Using Environment Variables
An Environment Variable is a special type of Session Variable that can be useful when working with multiple environments. The value of this variable type changes according to the current environment being used.
You can create an unlimited number of Environment Variables to support development and testing needs. For example, when working with a particular web application, you might want to define different Integration Point endpoints for your development and production environments. During development, a Flow might use one set of endpoints, and following its production release, another set of endpoints.
Environment Variables can be used in any component where Session Variables are supported.
The Current Environment Variable
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The Current Environment variable is a built-in Environment Variable. Its value (Dev, Test or Prod) is automatically set according to the current environment being used. You can use this variable in your Flows to determine the progression and status of the Flow in different environments.
Creating and Modifying Environment Variables
Environment Variables are essentially identical to Session Variables. For complete details about adding a Session Variable, click here.
When creating an Environment Variable, in the Definition section you activate the Environment Variable toggle, as shown below:
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In this example, we created the api_key Environment Variable to store a unique API key for use in each environment. Although the variable name is identical in each environment, the variable value assigned in the DEV environment will be different from the variable value that is assigned in both TEST and PROD environments.
Working with Environment Variables
Here are some tips for using Environment Variables:
An Environment Variable cannot be a read-only variable.
When you create Environment Variables in one environment, they are not automatically added to the other two environments. However, when you deploy resources to another environment using the Deployment Wizard, all Environment Variables are automatically deployed together with the selected resources.
Although all Environment Variables are automatically included in a deployment package, their default values are not automatically updated upon deployment to the target environment. After deploying resources, it is recommended to review all Environment Variables and update the relevant values.
The value of an Environment Variable cannot be changed using logical operations in a Flow. For example, you cannot use an Environment Variable on the left side of an Allocator.