# Store variables in files for use in flow?
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360
**Category:** General
**Tags:** docker
**Created:** [12 August 2022 11:28 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360 "2022-08-12T11:28:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@kitkat159](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/kitkat159)
#### Post date: [12 August 2022 11:28 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/1 "2022-08-12T11:28:01Z")
Hello everyone!
I am currently working on a project where I want to store settings (e.g. "filter\_on = true") inside a textfile. I want to use these variables for later use in the flows, for example inside a switch-node.
Currently, I am using the flow context:
So my main idea is to trigger a flow at start, where I put all these variables into the context. But I would prefer to read the values when they are used inside the flow (especially when I am working with Docker secrets). Is it possible to do this? Or do I have to create a new node for this?
Thanks in advance and have a nice weekend!
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### Author:  [@Steve-Mcl](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Steve-Mcl)
#### Post date: [12 August 2022 11:34 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/2 "2022-08-12T11:34:46Z")
You can use ENV vars for secrets. Any where you can type `${MY_SECRET}` it will get converted in the runtime to the ENV VAR value.
If you want to read/write values from file, there are contrib nodes that already exist (search the flows lib)
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### Author:  [@TotallyInformation](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/TotallyInformation)
#### Post date: [12 August 2022 11:36 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/3 "2022-08-12T11:36:54Z")
Is there a reason you don't want to use persistent context variables?
If you really do want to roll your own, put the data into a JS object so that you can store it as JSON (which is, I think, what the persistent context store does for you).
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### Author:  [@kitkat159](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/kitkat159)
#### Post date: [15 August 2022 06:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/4 "2022-08-15T06:04:55Z")
> [@TotallyInformation](#):
>
> Is there a reason you don't want to use persistent context variables?
Oh, I've never heard of persistent context before^^ I will definitely try this for my non-sensitive data
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### Author:  [@zenofmud](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/zenofmud)
#### Post date: [15 August 2022 08:29 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/5 "2022-08-15T08:29:35Z")
Here is something that may help you understand:
> [@A guide to understanding 'Persistent Context'](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/a-guide-to-understanding-persistent-context/4115):
>
> This is something I wrote up after playing with the context options. I've filed a PR with some of this added to the Node-RED documentation but thought I'd release it here also. I hope people find it useful. Paul A guide to understanding 'Persistent Context' Prior to Node-RED v0.19.0, data could be stored in context as a global, flow or node. This was stored in memory and would be reset with a restart of Node-RED. As of v.0.19.0 you can now store node, flow and global context data in memory O…
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### Author:  [@kitkat159](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/kitkat159)
#### Post date: [15 August 2022 08:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/6 "2022-08-15T08:41:52Z")
Thank you 🙂
This post is way more helpful than the link provided in the settings.js
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [14 October 2022 08:41 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/store-variables-in-files-for-use-in-flow/66360/7 "2022-10-14T08:41:56Z")
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