Retrieving the Current User with a Microflow

Last modified: April 18, 2024

1 Introduction

In order to implement a certain logic, you often need to identify the user who is currently logged in. The following are facts about user management in a Mendix app:

  • The currently logged-in user is always available in microflow calls and XPath constraints, and it can be retrieved in a microflow for subsequent querying or manipulation.
  • All application users/accounts are a specialization of System.User, and very often and by default, it is Administration.Account.
  • In Studio Pro, the Administration module is added by default. It allows you to manage local accounts and view app statistics.

This document teaches you how to do the following:

  • Retrieve the currently logged-in user in a microflow using the Account entity from the Administration module in Mendix

2 Prerequisites

Before you continue, make sure you have completed the following:

  • Install the latest version of Studio Pro
  • Read about the Administration module in the Studio Pro Guide
  • Understand the basics about microflows

3 Retrieving the Current User

To retrieve the currently logged-in user using the Account entity from the Administration module, do the following:

  1. Open an existing microflow or create a new one.

  2. Navigate to the Toolbox and search for the Retrieve activity.

  3. Drag the Retrieve activity into your microflow.

  4. Double-click the Retrieve activity to open its properties.

  5. Choose From database as the Source.

  6. Click Select… for Entity.

  7. In the Select Entity dialog box, go to Marketplace modules > Administration, and select Account.

  8. Choose First as the Range. This is because what you are looking for is the currently logged-in user, which is always only one object.

  9. In the XPath Constraint box, type in [id = $currentUser] and click OK.

    For Mendix version 10.5 and above, click Edit… next to XPath constraint to open a dialog box where you can enter your constraint in XPath expression mode.

Now you have the microflow that retrieves the current user!

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