I run node red in conjunction with home assistant. I would like to have a context variable (like flow.mydatacollection) that contains a json that has normal key-value pairs (that are "manually" updated) and references to other context variables (in my case some global.homeassistant.state/attributes). Is there a possibility that these references to other context variables are really just references and therefore updated automatically, so i can use them in a sequence. Or do I need to update them manually (with a function node that runs flow.get or similar)

[image] dierochade: This is my test flow: [{"id":"ac8c8e6801235d2f","type":"inject","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"0","payloadType":"num","x":2790,"y":160,"wires":[["cf136a090b2661da"]]},{"id":"0560db25393fde38","type":"inject","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"5","payloadType":"num","x":2790,"y":280,"wires":[["57dde256ef83d74e"]]},{"id":"3926bddff27c2a32","type":"inject","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"2","payloadType":"num","x":2790,"y":240,"wires":[["cb7178c2a1a28587"]]},{"id":"c434ebc8fa094b2f","type":"inject","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"1","payloadType":"num","x":2790,"y":200,"wires":[["0da33b58896a17dc"]]},{"id":"cf136a090b2661da","type":"change","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"mydatacollection.warm5","pt":"flow","to":"homeassistant.homeAssistant.states[\"input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends\"].state","tot":"global"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":2990,"y":160,"wires":[["c9ed27dde498d0bf"]]},{"id":"0da33b58896a17dc","type":"change","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"read flow.variable","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"payload","pt":"msg","to":"mydatacollection.warm5","tot":"flow"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":2950,"y":200,"wires":[["9feb2500762209ba"]]},{"id":"9feb2500762209ba","type":"debug","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"debug 66","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3120,"y":200,"wires":[]},{"id":"c9ed27dde498d0bf","type":"debug","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"debug 68","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3240,"y":160,"wires":[]},{"id":"cb7178c2a1a28587","type":"api-current-state","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"","server":"304064ba.5ac44c","version":3,"outputs":1,"halt_if":"","halt_if_type":"str","halt_if_compare":"is","entity_id":"input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends","state_type":"str","blockInputOverrides":true,"outputProperties":[{"property":"payload","propertyType":"msg","value":"","valueType":"entityState"},{"property":"data","propertyType":"msg","value":"","valueType":"entity"}],"for":"0","forType":"num","forUnits":"minutes","override_topic":false,"state_location":"payload","override_payload":"msg","entity_location":"data","override_data":"msg","x":3060,"y":240,"wires":[["d954038c91bbc542"]]},{"id":"d954038c91bbc542","type":"debug","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"debug 71","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":3340,"y":240,"wires":[]},{"id":"57dde256ef83d74e","type":"api-call-service","z":"7d8b869bb3b425a1","name":"toggle","server":"304064ba.5ac44c","version":7,"debugenabled":false,"action":"input_boolean.toggle","floorId":[],"areaId":[],"deviceId":[],"entityId":["input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends"],"labelId":[],"data":"","dataType":"jsonata","mergeContext":"","mustacheAltTags":false,"outputProperties":[],"queue":"none","blockInputOverrides":true,"domain":"input_boolean","service":"toggle","x":2910,"y":280,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"304064ba.5ac44c","type":"server","name":"Home Assistant","addon":true,"rejectUnauthorizedCerts":true,"ha_boolean":"","connectionDelay":false,"cacheJson":false,"heartbeat":false,"heartbeatInterval":"","statusSeparator":"","enableGlobalContextStore":false}] Any ideas why this behaviour differs? Maybe you could share your demo for comparision? This portion of the flow is not working? [image] Do you have global context enabled? Open any HA node, where the server select is, click the pencil to edit. [image] Check the box for "Enable global context store" click update at the top, then done, then deploy and restart the node red addon.

Interesting question! I’ve run into a similar situation before where I needed to reference part of a context variable dynamically, and yeah — it’s a bit tricky to get working cleanly. From what I’ve found, you can kind of work around it by building the variable name as a string and then using flow.get() or global.get() with that dynamic key. Something like: javascript.. let base = flow.get("baseKey"); // e.g., "user123" let dynamicKey = base + "_settings"; let value = flow.get(dynamicKey); It’s not super elegant, but it’s worked for me in a few flows. Would love to know if there’s a cleaner “native” way to reference nested/dynamic keys directly in the templates or function nodes though. I'm following this thread.. curious to see what others suggest!

