Pass a value to the next block

Goal

Build a two-block workflow where block 2 reads a value that block 1 published. Time: 10 minutes. Needs: Python 3.

Steps

Create a new workflow and paste this into the YAML tab:

schema: 1
name: Pass a value
id: pass-a-value
blocks:
  - id: make_name
    name: Make name
    kind: code
    language: python
    body: |
      import json
      print(json.dumps({"name": "Ada"}))
    outputs:
      type: object
      properties:
        name:
          type: string

  - id: greet
    name: Greet
    kind: code
    language: python
    uses: [steps.make_name.name]
    body: |
      import json, os
      with open(os.environ["TERMORQ_INPUT"], encoding="utf-8") as f:
          data = json.load(f)
      name = data["steps"]["make_name"]["name"]
      print(json.dumps({"greeting": f"Hello, {name}!"}))
    outputs:
      type: object
      properties:
        greeting:
          type: string

Switch to Editor. Each card shows steps.<id> near its lower edge.
Select Greet and open Properties → Input. Available data lists steps.make_name.name with a string pill.
Click Save, then Run.

What happened

make_name printed {"name": "Ada"} as its last line. Because name is declared in outputs, Termorq published it as steps.make_name.name.
greet listed steps.make_name.name under uses. Termorq wrote a temporary JSON file containing only that value, keeping its nesting:
```
{"steps":{"make_name":{"name":"Ada"}}}
```
TERMORQ_INPUT holds the path to that file, not the JSON itself.

Warning

Code bodies are not template-expanded. Writing {{ steps.make_name.name }} inside Python source doesn’t insert the value. Always use uses and read the input file.

Check your run

Greet → Output shows greeting: "Hello, Ada!". On the Runs tab, select the latest run: the Greet row shows the value passed through uses.

Exercise

Add a third block, shout, that reads steps.greet.greeting and publishes it upper-cased as loud.

Details

  - id: shout
    kind: code
    language: python
    uses: [steps.greet.greeting]
    body: |
      import json, os
      data = json.load(open(os.environ["TERMORQ_INPUT"], encoding="utf-8"))
      print(json.dumps({"loud": data["steps"]["greet"]["greeting"].upper()}))
    outputs:
      type: object
      properties:
        loud:
          type: string