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Pipedream supports writing Node.js v at any point of a workflow. Anything you can do with Node.js, you can do in a workflow. This includes using most of npm’s 400,000+ packages. JavaScript is one of the most used languages in the world, with a thriving community and extensive package ecosystem. If you work on websites and know JavaScript well, Pipedream makes you a full stack engineer. If you’ve never used JavaScript, see the resources below.
It’s important to understand the core difference between Node.js and the JavaScript that runs in your web browser: Node doesn’t have access to some of the things a browser expects, like the HTML on the page, or its URL. If you haven’t used Node before, be aware of this limitation as you search for JavaScript examples on the web.

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Adding a code step

  1. Click the + button below any step of your workflow.
  2. Select the option to Run custom code.
Note that new code steps will default to Node.js v. You can add any Node.js code in the editor that appears. For example, try: 
export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    console.log("This is Node.js code");
    $.export("test", "Some test data");
    return "Test data";
  },
});
Code steps use the same editor (Monaco) used in Microsoft’s VS Code, which supports syntax highlighting, automatic indentation, and more.

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Sharing data between steps

A Node.js step can use data from other steps using step exports, it can also export data for other steps to use.

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Using data from another step

In Node.js steps, data from the initial workflow trigger and other steps are available in the steps argument passed to the run({ steps, $ }) function. In this example, we’ll pretend this data is coming into our HTTP trigger via POST request. 
{
  "id": 1,
  "name": "Bulbasaur",
  "type": "plant"
}
In our Node.js step, we can access this data in the steps variable Specifically, this data from the POST request into our workflow is available in the trigger property. 
export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const pokemonName = steps.trigger.event.name;
    const pokemonType = steps.trigger.event.type;
 
    console.log(`${pokemonName} is a ${pokemonType} type Pokemon`);
  },
});

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Sending data downstream to other steps

To share data created, retrieved, transformed or manipulated by a step to others downstream you can simply return it. 
// This step is named "code" in the workflow
import axios from "axios";
 
export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const response = await axios.get(
      "https://pokeapi.co/api/v2/pokemon/charizard"
    );
    // Store the response's JSON contents into a variable called "pokemon"
    const pokemon = response.data;
 
    // Expose the pokemon data downstream to other steps in the $return_value from this step
    return pokemon;
  },
});

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Using $.export

Alternatively, use the built in $.export helper instead of returning data. The $.export creates a named export with the given value. 
// This step is named "code" in the workflow
import axios from "axios";
 
export default defineComponent({
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    const response = await axios.get(
      "https://pokeapi.co/api/v2/pokemon/charizard"
    );
    // Store the response's JSON contents into a variable called "pokemon"
    const pokemon = response.data;
 
    // Expose the pokemon data downstream to other steps in the pokemon export from this step
    $.export("pokemon", pokemon);
  },
});
Now this pokemon data is accessible to downstream steps within steps.code.pokemon
You can only export JSON-serializable data from steps. Things like:
  • strings
  • numbers
  • objects
You cannot export functions or other complex objects that don’t serialize to JSON. You can save that data to a file in the /tmp directory.

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Passing props to code steps

You can make code steps reusable by allowing them to accept props. Instead of hard-coding the values of variables within the code itself, you can pass them to the code step as arguments or parameters entered in the workflow builder. For example, let’s define a firstName prop. This will allow us to freely enter text from the workflow builder. 
export default defineComponent({
  props: {
    firstName: {
      type: "string",
      label: "Your first name",
      default: "Dylan",
    },
  },
  async run({ steps, $ }) {
    console.log(
      `Hello ${this.firstName}, congrats on crafting your first prop!`
    );
  },
});
The workflow builder now can accept text input to populate the firstName to this particular step only: