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P4 Server Administration Documentation | 2025.2

# Trigger script variables

You can use trigger script variables to pass data to a trigger script. All data is passed as a string. It is up to the trigger to interpret and use these data appropriately.

It is also possible to have the server and trigger communicate using STDIN and STDOUT. For more information, see Communication between a trigger and the server.

The `maxError…​` variables refer to circumstances that prevented the server from completing a command, such as an operating system resource issue. Note also that client-side errors are not always visible to the server and might not be included in the `maxError` count.

The `terminated` and `termReason` variables indicate whether the command exited early and why.

Any unknown variables remain in the trigger invocation. This preserves the trigger argument ordering, and might be a clue to authors that data they assumed to be available is not.

Argument | Description | Available for type
--- | --- | ---
`%action%` | Either null or a string reflecting an action taken to a changelist or job. For example,"`pending change 123 added`" or "`submitted change 124 deleted`" are possible `%action%` values on `change` forms, and "`job000123 created`" or "`job000123 edited`" are possible `%action%` values for `job` forms. | `form-commit`
`%archiveList%` | Filename containing files to be pulled | `pull-archive`
`%argc%` | Command argument count. | all except archive
`%args%` | Command argument string. | all except archive
`%argsQuoted%` | Command argument string that contains the command arguments as a percent-encoded comma-separated list. | all except archive
`%changelist%`, `%change%` | The number of the changelist being submitted. The abbreviated form `%change%` is equivalent to `%changelist%`. A `change-submit` trigger is passed the pending changelist number; a `change-commit` trigger receives the committed changelist number. A `shelve-commit` or `shelve-delete` trigger receives the changelist number of the shelf. |
    change-submit
    push-submit
    change-content
    push-content
    change-commit
    push-commit
    fix-add
    fix-delete
    form-commit
    shelve-commit
    shelve-delete
`%changeroot%` | The root path of files submitted. |
                                change-commit
    push-commit
`%checkpoint%` | The name of the newly created checkpoint if a checkpoint was taken during the journal rotation. | `journal-rotate*`
`%client%` | Triggering user’s client workspace name. | all
`%clientcwd%` | Client’s current working directory. | all except archive
`%clienthost%` | Hostname of the user’s workstation (even if connected through a proxy, broker, replica, or an edge server.) | all
`%clientip%` | The IP address of the user’s workstation (even if connected through a proxy, broker, replica, or an edge server.) | all
`%clientprog%` | The name of the user’s client application. For example, P4V, P4Win | all
`%clientversion%` | The version of the user’s client application. | all
`%command%` | Command name. | all except archive
`%commandIdent%` | The unique identifier of a command. | all
`%depotName%` | The graph depot in which the repo resides. |
    graph-push-start
    graph-push-reference
    graph-push-reference-complete
    graph-push-complete
`%email%` | The user's email address. See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). |
    auth-pre-2fa
    auth-init-2fa
    auth-check-2fa
`%file%` | Path of archive file based on depot’s `Map` field. If the `Map` field is relative to `P4ROOT`, the `%file%` is a server-side path relative to `P4ROOT`. If the `Map` field is an absolute path, the `%file%` is an absolute server-side path. | `archive`
`%firstPushedChange%` | First new changelist number. See Additional triggers for push and fetch commands. | `command`
`%formfile%` | Path to temporary form specification file. To modify the form from an `in` or `out` trigger, overwrite this file. The file is read-only for triggers of type `save` and `delete`. |
    form-commit
    form-save
    form-in
    form-out
    form-delete
`%formname%` | Name of form (for instance, a branch name or a changelist number). |
    form-commit,
    form-save
    form-in
    form-out
    form-delete
`%formtype%` | Type of form (for instance, `branch`, `change`, and so on). |
    form-commit,
    form-save
    form-in
    form-out
    form-delete
`%fullname%` | The user's fullname. See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). |
    auth-pre-2fa
    auth-init-2fa
    auth-check-2fa
