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Automate Your Business Processes with Salesforce Flow
Global Variables Resource

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Global Variables Resource

System-provided variables store information that can be referenced throughout a flow. For example, it can contain information about the Salesforce org, flow, running user, or triggering record.

Required Editions

View supported editions.

This video explains what variables are and how flows use them to hold data.

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This video explains variable types including common types, Boolean, Apex-defined, and collection variables.

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Example
Example

Use {!$User.Id} to access the ID of the user who’s running the flow interview.

Global Variable API Name Label Description
$Api API

The Session ID’s SOAP API endpoints. These merge fields are available.

  • Enterprise_Server_URL_xxx—The Enterprise WSDL SOAP endpoint, where xxx represents the API version
  • Partner_Server_URL_xxx—The Partner WSDL SOAP endpoint, where xxx represents the API version
  • Session_ID
$Client Running User’s Client The form factor of the running user’s device. Available only in Lightning Scheduler flows and supported only in Decision elements. $Client.FormFactor is automatically set to Large (computer), Medium (tablet), or Small (phone), depending on the device that’s running the flow. As you build a flow, use a Decision element to create separate outcomes for large, medium, and small devices. In each path, use screens that are optimized for that path’s device form factor.
$ContactPoints Contact Points

The contact points of the segment member. This variable is available only in segment-triggered flows and on-demand flows. These merge fields are available:

  • Email
  • Phone

In segment triggered flows, this variable is available only if an activation template is selected. The contact point values are determined by the selected activation template.

In on-demand flows, this variable is always available. The contact values are determined by the values entered for the API input.

$Event $Event The event that triggers an automation event-triggered flow to run, for example, a form submission. With this variable, you can access information about the event such as the event name.
$Flow Running Flow Interview The flow instance while it’s running. For details, see $Flow Global Variables Resource.
$Input $Input Input data that’s provided from outside of a flow. The flow can reference inputs to perform logic and actions. For example, a prompt template in Prompt Builder sets the Recipient input to Mary Smith. The prompt template provides the Recipient input to the flow. The Recipient input is set to the Contact data type in the flow.To get Mary Smith's contact record by first name, configure the Get Records element to filter for contacts with the First Name field equal to the value for $Input > Recipient > First Name, which is Mary. Available only in the Prompt Flow process type.
$Label Custom Label

A label in a custom label file in your Salesforce org. This global variable appears only if your org has custom labels.

The returned value depends on the language setting of the contextual user.​ Salesforce returns a value based on this order of precedence:

  • The local translation’s text
  • The packaged translation’s text
  • The primary label’s text
$Organization Running Org The Salesforce org where the flow is running. With this variable, you can access information like the organization’s name or address.
$Permission Running User’s Permission The custom permission access of the user running the flow.
$Output $Output Output data from a flow that’s available inside or outside the flow. The flow can reference outputs to perform logic and actions. For example, a flow that’s associated with a prompt template in Prompt Builder can reference $Output > Prompt to assign text to a field on a record. Outside the flow, an integrated app can merge the value that $Output references. For example, a prompt template merges the value of $Output into the prompt template’s resolution. Available only in the Prompt Flow process type.
$Profile Running User Profile

The profile of the user running the flow. With this variable, you can access information like the license type or name.

  • Use profile names to reference standard profiles in $Profile merge fields.
  • Users don’t need access to their profile information to run a flow that references these merge fields.
$Record Triggering Object, for example, Triggering Account

The record that triggered the flow. Available only in autolaunched flows with triggers.

In a record-triggered flow, the $Record global variable contains the triggering record’s values. You can reference and change $Record values throughout the flow.

  • If the flow runs before the record is saved to the database, Salesforce automatically applies any changed $Record values to the record in the database.
  • If the flow runs after the record is saved to the database, use an Update Records element to apply changed $Record values to the record in the database.

A schedule-triggered flow starts at the specified time and frequency for a batch of records. A flow interview runs for each record in the batch and stores all record’s field values in the $Record global variable. You can reference and change these values throughout the flow. In an Update Records element, you can use the ID and all field values from the $Record global variable. If you do, select Filter inaccessible fields from flow requests in your org's process automation settings. Otherwise, the flow fails because the Update Records element tries to set the values for system fields and other read-only fields.
$Record__Prior Prior Values of Triggering Object, for example, Prior Values of Triggering Account

The triggering record before a change triggered the flow. Available only in record-triggered flows configured to run when a record is updated or when a record is created or updated.

The $Record__Prior global variable contains the values that the triggering record had immediately before the flow started. You can’t change these values in the flow.

When a newly created record triggers the flow, all $Record__Prior values are null.

If the triggering record is created and updated in the same transaction, $Record__Prior contains the same values as $Record. This behavior occurs because no committed prior state exists when the update occurs. To capture pre-update field values in $Record__Prior, split the create and update operations into separate transactions in the automation that triggers the flow.
$Setup Custom Hierarchy Settings

Your custom settings of type hierarchy. This global variable appears only if your org has custom hierarchy settings. You can access custom settings of type list only in Apex.

With hierarchy custom settings, you can define values at these levels. Salesforce determines the correct value for this custom setting field based on the running user’s current context.

  • Organization—The default value for everyone
  • Profile—Overrides the Organization value
  • User—Overrides the Organization and Profile values
$System System The system’s OriginDateTime ($System.OriginDateTime), which represents the literal value of 1900-01-01 00:00:00. Use this merge field to perform date/time offset calculations.
$User Running User

The user who’s running the flow interview. For example, reference the user’s ID or title.

  • The running user is the person who caused the flow to start.
  • When a flow is started because a Web-to-Case or Web-to-Lead process changed a record, the running user is the Default Lead Owner or Default Case Owner.

$User.UITheme and $User.UIThemeDisplayed identify the look and feel that the running user sees on a Salesforce page. The difference between the two variables is that $User.UITheme returns the configured look and feel for the user. $User.UIThemeDisplayed returns the actual look and feel for the user.

For example, a user has the preference and permissions to see the Lightning Experience look and feel. However, they're using a browser, such as an older version of Internet Explorer, that doesn't support that look and feel. In this example, $User.UITheme and $User.UIThemeDisplayed return different values.

  • Theme1—Obsolete Salesforce theme
  • Theme2—Salesforce Classic 2005 user interface theme
  • Theme3—Salesforce Classic 2010 user interface theme
  • Theme4d—Modern “Lightning Experience” Salesforce theme
  • Theme4t—Salesforce mobile app theme
  • Theme4u—Lightning Console theme
  • PortalDefault—Salesforce Customer Portal theme
  • Webstore—AppExchange theme
$UserRole Running User Role

The role of the user running the flow. For example, reference the role name or ID.

  • The running user is the person who caused the flow to start.
  • When a flow is started because a Web-to-Case or Web-to-Lead process changed a record, the running user is the Default Lead Owner or Default Case Owner.

Global Variable Considerations for Flows

  • $Flow is the only global variable available in screen component visibility conditions.
  • In a record-triggered flow, the $Record global variable doesn’t contain the triggering record’s values for fields that derive their values from other records. Examples of derived fields include Contact.Name and User.MediumPhotoUrl.
  • Multi-select picklist, time, and location global variables are available only in formulas.
  • If a field in the database has no value, the corresponding merge field returns a blank value. For example, if your org's Country field has no value, {!$Organization.Country} returns no value.
  • $Label global variables take longer to load in the flow resource selection list. When selecting a $Label global variable, if the $Label option isn’t visible in the flow resource selection list, close the window and try again in a few minutes.

See Also

 
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