# Multiple subflows with context variables in a tab
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916
**Category:** General
**Created:** [12 September 2021 08:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916 "2021-09-12T08:56:12Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 08:56 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/1 "2021-09-12T08:56:12Z")
Hello,
I have a little problem understanding & figuring out how I can have multiple subflows on the same tab flow where each subflow needs to have it's own variables in context
As example, I have this test flow below. The only thing the subflow does is to set a flow context variable with the timestamp. But if I put more subflows in the same way into a single tab, there is a conflict
Is there another way how each subflow can store individual variables in context instead of using $parent.timestamp as in the example? Maybe like adding the unique node\_id to the variable names somehow could be a solution ($parent.timestamp + node\_id)?
Best regards, Walter
```auto
[{"id":"598467b2.d6e028","type":"subflow","name":"My timestamp","info":"","category":"","in":[{"x":220,"y":80,"wires":[{"id":"2f923787.1c4268"}]}],"out":[{"x":620,"y":80,"wires":[{"id":"2f923787.1c4268","port":0}]}],"env":[],"meta":{},"color":"#DDAA99"},{"id":"2f923787.1c4268","type":"change","z":"598467b2.d6e028","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"$parent.timestamp","pt":"flow","to":"payload","tot":"msg"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":420,"y":80,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"ebd92723.099598","type":"inject","z":"472fc173.1567","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"","payload":"","payloadType":"date","x":340,"y":1380,"wires":[["aba3db61.9fd578"]]},{"id":"7789d431.011d4c","type":"debug","z":"472fc173.1567","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"false","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":790,"y":1380,"wires":[]},{"id":"aba3db61.9fd578","type":"subflow:598467b2.d6e028","z":"472fc173.1567","name":"","env":[],"x":560,"y":1380,"wires":[["7789d431.011d4c"]]}]
```
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 09:11 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/2 "2021-09-12T09:11:45Z")
I believe you can use flow context in a subflow and then each subflow will have its own copy.
---
### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 09:15 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/3 "2021-09-12T09:15:06Z")
I forgot mention that I also need to make the variables accessible to other nodes in the same tab
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 09:22 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/4 "2021-09-12T09:22:55Z")
In that case you could use a subflow property to specify an id which you add as a suffix to the parent flow context var to identify which subflow it relates to.
---
### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 09:30 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/5 "2021-09-12T09:30:18Z")
Yes, what I thought, but I would like to avoid having to put that in manually, I would like to automate, make it a no-brainer. That's why I thought of using the node-id but I dunno know how??
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 10:17 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/6 "2021-09-12T10:17:27Z")
If it were automatic how would you know how to address the var when used in the parent?
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### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 10:44 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/7 "2021-09-12T10:44:15Z")
I plan to keep an array or so in the parent with those
---
### Author:  [@E1cid](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/E1cid)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 10:50 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/8 "2021-09-12T10:50:41Z")
You can feed in a unique id say in msg.topic or \_msgid, and then merge the context store with a new object using JSONata, I found that it only works with globals
e.g.
```auto
[{"id":"598467b2.d6e028","type":"subflow","name":"My timestamp","info":"","category":"","in":[{"x":220,"y":80,"wires":[{"id":"2f923787.1c4268"}]}],"out":[{"x":620,"y":80,"wires":[{"id":"2f923787.1c4268","port":0}]}],"env":[],"color":"#DDAA99"},{"id":"2f923787.1c4268","type":"change","z":"598467b2.d6e028","name":"","rules":[{"t":"set","p":"timestamp","pt":"global","to":"$merge([$globalContext(\"timestamp\"),{$$.topic:$$.payload}])","tot":"jsonata"}],"action":"","property":"","from":"","to":"","reg":false,"x":400,"y":80,"wires":[[]]},{"id":"a6f9391f.533ff","type":"subflow:598467b2.d6e028","z":"b779de97.b1b46","name":"","x":600,"y":2700,"wires":[["7789d431.011d4c"]]},{"id":"ebd92723.099598","type":"inject","z":"b779de97.b1b46","name":"","props":[{"p":"payload"},{"p":"topic","vt":"str"}],"repeat":"","crontab":"","once":false,"onceDelay":0.1,"topic":"uniqueid1","payload":"","payloadType":"date","x":400,"y":2640,"wires":[["a6f9391f.533ff"]]},{"id":"7789d431.011d4c","type":"debug","z":"b779de97.b1b46","name":"","active":true,"tosidebar":true,"console":false,"tostatus":false,"complete":"true","targetType":"full","statusVal":"","statusType":"auto","x":700,"y":2660,"wires":[]}]
```
---
### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 10:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/9 "2021-09-12T10:57:00Z")
Yes, I think that could work fine, I can use globals instead since they are unique,
Thank you!!
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 11:20 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/10 "2021-09-12T11:20:22Z")
Are you sure you really need to use context? Alternatively you could pass the information out of the subflow, then it would be automatic. I tend to consider that I have failed if I have to use flow or global context.
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### Author:  [@krambriw](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/krambriw)
#### Post date: [12 September 2021 11:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/11 "2021-09-12T11:57:47Z")
No, not sure 😉 Not yet, still too much of an experimental work in progress,,,
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [26 September 2021 11:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/multiple-subflows-with-context-variables-in-a-tab/50916/12 "2021-09-26T11:58:38Z")
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