Data Group

Lede. Selects a configured data group and forwards its matching secondary-sheet rows to whatever consumes them downstream.

Group: Data · Available in: Text / Image / QR / Barcode placeholders, Table · Central node: No

Purpose

• Feed a Table with the line items belonging to the current invoice.
• Feed a Repeater with the features belonging to the current product, so a text placeholder lists them all.
• Bring a structured 1-to-many relationship from the datasource into the merge workflow.

Where to find it

Add Node ▸ Data ▸ Data Group

The actual data-group definitions (which two sheets, how rows match) live in Data ▸ Data Groups. This node only selects one of them.

How it works

The node has no inputs. Pick a previously configured data group in its settings panel; on evaluation it asks the data group for the rows that match the current master record and emits them as a single value downstream.

What happens next depends on what’s wired to its Out:

• Wired into a Table node’s Data Group socket: the table renders one row per match.
• Wired into a Repeater node’s Data Group socket: the placeholder evaluates its Content once per match and joins the results.

In both cases the upstream Data Text / Static Text / Formatter nodes in the same workspace switch their column lookup to the data group’s secondary sheet automatically. You don’t have to configure context switching anywhere – the wiring is the switch.

Sockets

The node has no input sockets.

Settings

A data group itself is configured separately from this node. Match modes available there:

• Explicit relationship – link by matching IDs in master and secondary sheet columns.
• Range-based – everything between two markers in a secondary column.
• Predicate-only – any NSPredicate-style filter against the secondary sheet.

Example (end-to-end)

Scenario. A product catalogue page lists the features of the current product.

Pre-requisite. A data group Product features exists in Data ▸ Data Groups, configured as Explicit relationship: master Products.ID ↔ secondary Features.ProductID.

Wiring.

[Data Group: "Product features"] → [Repeater] → [Placeholder.Repeater]
                                                          ▲
                              [Data Text: FeatureLabel] ──┘  Placeholder.Content

Result. The placeholder renders a delimiter-joined list of all feature labels belonging to the current product.

Empty / error behaviour

• If no data group is selected, the node is invalid and shows a red border. Nothing flows downstream.
• If the selected data group returns zero matching rows for the current master record, the node emits nil. The downstream consumer (Table / Repeater) handles that as its own "empty data" case – typically by firing the consumer’s Error Action wire.

Limitations

• The node is a selector, not a builder – data groups must already exist in Data ▸ Data Groups. There is no way to define a brand-new data group from this node alone (the "Manage…" button opens the same editor as the Data section).
• Only one data group per node. Use multiple nodes if you need to consume more than one in the same workspace.

Common pitfalls

• The downstream column picker shows the master sheet. The Data Group’s Out must be wired to the Table or Repeater for the upstream Data Text nodes to switch context. Confirm both wires.
• Empty output every record. The selected data group’s match rule probably doesn’t fit your sheet structure. Open Data ▸ Data Groups and verify the relationship columns and filters.

Related nodes

• Table – the most common consumer of this node’s Out.
• Repeater – the other consumer; produces inline joined text instead of rows.
• Data Text – upstream of the consumer; auto-switches its column picker to the secondary sheet.
• Data Text (table) – the Table-workspace equivalent of Data Text.

Screenshots

📷 Screenshot [NEU]: Data Group settings panel with popup expanded
📷 Screenshot [NEU]: Data Groups editor (Data ▸ Data Groups)