Product documentation
Patchworks
Patchworks
  • Patchworks product documentation
  • Welcome
    • Welcome to Patchworks!
    • What is Patchworks?
    • Patchworks demos
    • Product roadmap
  • Getting Started
    • Getting started introduction
    • Core subscription tiers
    • Key concepts & terminology
    • Multi-language support
    • Patchworks quickstart guide
    • Technical overview
      • Patchworks infrastructure
        • Auto-scaling
      • ISO certification
      • SOC 2
      • Tech stack
      • Patchworks IPs
  • Registration
    • Registration introduction
    • Registration & sign-in summary
    • Password control
    • Registering for a Patchworks account
      • Simple registration
      • Google account registration
    • Two-factor authentication (2FA)
    • SSO
      • Azure AD / Entra
      • Okta
      • PingOne
  • Company Management
    • About company profiles
    • Accessing your company profile
    • Adding & managing company profile banners
    • Multi-company profiles
      • Adding & linking a new company
      • Switching in & out of a linked company
      • Viewing linked companies for your multi-company profile
      • Downloading a linked companies summary
      • Un-linking a company from your multi-company profile
    • Company insights
      • Accessing your company insights
      • Company insights overview
        • About operations
        • About data usage
  • Users, Roles & Permissions
    • Users, roles & permissions introduction
    • Roles & permissions summary
    • Viewing all users for your company profile
    • Creating a new user account for your company profile
    • Updating general details for an existing user account
    • Updating the role for an existing user account
    • Triggering a password reset for another user
    • Managing your own user account
    • Managing team members & users for multi-company profiles
      • Working with your team members
        • Viewing team members for your own multi-company profile
        • Creating a new team member to manage linked companies
        • Assigning user roles for an existing team member
        • Viewing team members who manage a linked company
        • Granting & revoking permission for an existing team member to manage a linked company
        • Triggering a password reset for an existing team member
        • Removing a team member account from your multi-company profile
      • Working with 'native' company users
        • Viewing 'native' company users for a linked company
        • Creating a new 'native' user for a linked company
        • Assigning roles for an existing 'native' linked company user
        • Triggering a password reset for an existing 'native' linked company user
        • Removing a 'native' linked company user from their company profile
  • Marketplace
    • The Patchworks marketplace
    • Marketplace blueprints
      • Submitting a blueprint to the public marketplace
    • Marketplace connectors
      • Submitting a connector for the public marketplace
    • Marketplace process flows
    • Marketplace scripts
    • Marketplace cross-reference lookups
    • The notification centre
    • Private marketplaces
      • Accessing your private marketplace
      • Uploading private marketplace resources
        • Building & uploading blueprints for your private marketplace
        • Uploading custom connectors to your private marketplace
        • Uploading process flows to your private marketplace
        • Uploading scripts to your private marketplace
        • Uploading cross-reference lookups to your private marketplace
      • Changing private marketplace resources
    • Marketplace troubleshooting
      • Installed process flows not working as expected
  • Blueprints
    • Blueprints introduction
    • The anatomy of a blueprint
    • Installing a blueprint
    • Building a blueprint
    • Patchworks blueprints
      • Lightspeed X-Series & Shopify
      • SEKO Logistics & Shopify
      • Shopify & NetSuite
      • Shopify & Descartes Peoplevox
      • Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier
        • Available process flows (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Orders (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Fulfillments (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Inventory (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
        • Installation guide (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 1: Create a Shopify app/sales channel for Patchworks
          • Stage 2: Add required products to your Patchworks sales channel (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 3: Define instances & install the app (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
            • Adding connector instances AFTER installation
          • Stage 4: Update cross-reference lookups (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 5: Review & test the Orders process flow (Shopify & Virtualstock Supplier)
            • Changing the supplier delivery date calculation for orders
          • Stage 6: Review & test the Fulfillments process flow (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 7: Review & test the Inventory process flow (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
          • Stage 8: Go live (Shopify to Virtualstock Supplier)
      • Veeqo & TikTok
  • Connectors & instances
    • Connectors & instances introduction
    • Patchworks connectors
      • Adobe Commerce - Magento (prebuilt connector)
      • Aero Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Airtable (prebuilt connector)
      • Akeneo (prebuilt connector)
      • Algolia (prebuilt connector)
      • Amazon Seller Partner API (prebuilt connector)
      • Avasam (prebuilt connector)
      • BigCommerce (prebuilt connector)
      • BigCommerce B2B Edition (prebuilt connector)
      • Bleckmann API (prebuilt connector)
