New: Store and reuse values with local variables in automations

Keeping a value for a later step in an automation no longer requires a code step. Add a Create local variable step, give it a name, and every step after it can pick the variable from the property picker. Local variables are available now.

What is new

• Two new steps. Create local variable and Update local variable are available under Utilities when you add a step.
• Text, numbers, objects, and lists. A variable holds a text value, a number, an object, or a list. You can give it an initial value, and it lives for a single automation run.
• Update it as the run goes. Change a variable with Set, Append, Add number, Add item, or Reset, which returns it to its initial value.
• Pick it like any other field. Later steps find the variable in the property picker, with both its Initial value and its Current value.

Why it matters

To reuse a value later in an automation, you used to need custom code, such as a code step that stored the value for later. Building up a value across steps, like a summary, a counter, or a list, meant even more code. With local variables, you define a value once, for example a mapping of inboxes to email addresses at the start of an automation, and use it throughout the automation without writing any code. That makes it easier for your team to build smarter automations on its own, such as collecting a summary across several steps.

Getting started

Open an automation, add a step, and choose Create local variable under Utilities. If you still need custom logic, a code step remains available. See Use a code step in an automation. New to automations? Start with What are automations?.