`%groups%` | List of groups to which the user belongs, space-separated. | all except archive
`%host%` | The IP address of the host of the user. See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). |
    auth-pre-2fa
    auth-init-2fa
    auth-check-2fa
`%intermediateService%` | A broker or proxy is present. | all except archive
`%jobs%` | A string of job numbers, expanded to one argument for each job number specified on a `p4 fix` command or for each job number added to (or removed from) the `Jobs` field in a `p4 submit`, or `p4 change` form. |
    fix-add,
    fix-delete
`%journal%` | The name of the newly rotated journal. | `journal-rotate*`
`%lastPushedChange%` | Last new changelist number. See Additional triggers for push and fetch commands. | `command`
`%maxErrorSeverity%` | One of `empty`, `error`, or `warning`. | all except archive
`%maxErrorText%` | Error number and text. | all except archive
`%maxLockTime%` | Limit in milliseconds for data scans. Prevents the server from locking tables for too long. Counting begins when the first table is locked, and includes time spent waiting for any subsequent table locks. (See `p4 help maxopenfiles`.) | all except archive
`%maxMemory%` | Limit in MB of the memory that a command can use. This value is an approximation. (See `p4 help maxopenfiles`.) | all except archive
`%maxOpenFiles%` | Limit of the number of files that can be opened by a single operation. Prevents users from accidentally opening an excessive portion of the repository. (See `p4 help maxopenfiles`.) | all except archive
`%maxResults%` | Limit of the number of rows of result data that can be buffered. Prevents the server from using excessive memory. (See `p4 help maxopenfiles`.) | all except archive
`%maxScanRows%` | Limit the number of rows of data scanned by a command. (See `p4 help maxopenfiles`.) | all except archive
`%method%` | The authentication method from list-methods (might be set to "unknown"). See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). | `auth-pre-2fa auth-init-2fa auth-check-2fa`
`%newValue%` | See Triggering with depots of type graph. | `graph-push-reference`
`%oldchangelist%` | If a changelist is renumbered on submit, this variable contains the old changelist number. |
    change-commit
    push-commit
`%oldValue%` | See Triggering with depots of type graph. | `graph-push-reference`
`%op%` | Operation: `read`, `write`, or `delete`. | `archive`
`%pauseRateCPU%` | Percentage of commands blocked for CPU. | all except archive
`%pauseRateMem%` | Percentage of commands blocked for memory. | all except archive
`%peerhost%` | If the command was sent through a proxy, broker, replica, or edge server, the hostname of the proxy, broker, replica, or edge server. (If the command was sent directly, `%peerhost%` matches `%clienthost%`) | all
`%peerip%` | If the command was sent through a proxy, broker, replica, or edge server, the IP address of the proxy, broker, replica, or edge server. (If the command was sent directly, `%peerip%` matches `%clientip%`) | all
`%P4PORT%` | The host port to which the client connects. If the client connects to the server through an intermediary, this will hold the port number of the intermediary. If there’s no intermediary, this will hold the same value as the `%serverAddress%` variable. | auth-check-sso (client-side script only)
`%pressureCPU%` | high CPU pressure | all except archive
`%pressureMem%` | low/medium/high memory pressure | all except archive
`%pusher%` | The user credited with the push. See Triggering with depots of type graph. |
    graph-push-start
    graph-push-reference
    graph-push-reference-complete
    graph-push-complete
`%quote%` | A double quote character. | all
`%reference%` | See Triggering with depots of type graph. | `graph-push-reference`
`%refFlags%`
`%refType%`
`%repo%` | The repo, which has `.git` as a suffix, but otherwise is identical to `%repoName%`. |
    graph-push-start
    graph-push-reference
    graph-push-reference-complete
    graph-push-complete
`%repoName%` | The name of the repo. See Triggering with depots of type graph.
`%rev%` | Revision of archive file | `archive`
`%scheme%` | The authentication scheme set by init-auth (can be set to "unknown"). See See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). | `auth-init-2fa`
`%serverAddress%` | The IP address and port of the P4 Server, passable only in the context of a client-side script specified by `P4LOGINSSO`. | auth-check-sso (client-side script only)
`%serverhost%` | Hostname of the P4 Server. | all
`%serverid%` | The value of the P4 Server’s `server.id`. See `p4 serverid` in the P4 CLI Reference. | all
