You can use JSONata expressions to pass values from earlier Ziflow events and Zibots in your automation flow into other Zibots (such as Webhook Zibots). You can also use them in customized email templates.

When you create integrations with Ziflow, you’ll often need to pass information in JSON format. JSON is a way to structure data so that apps can read it. 

JSONata is a query language for JSON. JSONata expressions are supported in all open text fields in webhook flow Zibots and customized email template fields.

JSONata in Webhook Zibots

JSONata in email templates

JSONata in Webhook Zibots

In automation flows, you can reference data from:

• The starting event (e.g., proof created, decision made, comment added, an intake form)
• Previous Zibots in the same flow

Use #{ ... }# to insert a JSONata expression

Wrap a reference in #{ }# so Ziflow knows it's JSONata and that it should replace the expression with the actual value when the flow runs. 

When to use it:

As a placeholder to pass dynamic data from Ziflow into another system (e.g., proof IDs, names, statuses).

Examples

Placeholder for the full proof object:

#{$.proof}#  

Placeholder for the proof ID (e.g., "p123"):

#{$.proof.id}#   

 
In a payload:

{
 "proofId": "#{$.proof.id}#",
 "proofName": "#{$.proof.name}#"
}

After, the JSONata expression is replaced with the real data:

{
 "proofId": "p123",
 "proofName": "Ad Campaign"
}

Use $ to reference all the data

The $ symbol represents everything in the flow. Think of it as the “starting point” for looking up information. Start with $ when you want access to the full dataset.

When to use it:

As a starting point before drilling down to specific fields.

Example

#{$}#   

Refers to all the data in this flow

Use .[object name] to target one item

Add a dot (.) and a name to point to a specific item inside the data.

When to use it:

To get a single property, like a proof name or ID.

Example

#{$.proof.name}# 

 Gets the "name" field inside the "proof" object

Reference objects

To insert a value, type its JSONata expression, starting with #{$. followed by the object name.
Available objects depend on the event type:

 Note: Zibot numbering starts at 0. To view the numbering, hover over the Zibot in the Flow pane.

Event-specific objects

The value you can pull into your Zibots using JSONata depends on what event triggered your Ziflow flow. For example:

To get a specific value in the JSON return object, use a JSONata expression that points to that value in the JSON structure. JSONata in Ziflow follows standard syntax, so any valid JSONata expression will work.

• Go to the Ziflow API reference page to see the JSON object returned for the relevant proof event.
• For external applications, refer to their REST API documentation to understand their JSON response structure.

Examples:

JSONata in email templates

In customized email templates, you can insert predefined tokens or use JSONata expressions to dynamically include proof data in the email subject and content. See Customize email templates.

JSONata expressions can be used similarly to how they are used in  Zibots. The one difference is that for email, the expression requires event to be part of the path, for example,
#{$.event.proofs.count}# See Useful Ziflow webhooks and JSONata examples.