Using arguments with "Call Another Pipeline" function

Question

I have been working with QB tech support to no avail on this one. I have created a pipeline to create a series of nested folders on Box.com. The list of folders to create has grown to over 30 in number. This is a problem since the maximum number of steps a pipeline can have is 30. So the only viable workaround that has been suggested so far is to call a second pipeline at the end of the first pipeline, and finish my routine in the second pipeline. In theory that would work, except that QB tech support now tells me there is no way for me to pass the record ID of the target QB record to the second pipeline, even though the (extremely limited) instruction that accompanies the "Call Another Pipeline" function clearly states you can pass arguments. If you can't pass something as fundamental as a record ID as an argument to the second pipeline, how can it perform any sort of targeted action? Any if the arguments won't allow for passing a QB record ID, what WILL they allow and why do they even exist?

Has anyone successfully used this function with arguments? TIA.

------------------------------
Josh Weeman
------------------------------

JoshWeeman · Accepted Answer

So in a complete turnaround, I was later told by Quickbase support the exact opposite of what I was told in my first two inquires: Passing arguments between Pipelines does in fact work, and it works perfectly for my use case. I only wish it hadn't taken me an entire week of pulling teeth out of multiple support reps to get a correct answer.

I now have a multiple pipelines chained together by passing the target record ID (and more) to the subsequent pipelines. The nicest advantage I have realized from this is the ability to have multiple variations of my "Step 1" pipelines, with various triggers, and have them all continue to one unified "Step 2" pipeline that has the same chain of actions for all cases. That means you can easily augment the trigger and initial actions without have to rebuild/duplicate the long chain of following actions that result.

I will attempt to upload the screencast that was shared with me that shows how to do it.

------------------------------
Josh Weeman
------------------------------

MarkShnierYou · Answer

I don't have a direct answer to passing arguments between pipelines but a workaround would be to create a single record in a single table with record ID# = 1 and have a pipeline write some values to that rcord field.

Then you can look that up down to any child table you need.

This can work as long as you are fairly sure that you would not have multiple pipelines are running at the same time and tripping over Each other as they write onto that scratchpad field.

------------------------------
Mark Shnier (YQC)
Quick Base Solution Provider
Your Quick Base Coach
http://QuickBaseCoach.com
mark.shnier@gmail.com
------------------------------

Sign up

Login to the community