`%serverip%` | The IP address of the server. | all
`%serverpid%` | The thread ID that handles a command on Windows, and the PID on Linux/UNIX. | all
`%serverport%` | The transport, IP address, and port of the P4 Server, in the format `prefix:ip_address:port`. prefix can be one of `ssl`, `tcp6`, or `ssl6`. This means that the command `p4 -p %serverport%` can be used to connect to the server. It does not matter which of these types of connection the server uses. The %serverport% variable returns the P4PORT of the server where the trigger runs. For example: changesubmit change-submit //... "bash change-submit.sh %serverport%" shelvesubmit shelve-submit //... "bash shelve-submit.sh %serverport%" Whether you are working through the commit server or an edge server, the change-submit trigger runs on the commit server. Therefore, the %serverport% variable for the change-submit trigger returns the P4PORT of the commit server. However, a shelve trigger runs on the server where you shelve a changelist. If you shelve a changelist through an edge server, the shelve-submit trigger runs on that edge server. This is true whether the shelve is being promoted or not. Therefore, in this case, the %serverport% variable for the shelve-submit trigger returns the P4PORT of that edge server. | all
`%serverprocesspid%` | The process identifier (PID) of the entire server process on both Windows and Linux/UNIX. | all
`%serverroot%` | The `P4ROOT` directory of the P4 Server. | all
`%serverservices%` | A string specifying the role of the server. One of the following: `standard` `replica` `broker` `proxy` `commit-server` `edge-server` `forwarding-replica` `build-server` `P4AUTH` `P4CHANGE` | all except archive
`%serverVersion%` | Version string for the server that terminated if the command exited early. Reason for termination is given in `%termReason%`. | all except archive
`%sessionsPaused%` | Number of paused client commands. | all except archive
`%specdef%` | Expanded to the spec string of the form in question. | `form`
%standbyserverid% | Expands to the serverID of the standby before failover (or failback). | failed-over, failed-back
%standbyserverport% | Expands to the P4PORT of the standby before failover (or failback). | failed-over, failed-back
`%stream%` | The stream spec in the change, such as `//streamDepot/streamProject1` | `change-submit change-content change-commit change-failed`
`%submitserverid%` | If this is not a distributed installation, `%submitserverid%` is always empty. In a distributed installation, for any change trigger: if the submit was run on the commit server, `%submitserverid%` equals `%serverid%`. if the submit was run on the edge server, `%submitserverid%` does not equal `%serverid%`. In this case, `%submitserverid%` holds the edge server’s server id. If there is a forwarding replica between the commit server and the edge server, then `%submitserverid%` actually holds the forwarding replica’s server id. See `p4 serverid` in the P4 CLI Reference. |
    change-submit
    change-content
    change-commit
Not available for `push-`* triggers.
`%targetport%` | The serverport of the target server being monitored. Corresponds to the P4TARGET or the `-t target` value that the p4 heartbeat command uses. | `heartbeat-missing` `heartbeat-resumed` `heartbeat-dead`
`%terminated%` | The value of `0` indicates that the command completed. A value of `1` indicates that the command did not complete. | all except archive
`%termReason%` | The reason for early termination. This might be one of the following: `'p4 monitor terminate'` `client disconnect` `maxScanRows` `maxLockTime` `maxResults` See also `%serverVersion%`. | all except archive
`%token%` | The stashed token from the last init-auth (can be empty). See Triggering for multi-factor authentication (MFA). | `auth-init-2fa`
`%triggerdir%` | Pull.trigger.dir used for tmp files for Triggers for external file transfer | `edge-content`
`%triggerMeta_action%` | Command to execute when trigger is fired. Last field of trigger definition. | all except archive
`%triggerMeta_depotFile%` | Third field in trigger definition. Its meaning varies with the trigger type: with Change-submit triggers, it is the path for which the trigger is expected to match. with Form-out triggers, it might be the form type to which the trigger is expected to apply. | all except archive
`%triggerMeta_name%` | Trigger name: first field from trigger definition. | all except archive
`%triggerMeta_trigger%` | Trigger type: second field in trigger definition. | all except archive
`%user%` | P4 Server username of the triggering user. | all

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