      • Bloomreach Engagement (prebuilt connector)
      • Braze (prebuilt connector)
      • Brightpearl (prebuilt connector)
      • Business Central (prebuilt connector)
      • CacheFlow (prebuilt connector)
      • Carma (prebuilt connector)
      • Centra (prebuilt connector)
      • ChannelEngine (prebuilt connector)
      • Cin7 (prebuilt connector)
      • Clarus WMS (prebuilt connector)
      • Clerk (prebuilt connector)
      • Cloudshelf (prebuilt connector)
      • Commerce Layer (prebuilt connector)
      • Commercetools (prebuilt connector)
      • Cybertill (prebuilt connector)
        • Cybertill post-request script
      • Deposco (prebuilt connector)
      • Descartes Peoplevox (prebuilt connector)
        • The Peoplevox setData script
          • Using the Peoplevox setData script in process flows
        • Peoplevox XML to JSON conversion script
        • Using the Peoplevox search filter when pulling data
      • Dotdigital (prebuilt connector)
      • EdiFabric (prebuilt connector)
      • EKM Insight (prebuilt connector)
      • Emarsys (prebuilt connector)
        • Emarsys pre request script
      • Ergonode (prebuilt connector)
      • EVA (prebuilt connector)
      • Flexport (prebuilt connector)
      • Fluent Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Fredhopper by Crownpeak (prebuilt connector)
      • Freshdesk (prebuilt connector)
      • FTP (prebuilt connector)
      • Fulfillmenttools (prebuilt connector)
      • Google BigQuery (prebuilt connector)
      • Google Pub Sub (prebuilt connector)
      • Google Sheets (prebuilt connector)
        • Working with the Google Sheets connector
      • Gorgias (prebuilt connector)
      • GXO Logistics (prebuilt connector)
      • Happy Returns (prebuilt connector)
      • Huboo (prebuilt connector)
      • Hubspot (prebuilt connector)
      • InPost (prebuilt connector)
      • Inriver (prebuilt connector)
      • Jira (prebuilt connector)
      • Klaviyo (prebuilt connector)
      • Lightspeed Retail X-Series (prebuilt connector)
      • Linnworks (prebuilt connector)
      • LionWheel (prebuilt connector)
      • Mailchimp (prebuilt connector)
      • Mailjet (prebuilt connector)
      • Marketplacer - Operator (prebuilt connector)
      • Marketplacer - Seller (prebuilt connector)
      • Mirakl (prebuilt connector)
      • MongoDB (prebuilt connector)
      • NetSuite (prebuilt connector)
        • Preparing your NetSuite environment to work with Patchworks
        • OAuth 2 (client credentials) authentication
        • OAuth 1 authentication
      • Occtoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Octopus Energy (prebuilt connector)
      • Odoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Ometria (prebuilt connector)
      • OnBuy (prebuilt connector)
      • OneStock (prebuilt connector)
      • OpenAI (prebuilt connector)
      • Orderwise (prebuilt connector)
      • PagerDuty (prebuilt connector)
      • Pimberly (prebuilt connector)
      • Plytix (prebuilt connector)
        • Plytix post-request script
      • Prima Solutions (prebuilt connector)
        • Setting up a Prima Solutions connection
      • Quickbooks (prebuilt connector)
      • RabbitMQ (prebuilt connector)
      • Rebound (prebuilt connector)
      • ReturnGo (prebuilt connector)
      • Returnless (prebuilt connector)
      • Reveni (prebuilt connector)
      • REVIEWS.io (prebuilt connector)
      • Sage 200 (prebuilt connector)
      • Salesforce Commerce Cloud (prebuilt connector)
      • Salsify (prebuilt connector)
      • Sanity.io (prebuilt connector)
      • SCAYLE (prebuilt connector)
      • SEKO (prebuilt connector)
      • SFTP (prebuilt connector)
      • ShipBob (prebuilt connector)
      • Shiptheory (prebuilt connector)
      • Shopify (prebuilt connector)
        • Shopify token authentication
        • Adding a custom (GraphQL) endpoint for Shopify
      • Shopline (prebuilt connector)
      • Shopware (prebuilt connector)
      • Sitoo (prebuilt connector)
      • Snowflake (prebuilt connector)
      • SparkLayer (prebuilt connector)
      • Stok.ly (prebuilt connector)
      • Swan Retail System (prebuilt connector)
        • Swan Retail System - pagination update timestamp response script
      • Swap Commerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Tempo (prebuilt connector)
      • The Edge by John Lewis (prebuilt connector)
      • TikTok Shop (prebuilt connector)
      • Torque (prebuilt connector)
      • Trello (prebuilt connector)
      • Twilio (prebuilt connector)
      • Veeqo (prebuilt connector)
      • Virtualstock (prebuilt connector)
      • Visual Next (prebuilt connector)
      • Visualsoft (prebuilt connector)
      • Voyado (prebuilt connector)
      • Whistl (prebuilt connector)
      • WooCommerce (prebuilt connector)
      • Xero (prebuilt connector)
      • Zendesk (prebuilt connector)
      • ZigZag (prebuilt connector)
    • Working with connectors
      • Accessing your connectors
      • Installing a connector
      • Updating a connector
      • Removing a connector
    • Working with instances
      • Accessing instances
      • Adding an instance
      • Updating an instance
      • Removing an instance
    • Event connectors (BETA)
      • Accessing your event connectors
      • Adding a new event connector
      • Updating an existing event connector
      • Removing an existing event connector
      • Message queues/topics
        • Adding a new message queue/topic
        • Renaming a message queue/topic
        • Removing a message queue/topic
  • Process flows
    • About process flows
    • The process flow home page
    • Prebuilt process flows
      • Installing a prebuilt process flow
      • The anatomy of a prebuilt process flow
    • Building process flows
      • Approaching your first process flow
      • Techniques for building process flows
