Get an Item from a Dictionary

Access a variable item from within a dictionary variable.

Action settings

Do one of the following to open the Action configuration window:

  • Double-click the action.
  • Click on the action and then click Configure.

See Action configuration window for more information.

Field Description
Dictionary

Name of the dictionary variable (or collection variable containing a dictionary variable) from which to get the variable item.

Item Name or Path

The item name of the dictionary variable you wish to extract.

Format requirements:

  • Enclose workflow variables first in curly brackets ( { } ) and then in parentheses. The required format is as follows: ({Variable:myVariableName}). When you insert a variable from the Insert Reference dialog box, the variable is automatically enclosed in curly brackets.
  • Use the following format for a nested dictionary: dictionary/item/(path value). The path value must be enclosed in parentheses.
  • For JSON data, such as that returned from the SharePoint REST service, use the SharePoint internal names of columns and properties; separate columns and properties with a forward slash (/). For example, use "Author/LastName" for the Created By column and Last Name property. You can find internal column names by checking the properties of the column in the list or document library. Right-click the column, and then click Properties. The internal name of a column appears in the Address (URL) property after "Field=".
  • When referencing items in an array, use "(0)" for the first item, "(1)" for the second item, and so on.

Example entries:

  • Workflow variable: ({Variable:myIndex})
  • Path value to first item in an array: (0)
  • Path value to first item in a column: (0)/ColumnName
  • Path value to first item in a column's attribute in a Person/Group field: (0)/PersonColumnName/Attribute
  • Nested dictionary (from a call to a SharePoint REST service), referencing the path value to the first item in an array: d/results/(0)
Output

The variable to store the variable item extracted from the dictionary variable.
For more information about how to use Lookups in configuration fields, see Lookups in action configuration fields.