nodes / builtin / core
Digest
Accumulate items across runs and release them together
Collect items over many runs and hand them all over at once, on a schedule, on demand or once you have enough.
What it does
Section titled “What it does”A Data Store remembers single values; a Digest remembers a growing list. Each run can add to a named Bucket, and a later run releases everything that gathered. Several buckets can live in one workflow.
Mode picks what the node does:
- Add to digest appends the incoming item (or every item of an incoming list) to the bucket, then stops the branch: nothing after it runs. If Release at (count) is above 0 and the bucket reaches that many items, it releases instead.
- Peek sends everything in the bucket out of Released and leaves the bucket as it is.
- Release sends everything in the bucket out of Released and empties it.
Buckets are stored in this workflow’s Data Store, in this browser profile, and are private to this workflow. Editing the workflow keeps them; deleting the workflow deletes them.
When to use it
Section titled “When to use it”- A daily summary: collect links or alerts all day, send one message at 6pm.
- A batcher: act once twenty items have piled up, with Release at (count)
20. - Hold items until you press a button, with a manual trigger on a Release branch.
To combine items from a single run, use Aggregate instead.
Inputs and settings
Section titled “Inputs and settings”| Setting | Type | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Choice | What to do with the digest. Options: Add to digest, Peek, Release. Default: Add to digest |
| Bucket | Text | Name of the digest to add to, peek at, or release. Default: default |
| Release at (count) | Number | Used by Add: release automatically once the bucket reaches this many items. 0 means only a Release (or manual/scheduled) empties it. Default: 0 |
The items to collect come from the node’s incoming connection. Use the same Bucket name on the Add node and on the Release node that should empty it. A bucket does not clash with a Data Store key of the same name.
Outputs
Section titled “Outputs”-
Released
Released only receives items when the node releases (a Release, a Peek, or an Add that reached its count). The items come out as they went in, one per collected item, so you can follow with Aggregate to build one summary.
Dependencies and credentials
Section titled “Dependencies and credentials”None. This node needs no connection and has no slots for other nodes.
Example workflow
Section titled “Example workflow”A reading list you get once a day. One workflow, two branches using the bucket reading-list:
- Context Menu trigger, Menu Contexts
Link, into Digest, Mode Add to digest, Bucketreading-list. Each right-click adds one link. - Schedule trigger at 18:00 into Digest, Mode Release, Bucket
reading-list. - From Released: Aggregate, Mode Individual fields, field
linkUrl. - Slack, post a message with
{{ $input.linkUrl }}.
Common issues
Section titled “Common issues”- Nothing runs after an Add. That is by design: Add collects and stops the branch. Connect the next steps after a Release or Peek node, or set Release at (count).
- The Release branch gets old or unrelated items. Two Digest nodes share the same Bucket name. Give each digest its own name.
- Items keep coming back on every run. You used Peek, which does not empty the bucket. Use Release.
- A storage limit error. A bucket is one stored value, capped at 128 KB, within the Data Store limits (500 keys, 5 MB per workflow). Release more often or store less per item.
- An imported copy of the workflow starts with empty buckets. Buckets belong to the original workflow.
Related nodes
Section titled “Related nodes”- Data Store: remember single values between runs.
- Schedule: fire a Release at a set time.
- Aggregate: turn the released items into one summary item.
- Split in Batches: process a list in chunks within one run.