      • Best practice for building process flows
        • Payload size - best practice
        • Scripts - best practice
        • Multi environment management - best practice
        • Targeted syncs - best practice
      • Understanding how data flows through shapes
      • Process flow versioning
      • Adding a new process flow
      • The process flow canvas
      • Process flow settings
      • Process flow shapes
        • Standard shapes
          • Assert shape
          • Branch shape
          • Connector shape
            • Configuring a database connection
            • Using connector shape response scripts
            • Configuring SFTP connections
            • Configuring FTP connections
          • Filter shape
            • Using regex for string-type filters
            • Using contains one of many or does not contain one of many for string filters
          • Flow control shape
          • Manual payload shape
          • Map shape
            • Importing & exporting map shape configurations
            • Working with field mappings
            • Working with field transformations
              • Available transform functions
                • Array transform functions
                  • Array join transform function
                • Date transform functions
                  • Custom dynamic date transform function
                  • Custom static date transform function
                  • Format date transform function
                  • Round date transform function
                • Number transform functions
                  • Cast to string transform function
                  • Custom number transform function
                  • Math transform function
                  • Round number transform function
                • Other transform functions
                  • Cache lookup transform function
                  • Cast boolean to string transform function
                  • Cast to boolean transform function
                  • Custom boolean transform function
                  • Null to string transform function
                  • Null to zero transform function
                  • Null value transform function
                  • Script transform function
                • String transform functions
                  • Contains one of many transform function
                  • Custom string transform function
                  • Cast to float transform function
                  • Concatenate transform function
                  • Does not contain one of many transform function
                  • Cast to number transform function
                  • First word transform function
                  • JSON encode transform function
                  • Last word transform function
                  • Pad transform function
                  • Replace transform function
                  • Split string transform function
            • Mappings - tips & tricks
              • Mapping an array & a parent field
          • Notify shape
          • Route shape
          • Run process flow shape
          • Set variables shape
          • Split shape
          • Track data shape
            • The tracked data page
          • Trigger shape
            • Trigger shape (schedule)
            • Trigger shape (callback)
            • Trigger shape (event listener)
            • Trigger shape (webhook)
          • Try/Catch shape
        • Advanced shapes
          • Cache
            • Add to cache shape
              • Generating dynamic cache keys with variables
              • Appending data to a cache
              • Cache pagination options
            • Load from cache shape
              • What cached data do you want to load?
                • Loading all cached data from a static cache key
                • Loading multiple items from dynamic cache keys
                • Loading a single item from a dynamic cache key
            • Referencing a cache in mapping transformations
            • Cache maintenance
          • De-Dupe shape
            • Adding & configuring a de-dupe shape
            • Working with data pools
            • Importing & exporting de-dupe data
          • Script shape
          • Callback shape
      • Skipping shapes
      • Shape notes
      • Dynamic variables
        • Payload variables
        • Metadata variables
        • Flow variables
          • Adding & managing flow variables
          • Referencing flow variables in a process flow
          • Referencing flow variables in custom scripts
          • Referencing flow & meta variables in mapping transformations
      • Connection pools
    • Managing process flows
      • Accessing your process flows
      • Enabling & disabling a process flow
      • Renaming a process flow
      • Duplicating a process flow
        • Duplicating a process flow between linked companies
        • Shape configuration in a duplicated process flow
      • Process flow labels
        • Process flow label management
        • Using process flow labels
      • Initialising a process flow manually
      • Initialising a process flow manually with a payload
      • Stopping a running process flow
      • Removing a process flow
    • Error reporting & exception handling
      • Real-time run logs
      • Run logs & queue
        • Working with run logs
          • Viewing logs
          • Viewing logs (classic)
          • Downloading run logs
          • Retrying a failed process flow run
        • Working with your run queue
      • Email notifications for failed process flow runs
    • Cross-reference lookups
      • Accessing cross-reference lookups
      • Installing cross-reference lookups
      • Adding a cross-reference lookup
      • Importing & exporting cross-reference lookups
      • Using a cross-reference lookup in field transformations
    • Troubleshooting process flows
      • Unable to edit a process flow
