variables and logic tutorial video prompt not working
Doing this tutorial https://youtu.be/gikDYnKt5qA?si=d3erQqVv81fyHFwb
but it's not working.
Anyone worked it out? Thanks.
2 Replies
Here are the 3 things that usually trip people up when trying to replicate the “Variables & Logic” tutorial:
1. Create-then-set the variable before you use it
• Add the variable in the left toolbar (Variables → “+”).
• Drop a Set step on the canvas → choose the variable → “Value” → give it something (even an empty string) so it exists at runtime.
• Without that Set step the variable’s value is literally undefined, so any Condition/Prompt that references {myVar} will return blank and the step looks like it’s “not working”. 2. Reference the variable with exact curly-brace syntax inside Prompts or Text
Correct → “Welcome {first_name}!”
Wrong → “Welcome {{first_name}}” or “Welcome $first_name”.
The Preview pane (or Test Tool) will only substitute if the braces + spelling match the variable name 1-for-1. 3. Remember Conditions are case-sensitive & require exact matches
If you built a Condition like
IF {status} = “VIP” → path 1
but the variable is actually “vip” or “Vip”, the step falls through to the Else path.
You can avoid this by switching the condition to an Expression and normalising the case, e.g.
✅ Variable added in the Variables panel
✅ Variable given a value in a Set step (or captured from user input) before any Prompt/Condition references it
✅ Curly-brace reference spelled exactly the same
✅ Condition paths use the same capitalisation/punctuation as the variable’s value
Test tip: turn on Debug mode in the Test Tool. You’ll see each variable change as the flow runs, which makes it obvious if a value was never set. Docs for deeper dives:
Variables & Set step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/variables-set
Condition step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/condition-step
Prompt step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/prompt-step Try those fixes and the tutorial flow should behave exactly like in the video!
• Add the variable in the left toolbar (Variables → “+”).
• Drop a Set step on the canvas → choose the variable → “Value” → give it something (even an empty string) so it exists at runtime.
• Without that Set step the variable’s value is literally undefined, so any Condition/Prompt that references {myVar} will return blank and the step looks like it’s “not working”. 2. Reference the variable with exact curly-brace syntax inside Prompts or Text
Correct → “Welcome {first_name}!”
Wrong → “Welcome {{first_name}}” or “Welcome $first_name”.
The Preview pane (or Test Tool) will only substitute if the braces + spelling match the variable name 1-for-1. 3. Remember Conditions are case-sensitive & require exact matches
If you built a Condition like
IF {status} = “VIP” → path 1
but the variable is actually “vip” or “Vip”, the step falls through to the Else path.
You can avoid this by switching the condition to an Expression and normalising the case, e.g.
status?.toLowerCase() === 'vip'
Quick checklist✅ Variable added in the Variables panel
✅ Variable given a value in a Set step (or captured from user input) before any Prompt/Condition references it
✅ Curly-brace reference spelled exactly the same
✅ Condition paths use the same capitalisation/punctuation as the variable’s value
Test tip: turn on Debug mode in the Test Tool. You’ll see each variable change as the flow runs, which makes it obvious if a value was never set. Docs for deeper dives:
Variables & Set step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/variables-set
Condition step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/condition-step
Prompt step https://docs.voiceflow.com/docs/prompt-step Try those fixes and the tutorial flow should behave exactly like in the video!
Worked when I used business instead of prompt logic. Yay!🍉