# Setting flow context not working?
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245
**Category:** General
**Created:** [31 December 2018 02:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245 "2018-12-31T02:02:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 11
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ScottChapman](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ScottChapman)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 02:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/1 "2018-12-31T02:02:14Z")
First of all I am running 0.16.2 (running on Jessie raspberry pi)
I have a flow that has a change node where I set a property on the flow context.
This doesn't appear to be getting set (as far as I can tell). To test it I have a function right after the change node that sets msg.flow to the flow object, then a debug node which dumps the entire msg. Basically like this:
```auto
[
{
"id": "4a64d7ea.ffaa88",
"type": "inject",
"z": "2de8ef9b.ec8fe",
"name": "",
"topic": "",
"payload": "",
"payloadType": "date",
"repeat": "",
"crontab": "",
"once": false,
"x": 136.5,
"y": 129.5,
"wires": [
[
"72e38345.25e72c"
]
]
},
{
"id": "72e38345.25e72c",
"type": "change",
"z": "2de8ef9b.ec8fe",
"name": "",
"rules": [
{
"t": "set",
"p": "payload",
"pt": "flow",
"to": "whatever",
"tot": "str"
}
],
"action": "",
"property": "",
"from": "",
"to": "",
"reg": false,
"x": 317.5,
"y": 134.5,
"wires": [
[
"ae3819fa.1cb0a8"
]
]
},
{
"id": "ae3819fa.1cb0a8",
"type": "function",
"z": "2de8ef9b.ec8fe",
"name": "get flow",
"func": "msg.payload = flow.payload\nreturn msg;",
"outputs": 1,
"noerr": 0,
"x": 556.5,
"y": 161.5,
"wires": [
[
"c5119dd5.5fe09"
]
]
},
{
"id": "c5119dd5.5fe09",
"type": "debug",
"z": "2de8ef9b.ec8fe",
"name": "",
"active": true,
"console": "false",
"complete": "true",
"x": 645.5,
"y": 238,
"wires": []
}
]
```
Any ideas?
---
### Author:  [@zenofmud](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/zenofmud)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 06:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/2 "2018-12-31T06:14:25Z")
Upgrade...current version of NR is 0.19.5
---
### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 09:26 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/3 "2018-12-31T09:26:59Z")
Since you have that version you presumably did not use the recommended method for installing node-red. See here for how to upgrade it:
[https://nodered.org/docs/hardware/raspberrypi](https://nodered.org/docs/hardware/raspberrypi)
---
### Author:  [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 09:33 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/4 "2018-12-31T09:33:19Z")
Hi @ScottChapman
Whilst everyone has been quick to recommend you upgrade (which is certainly worthwhile), here what's going in with your flow...
To access a flow context property from a Function node, you need to use:
```auto
msg.payload = flow.get('payload');
```
See [this page](https://nodered.org/docs/writing-functions#storing-data) for details - although those docs do also cover things only available on the latest version.
---
### Author:  [@ScottChapman](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ScottChapman)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 13:58 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/5 "2018-12-31T13:58:12Z")
Thanks, that was it!
my node-red was basically what was included in the distro, so I'll go ahead and upgrade.
thanks!
---
### Author:  [@ScottChapman](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ScottChapman)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 14:37 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/6 "2018-12-31T14:37:05Z")
related question...
Do I need to use a `change` node in my flow to actually change those values? Or is there some other way I can easily establish these flow properties (which I am basically using as configuration for the flow)?
---
### Author:  [@ukmoose](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ukmoose)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 14:57 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/7 "2018-12-31T14:57:23Z")
you can do it with a function node as per the link in Nicks post or with a change node
---
### Author:  [@ScottChapman](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ScottChapman)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 15:02 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/8 "2018-12-31T15:02:05Z")
Right, I assume that node needs to be linked to my other nodes in the flow.
I was just wondering if I can have a "configuration" node, that is just not linked to any other nodes, that essentially fires at startup to set up the configuration that is used by the flow.
Does that make sense? I realize I can just do what I was doing, but wanting to understand alternatives.
Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@cflurin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/cflurin)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 15:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/9 "2018-12-31T15:14:01Z")
> [@ScottChapman](#):
>
> I was just wondering if I can have a "configuration" node, that is just not linked to any other nodes, that essentially fires at startup to set up the configuration that is used by the flow.
There is a contrib-node for this purpose but as you can do it with two core-nodes I wouldn't install a separate contrib-node (less maintenance efforts).
---
### Author:  [@ukmoose](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/ukmoose)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 15:23 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/10 "2018-12-31T15:23:27Z")
Take a look at [https://nodered.org/docs/writing-functions#global-context](https://nodered.org/docs/writing-functions#global-context)
You can store global context which is available over all flows.
---
### Author:  [@dceejay](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/dceejay)
#### Post date: [31 December 2018 15:45 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/setting-flow-context-not-working/6245/11 "2018-12-31T15:45:26Z")
or you can set an inject node to fire at start - to trigger a change node to set them all as you wish.