[-1]`	Last array item	`$.orders[-1]`
`$.node.array[0].prop`	Property in array	`$.orders[0].total`

Try It Yourself

Create a Test Flow

Set up a simple flow with a manual trigger

Add Test Data

Provide sample JSON data in the trigger form

Add a Node

Create a node that uses variable mapping to access trigger data

Run and Debug

Execute the flow and inspect the results in the debugger

What’s Next?

JSONPath Features

Learn advanced selectors like wildcards, slicing, and recursive descent

Pipe Operator

Build dynamic strings and provide fallback values

Examples

See real-world variable mapping patterns

Reference

Quick syntax lookup and troubleshooting

Questions? Check the Reference for troubleshooting or visit our Help Center.

Get Started

Assistants

Flows

Account Management

Advanced

The Two Data Sources

Trigger Data

Node Data

Core Syntax Pattern

Accessing Trigger Data

Accessing Node Data

Basic Node Access

Execution Order Matters

Nested Properties

Array Access

Accessing Array Elements

Accessing Properties in Array Items

Combining Trigger and Node Data

Type Handling

Handling Missing Data

Type Handling with Pipe Operator

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Quick Syntax Reference

Try It Yourself

What’s Next?

JSONPath Features

Pipe Operator

Examples

Reference

​The Two Data Sources

Trigger Data

Node Data

​Core Syntax Pattern

​Accessing Trigger Data

​Accessing Node Data

​Basic Node Access

​Execution Order Matters

​Nested Properties

​Array Access

​Accessing Array Elements

​Accessing Properties in Array Items

​Combining Trigger and Node Data

​Type Handling

​Handling Missing Data

​Type Handling with Pipe Operator

​Best Practices

​Common Patterns

​Quick Syntax Reference

​Try It Yourself

​What’s Next?

JSONPath Features

Pipe Operator

Examples

Reference

The Two Data Sources

Core Syntax Pattern

Accessing Trigger Data

Accessing Node Data

Basic Node Access

Execution Order Matters

Nested Properties

Array Access

Accessing Array Elements

Accessing Properties in Array Items

Combining Trigger and Node Data

Type Handling

Handling Missing Data

Type Handling with Pipe Operator

Best Practices

Common Patterns

Quick Syntax Reference

Try It Yourself

What’s Next?