Workflow references
In Nintex Workflow 2013, workflow references are placeholders for values provided by a variety of sources, including both SharePoint 2013 and Nintex Workflow 2013. Workflow references can be inserted into other values, such as workflow action configuration settings, to dynamically provide data from other sources. For more information about inserting workflow references, see the Nintex Workflow 2013 product documentation.
The following types of workflow references are available in Nintex Workflow 2013:
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Workflow variables
Workflow variables provide workflows and workflow actions the ability to temporarily store data, so it can be used in the conditions and actions within the workflow and workflow actions, while the workflow is running. For more information about workflow variables, see Workflow variables.
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Item properties
Item properties are workflow references that are available to list and reusable workflows. Item properties provide access to the item referenced by the current execution context for the list or reusable workflow. For more information about item properties, see Item properties.
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Workflow context properties
Workflow context properties are lookup values specific to workflow, the context of the item, and the current workflow action within the workflow. For more information about workflow context properties, see Workflow context properties.
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Workflow constants
Workflow constants are values that can be set at the SharePoint web farm, site collection or site scope, and used globally by all workflows within that scope. For more information about workflow constants, see Workflow constants.
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Inline functions
Inline functions are functions that are available to all workflows. Inline functions provide access to .NET Framework static methods that can be invoked by Nintex Workflow 2013. For more information about inline functions, see Inline functions.
Resolving workflow references
Workflow references are resolved within the appropriate context in Nintex Workflow 2013, by invoking the AddContextDataToString method for the corresponding context object. For example, workflow references inserted into configuration settings for workflow actions are resolved by invoking the AddContextDataToString method of the NWWorkflowContext class, the class that represents the current workflow context. Similarly, workflow references inserted into notifications are resolved by invoking the AddContextDataToString method of the Message class, the class that represents the context of a notification to be sent by a workflow.
For custom workflow activities, the AddContextDataToString method of the NWWorkflowContext class is typically invoked when the Execute method is invoked from of the class derived from either the ProgressTrackingActivity or Activity base class, to resolve workflow references passed to the activity from the configuration settings of the corresponding custom workflow action. For more information, see Implementing the workflow activity.