      • Process flow not running
      • Process flow run failures
      • Re-syncing a previous payload
      • Required fields are not being tracked
      • Process flow timeout retrieving large payload
      • Process flow error when using a webhook connector
      • Your third-party systems go offline
      • Using a pre-request script for some process flows but not others
  • General Settings
    • General settings introduction
    • Audit logs
    • Notification groups
  • Developer Hub
    • Patchworks developer hub
    • Postman importer
    • Connector builder
      • Accessing the connector builder
      • Building your own connector
        • 1: Basic details
        • 2: Connector variables
        • 3: Authentication methods
          • Adding a new authentication method
          • Authentication method options
            • Auth variables
            • Connector variables
            • URL parameters
            • Header
            • Body
            • Pre-request script
            • Post-request script
          • Supported authentication types
            • Basic authentication
              • Configuring basic authentication
            • Token-based authentication
              • Configuring token-based authentication
            • OAuth 2
              • OAuth 2 (authorisation code)
                • Configuring OAuth 2 authentication (authorisation code)
              • OAuth 2 (client credentials)
                • Configuring OAuth 2 authentication (client credentials)
            • OAuth 1
              • Configuring OAuth 1 authentication
            • SOAP authentication
            • DB user pass authentication
            • No authentication
              • Configuring No Auth authentication
        • 4: Endpoints
          • Adding a new endpoint
          • Endpoint options
            • Authentication
            • Endpoint variables
            • URL
            • Header
            • Body
            • Schema / Taxonomy
              • Schema options
              • Field tagging
                • Working with field tags
                • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: orders
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: customers
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: refunds
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: products
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: fulfillments
                  • Patchworks field tagging taxonomy: inventory
            • Pre-request script
            • Post-request script
            • Pagination
              • Custom relative URI pagination method
              • GraphQL cursor pagination method
              • Limit-offset pagination method
              • Link header pagination method
              • Next page token pagination method
              • Next page URL pagination method
              • Page number parameter pagination method
              • PeopleVox pagination method
              • NetSuite SOAP pagination method
              • Script pagination
          • Enabling an authentication method for an endpoint
        • Techniques for working with variables & parameters
          • Working with variables
          • Working with parameters
        • Building a database connector
          • Working with queries
      • Maintaining your own connectors
    • Custom scripting
      • Accessing scripts
      • Adding & testing custom scripts
        • Custom script messages for logs
      • Custom scripting technical overview
      • Custom script examples (general)
      • Pagination scripts
    • Patchworks API
      • Core API
      • Core API authentication
        • API keys
        • OAuth 2 (client credentials)
      • Core API spotlights
        • Initialising a process flow & sending data via the Patchworks API
          • Quickstart guide
          • The steps
            • Preparing your data
            • Mapping payload data
            • Obtaining process flow & version IDs for API requests
            • Obtaining a token for Patchworks API authentication
            • Initialising a process flow & sending data
        • Working with cross-reference lookup API requests
      • Core API general information
        • HTTP response status codes
  • Patchworks bolt-ons
    • Patchworks bolt-ons
    • Stockr
      • Stockr overview
      • The Stockr summary
  • RELEASE INFORMATION
    • Release information introduction
    • Core release notes
      • 2025 04 16 release notes (core)
      • 2025 04 03 release notes (core)
      • 2025 03 19 release notes (core)
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      • 2025 02 26 release notes (core)
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      • 2024 03 07 (2) release notes (core)
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    • Tapestry release notes
      • 2023 04 30 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 03 31 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 02 23 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2023 01 31 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 11 07 release notes (dashboard)
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      • 2022 10 24 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 10 10 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 09 26 release notes (dashboard)
      • 2022 08 23 release notes (dashboard)
    • Stockr release notes
      • 2023 01 31 release notes (Stockr)
  • Support
    • Raising a support ticket
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On this page
  • Adding/managing variables
  • Adding a variable
  • Editing a variable
  • Renaming a locked variable
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  1. Developer Hub
  2. Connector builder
  3. Building your own connector
  4. Techniques for working with variables & parameters