[image] Steve-Mcl: You will need another means of watching the HA variable change and update your own flow context variables (isn't there a state node that emits on change?) I´ll try to find the reason but if this is not working I will probably go for that route and just use some regex patterns for the relevant entities and a full flow.get of all stored values then... [image] mikefila: This portion of the flow is not working? So the flow is working, i can set the flow.variables and read them. But if the state of the entity changes (that is stored in the global context and changes too) the flow variable does not update, unless i execute the change node manually. [image] mikefila: Do you have global context enabled? I did not but tried it. No change/avail. I am not sure what this setting really does as I had the home assistant state available in global storage although it was deactivated?

I'm still unclear of how it's being updated and used in your flow. If by chance you are trying to use context inside a HA node as shown below [image] That is not dynamic. It will read the flow/global on deploy only. If that is not it could you post an example where you encounter the static value.

Looking over what you wrote, just because you set a flow value to that of a global value does not link them together. Every time the global updates you need to update the flow variable either manually or through an automation.

[image] mikefila: , just because you set a flow value to that of a global value does not link them together. It’s exactly the question if this is possible in any way :grinning_face: As Steve demonstrated with the demo clip it seems to be working for him/under certain circumstances/prerequisites [image] Steve-Mcl: e.g. change (set flow.mydatacollection to the value of global.homeassistant.state.x) if any value inside the object x changes, the reference in flow.mydatacollection will be updated by reference (actually, nothing is updated, it is a kinda pointer/reference!)

As I said before [image] Steve-Mcl: If you assign the value of an object to an object in context, they WILL be references [chrome_VaHkd2ibIZ] [{"id":"2d6df78b1e471cf2","type":"inject","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"0","payloadType":"num","x":890,"y":220,"wires":[["abaa36d76563ec7e"]]},{"id":"abaa36d76563ec7e","type":"change","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"homeassistant.homeAssistant.states.input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends.state","pt":"global","to":"0","tot":"num"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":1360,"y":220,"wires":[["25a4461983d8c59c"]]},{"id":"25a4461983d8c59c","type":"change","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"set flow.mydatacollection.warm5 to the reference of thermo_5_warm_abends","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"mydatacollection.warm5","pt":"flow","to":"homeassistant.homeAssistant.states.input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends","tot":"global"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":1310,"y":280,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"69f47bb945d8cc61","type":"inject","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"random int","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"(\t $minimum := 1;\t $maximum := 10;\t $round(($random() * ($maximum-$minimum)) + $minimum, 0)\t)","payloadType":"jsonata","x":900,"y":400,"wires":[["45b1494dc5faf42b"]]},{"id":"45b1494dc5faf42b","type":"change","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"homeassistant.homeAssistant.states.input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends.state","pt":"global","to":"payload","tot":"msg"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":1320,"y":400,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"1e1ee443d6fa634f","type":"inject","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"","props":[],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","x":890,"y":340,"wires":[["9da17416b34ce628"]]},{"id":"9da17416b34ce628","type":"change","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"get flow.mydatacollection.warm5.state","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"payload","pt":"msg","to":"mydatacollection.warm5.state","tot":"flow"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":1150,"y":340,"wires":[["433d9a321795f0c3"]]},{"id":"433d9a321795f0c3","type":"debug","z":"0df4284c28cd9b46","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":false,"console":false,"tostatus":true,"complete":"payload","targetType":"msg","statusVal":"payload","statusType":"auto","x":1410,"y":340,"wires":[]}] however as I said before: [image] Steve-Mcl: It may be that HA replaces the object instead of updating it (in which case it won't work).

Home Assistant globals are read only in a sense. They are there for reference only. They can not change the state of an entity inside HA. They can be temporarily changed in NR but will revert back when the entity is updated. To change the state of entities in HA, you should use the action node.

[image] mikefila: They are there for reference only. They can not change the state of an entity inside HA Thats not the point of discussion or the focus of my demo. [image] mikefila: To change the state of entities in HA, you should use the action node. The OPs demo clearly does not directly set the value in the global context: [image] The point was to store a reference to the (as you call it "read only") value In my demo above, I manually set the value of homeassistant.homeAssistant.states.input_boolean.thermo_5_warm_abends.state ONLY to simulate what HA does (because I dont use HA).

In your example, you are setting a home assistant global to a value. I wanted to point out that doesn't work.

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Context variable that (partly) references other context variables dynamically

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Steve-Mcl 18 April 2025 11:29 23

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Context variable that (partly) references other context variables dynamically

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