Data variables

In the Data variables tab, you can manage and view external data variables and table data variables for your forms.

External data variables

You can use external data variables to display data from third-party services in a Nintex Workflow form. The Data variables tab allows you to easily add, modify, or remove external data variables without the need to add them to a Label control or rule.

If you click an object or collection variable from the list in the External data section, you can view all variables it contains. A path is also displayed on top of the list to help you track the variable you selected.

For more information, see External data .

Create external data variables from the Data variables tab

1. Open a form and click the Data variables tab.

2. From the options on the left, select External data.

3. Click Create variable.

4. Specify a Name.

   Note: 

   Variables names must adhere to the following naming conventions to support localization:

   • Must be at least 1 non-whitespace character.

   • Cannot contain newline or paragraph characters.

   • Cannot contain HTML as it contains unsupported characters like <, >, and /.

   • Cannot begin with a number.

   • Cannot contain any of the following characters: +, -, !, *, ", /, >, >=, <, <=, =, ==, !=, &, &&, |, ||, ., , (comma), [, ], (, ), and \n

5. Specify a data lookup.

   Fields are displayed depending on the specified data lookup and the Connector linked to the data lookup. For information on the supported Connectors, see Supported data lookups.

6. Specify the required details related to the data lookup.  

   Note: When configuring a condition for the external data variable, you can currently use only form variables or form controls.

   For more information on data lookups and Connector fields, see Data lookups and Connectors.

7. Click Create variable.

   The variable is added to the list of variables. You can click an object variable from the list to view the variables it contains.

   Note: 

   • To use the variables, insert the external data variables from a Label control or a form rule. For more information, see External data .

   • If you want to deny form submissions when external variables have errors, do not resolve, or time out, go to the General settings page to enable or disable the toggle for form submissions. For more information, see Forms settings.

Table data

You can use Table data variables to reference and display data from a Nintex Table in a Nintex Workflow form. In the Data variable tab, you can add, edit, or delete table variables

For more information, see Table data.

Note: Anonymous forms are not supported and table data variables will not load in the form when the form is configured to be accessible to anyone with the URL, unless the user is authenticated Nintex Workflow.

Create table data variables using the Data variables tab

1. Open a form and on the Toolbar, click the Data variables tab.

2. From the options on the left, select Table data.

3. Click Create variable.

4. Enter a Custom variable name for the variable.

   Note: 

   Variables names must adhere to the following naming conventions to support localization:

   • Must be at least 1 non-whitespace character.

   • Cannot contain newline or paragraph characters.

   • Cannot contain HTML as it contains unsupported characters like <, >, and /.

   • Cannot begin with a number.

   • Cannot contain any of the following characters: +, -, !, *, ", /, >, >=, <, <=, =, ==, !=, &, &&, |, ||, ., , (comma), [, ], (, ), and \n

5. In Table name, select the table you want.

   Note: Only the tables that the form designer has permission to access will be visible. For information about setting table permissions, see Tables permissions.

   When the table is selected the Columns drop-down is populated with the columns in the selected table.

6. Select the Columns. You can select one or multiple columns.

   Important: The maximum number of columns you can select is 25.

7. Click Add conditions to add a condition to specify the rows you want. Only the rows that match the condition will be included in the variable.

   The Condition builder is displayed to add the condition. For more information about the condition builder fields, see Condition builder.

8. Specify Sorting and the Row limit as required.

   Important: Maximum row limit is 1,000.

9. Click Create variable.

   The new variable is created and added to the list of variables. You can click the object variable from the list to view the variables it contains.

Edit a table variable

1. Fine the variable you want to edit and click to open the options menu.

2. Select Edit.

   The variable details are displayed to edit as required.

Data variables fields, buttons and settings

The following section and button are displayed when you open a form, and click the External data tab.

Section	Field, button, or setting	Description
External data	Create variable	Option to add new external data variables. If you have created external data variables, the variables are displayed in this section. If you click an object or collection variable from the list, you can view all variables it contains. A variable path also appears on top of the list to help you track the variable you selected.
Table data	Create variable	Option to add new table variables. If you have created table variables, the available variables are displayed in this section. If you click an object or collection variable from the list, you can view all variables it contains. A variable path also appears on top of the list to help you track the variable you selected.