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Data Library Items

Data Library items are the variables you use in a Wrkflow to move information from one Wrk Action to the next. Each item has a name and a value for the current Launch.

You bind those names into Wrk Action inputs from the Data Library while you configure steps in the Wrkflow Designer.

Where Data Library items come from​

A Data Library item is created when a value enters the Launch. The two sources are:

SourceWhat it provides
Launch inputsValues you define in Launch Configuration and supply each time the Wrkflow starts
Wrk Action outputsValues a Wrk Action produces when it runs, including Custom Outputs

Those values become available as named items for later steps in the same Launch.

Where you use them​

You use Data Library items in Wrk Action inputs. Open the Data Library on an input field, then select the item whose value you want that step to receive.

For long text fields, you can insert one or more items into a larger string. See Configuring Long Text Fields.

To try bindings on a single step without starting a full Launch, use Wrk Action Testing.

Same-name items share one variable​

Data Library items are identified by name. If two Wrk Actions produce an output with the same name, or two Custom Outputs use the same name, Wrk treats them as the same variable.

When those steps run in sequence, the later Wrk Action overwrites the value set by the earlier one. Downstream steps that bind that name receive the most recent value.

When shared names help​

Shared names are useful when you want several pathways to write to one downstream input:

  • Branch and rejoin. Different branches can each set the same Data Library item name, then converge on a later Wrk Action that reads that one name and writes to a single destination.
  • Preferential values. A later Wrk Action can overwrite an earlier value when you want a preferred result to win if that path runs.

When shared names surprise you​

The same behavior can produce unexpected results if two Wrk Actions unintentionally share a name. The second step silently replaces the first value, and later inputs no longer see what the first step produced.

Keep values unique when you need them​

To stop one Wrk Action from overwriting another, give the value a unique Data Library item name:

  • Define a Custom Output on the Wrk Action and choose a distinct name.
  • Use the Set variable Wrk Action to copy a value into a new name.

Either approach creates a separate variable so both values remain available downstream.

Video overview​

This short video covers how to:

  • Use Data Library items in Wrk Actions to map outputs from one Wrk Action to inputs on the next
  • Create different scenarios based on the outcome of a Wrk Action

For outcome branching itself, see Wrk Action Outcomes.