Working with variables

PreviousTechniques for working with variables & parametersNextWorking with parameters

Last updated 3 months ago

Adding/managing variables

A variable is a value that can change, depending on conditions or information supplied by the user. Using the Patchworks connector builder, variables can be defined at different levels:

Level
Summary

Endpoint variables are displayed as fields for your users to complete whenever they configure a process flow connection shape to use an associated endpoint.

When a runs, any associated API requests are injected with user-provided variable values wherever a corresponding {{variable}} is found.

All variables added to connector builder API requests should be placed within double-curly brackets - for example: {{product_type}}.

The sections below explain the use of variables in general terms - for specific guidance in a particular context, please use the links provided .

Adding a variable

When you choose to add or edit a variable, the add variable or manage variable page is displayed:

Field
Summary

Key

The name to be used by Patchworks internally, when referencing this variable.

Display name

The field label that users will see if they are asked to enter a value for this variable.

Alias

The name used by the actual system when referencing this variable.

Default value

Enter a default value to be shown when this field is displayed to users. The maximum number of characters permitted is 1024.

Field
Summary

Is this required?

Toggle this option on to make this a mandatory field when a user either:

Is this configurable

Toggle this option on to make this an optional field when a user either:

Is this for advanced users only?

Advanced variables are those which 'regular' users would not typically need to see or change, but which advanced users might want to change in exceptional cases.

With this option toggled on, the field for this variable is hidden in an advanced section

when a user either:

Only select this option if this is a variable that 'regular' users would NOT typically need to see or change - but which advanced users might want to change in exceptional cases.

For example, the content-type variable might typically be set too application/json but you need to allow for edge cases in NetSuite, where an advanced user might want to change it to application/xml.

Is this variable a secret?

Toggle this option on if values entered for this field are sensitive. Secret variables are encrypted and displayed as asterisks within the dashboard UI.

Editing a variable

To edit a variable, simply click the variable name to open the standard variable settings page - for example:

From here, you can make your required changes and click the save button.

Renaming a locked variable

In the case of a locked variable, you can change the name that users see for the associated field when they are asked to provide a value.

As such, we need to rename the To do this, click the field name and update the display name as appropriate - for example:

Connector instance variables defined here can be used when you . If you're defining multiple authentication methods which share common variables, define them once here and then choose to 'use' them in subsequent authentication methods.

Auth variables (whether added directly or picked up and 'used' from predefined connector instance variables) are displayed as fields for your users to complete whenever the associated authentication method is used to .

Options on this page are the same, irrespective of whether you're adding/managing , or . Use the table below as a guide for completing this page:

The remaining fields on this page determine if/how your users will interact with this variable when of this connector:

(in the case of and )

configures a with a given endpoint (in the case of ).

(in the case of and )

configures a with a given endpoint (in the case of ).

(in the case of and )

configures a with a given endpoint (in the case of ).

In some cases, a variable may be locked - these are variables which are required by Patchworks to perform a particular function (for example, default variables associated with ). In this case, you can't change settings or remove the variable, but you can .

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