Catalytic is now PagerDuty Workflow Automation

Check the output of an action or process

Output fields are where an action stores a result. For example, in the Images: resize an image action, the output fields store info like, New Height, File Width, File type, and File extension.

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Most PagerDuty Workflow Automation actions use predefined names for the output fields. But in some cases, an output field prefix is used to help differentiate any similarly named fields. The output field prefix is set automatically during action configuration based on the action’s current name. You can also change and set the output field prefix manually.

As well, some actions let you set the entire output field name, which is another way to keep track of and differentiate your fields. You can learn more about output fields in the Output field name and prefix article.

How to check the output of an action

There are two ways to check the output for an action from the Workflow Builder page.

Use the field sidebar

If you know the field you’re looking for, the field picker is the easiest way to add it. If you want to browse all your fields, or look at the fields from a specific action, you can use the field sidebar.

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The field sidebar lists all actions from your Workflow, and the output fields from each. You can also quickly access Globally available fields. To use the sidebar:

  1. From the Builder screen, expand the field sidebar by clicking near the top of the page if it is not already open.
  2. Click on an action name in the sidebar to expand it
  3. Click a field to copy that field to your clipboard

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  4. Select where you want to paste it with your cursor, then paste it using CTRL+V or CMD+V on a mac.

Here’s an example of that process:

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The field sidebar is open by default, but can be closed or reopened while working. To close or reopen the sidebar, click between the build view and sidebar.

If you expand an action and it says “No Output Fields”, the action either has no output fields you can reference, or the action is not fully configured. Check the action first to make sure a required field isn’t missing.

Check “Show output fields” for an action

When configuring an action, look for the Show output fields button towards the bottom right of each action. This lists all the recognized output fields.

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You can click on an output field from the list to copy it to your clipboard.

✅   Heads-up: You may need to finish configuring the field before the output fields will show.

How to check the output of a process

To view all fields in a process, head to the instance details page of an active or completed instance from the process. Select the in the top right, then select Fields. This shows a list of all output fields.

Here’s an example of that process:

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Get help with a problem or question

If something’s not working as expected, or you’re looking for suggestions, check through the options below.

Some output fields do not appear in the fields list, or I can’t find them in the field picker?

Some actions, like the Web API or Start for each row actions, must be run or tested first to make the fields available. Any fields that are not populated in the fields list by default will be available after you run a test or start the Workflow.

This is due to how these actions work—their output fields are variable and are only available after they are tested or run. For example, the output fields for a Web API action depend on the response from the API—that response is not available until the action has been run or tested.

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