Hello I’ve already searched for this, but so far not had success.
I’ve used Make/Integromat before but would like to switch to N8N because of its ability to break down complex workflows.
Scenario: I have a loop with a nested loop inside. Outer loop is for pagination, e.g. getting results page by page, This works well. Inner loop is for looping over the content of each page (returned as a JSON). This does not work.
What I tried
a) Everything in one N8N workflow, one loop nested inside another. I learned that I need a Splitout-node to turn the JSON into structured results. But how do I close this loop again? If I do nothing, then the “if” and nodes afterwards from my outer loop will be executed several times as well.
b) tried to use a sub-workflow. I was able to call the subworkflow using “execute Workflow” in one workflow and “when executed by another workflow” in the other. But I don’t know how to process the data in the subworkflow. I see the data incoming in “Executions”, but I can only map them in the “editor” and that editor is empty.
I know how to program in Java and this is really simple in Java but complicated in N8N.
Would be great if someone could explain this to me like I am 5-years old.
Thank you so much
Bettina
Describe the problem/error/question
What is the error message (if any)?
None, but I don’t know how to map data in Subworkflow.
Please share your workflow
Main Workflow/workflow that calls subworkflow
{
“nodes”: [
{
“parameters”: {},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.manualTrigger”,
“typeVersion”: 1,
“position”: [
-580,
-605
],
“id”: “b0ca3eac-1dce-4501-9be8-31d9a2a7c89c”,
“name”: “When clicking ‘Test workflow’”
},
{
“parameters”: {
“assignments”: {
“assignments”: [
{
“id”: “bda39854-3a9b-4a9f-8c17-88cf0b27522a”,
“name”: “page”,
“value”: 1,
“type”: “number”
}
]
},
“options”: {}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.set”,
“typeVersion”: 3.4,
“position”: [
-360,
-605
],
“id”: “38213c20-77a5-4d9d-9bb8-1ea350e9259e”,
“name”: “Edit Fields”
},
{
“parameters”: {
“url”: “=testurl?page={{$json.page}}”,
“sendHeaders”: true,
“headerParameters”: {
“parameters”: [
{
“name”: “=x-api-key”,
“value”: “reqres-free-v1”
}
]
},
“options”: {
“response”: {
“response”: {
“responseFormat”: “json”
}
}
}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest”,
“typeVersion”: 4.2,
“position”: [
-140,
-605
],
“id”: “d3548736-2de1-4120-828a-4613eac499d4”,
“name”: “HTTP Request”
},
{
“parameters”: {
“conditions”: {
“options”: {
“caseSensitive”: true,
“leftValue”: “”,
“typeValidation”: “strict”,
“version”: 2
},
“conditions”: [
{
“id”: “a6b7ac60-b6df-4d22-907a-9f629f74425d”,
“leftValue”: “={{ $json.page }}”,
“rightValue”: “={{ $json.total_pages }}”,
“operator”: {
“type”: “number”,
“operation”: “equals”
}
}
],
“combinator”: “and”
},
“options”: {}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.if”,
“typeVersion”: 2.2,
“position”: [
300,
-680
],
“id”: “9b9bc094-4392-4213-ad5e-dbdf4861b1b4”,
“name”: “If”
},
{
“parameters”: {
“assignments”: {
“assignments”: [
{
“id”: “facc6661-5679-4528-9730-89e21c3255b1”,
“name”: “page”,
“value”: “={{ $json.page +1 }}”,
“type”: “number”
}
]
},
“options”: {}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.set”,
“typeVersion”: 3.4,
“position”: [
520,
-605
],
“id”: “b1c70f12-3685-4153-a378-7105b7fd7643”,
“name”: “Edit Fields1”
},
{
“parameters”: {
“workflowId”: {
“__rl”: true,
“value”: “3EPbk1KbMWyJWN4c”,
“mode”: “list”,
“cachedResultName”: “Subworkflow - Loop over items to write in Airtable”
},
“workflowInputs”: {
“mappingMode”: “defineBelow”,
“value”: {},
“matchingColumns”: ,
“schema”: ,
“attemptToConvertTypes”: false,
“convertFieldsToString”: true
},
“options”: {
“waitForSubWorkflow”: false
}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflow”,
“typeVersion”: 1.2,
“position”: [
80,
-680
],
“id”: “108df75f-265b-4085-8c62-2c2ca24b500b”,
“name”: “Execute Workflow1”
}
],
“connections”: {
“When clicking ‘Test workflow’”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “Edit Fields”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
},
“Edit Fields”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “HTTP Request”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
},
“HTTP Request”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “Execute Workflow1”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
},
“If”: {
“main”: [
,
[
{
“node”: “Edit Fields1”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
},
“Edit Fields1”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “HTTP Request”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
},
“Execute Workflow1”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “If”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
}
},
“pinData”: {
“HTTP Request”: [
{
“page”: 1,
“per_page”: 6,
“total”: 12,
“total_pages”: 2,
“data”: [
{
“id”: 1,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “George”,
“last_name”: “Bluth”,
“avatar”: “https://reqres.in/img/faces/1-image.jpg”
},
{
“id”: 2,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “Janet”,
“last_name”: “Weaver”,
“avatar”: “https://reqres.in/img/faces/2-image.jpg”
},
{
“id”: 3,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “Emma”,
“last_name”: “Wong”,
“avatar”: “bild”
},
{
“id”: 4,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “Eve”,
“last_name”: “Holt”,
“avatar”: “bild”
},
{
“id”: 5,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “Charles”,
“last_name”: “Morris”,
“avatar”: “bild”
},
{
“id”: 6,
“email”: “[email protected]”,
“first_name”: “Tracey”,
“last_name”: “Ramos”,
“avatar”: “bild”
}
],
“support”: {
“url”: “Social Media Generator - AI Content Generator for LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram | Content Caddy”,
“text”: “Tired of writing endless social media content? Let Content Caddy generate it for you.”
}
}
]
},
“meta”: {
“templateCredsSetupCompleted”: true,
“instanceId”: “3fe59674673aa1ee8c73f73cdc944b5eaa3b26185033a2c0922aeca6376ca1d3”
}
}
Subworkflow:
{
“nodes”: [
{
“parameters”: {
“operation”: “create”,
“base”: {
“__rl”: true,
“value”: “apppOTEjNcwk72IFl”,
“mode”: “list”,
“cachedResultName”: “Pages Data Entry”,
“cachedResultUrl”: “Airtable”
},
“table”: {
“__rl”: true,
“value”: “tblh4bohOdOWd0bgU”,
“mode”: “list”,
“cachedResultName”: “Table 1”,
“cachedResultUrl”: “Airtable”
},
“columns”: {
“mappingMode”: “defineBelow”,
“value”: {},
“matchingColumns”: ,
“schema”: [
{
“id”: “Name”,
“displayName”: “Name”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “string”,
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
},
{
“id”: “Notes”,
“displayName”: “Notes”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “string”,
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
},
{
“id”: “Assignee”,
“displayName”: “Assignee”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “string”,
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
},
{
“id”: “Status”,
“displayName”: “Status”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “options”,
“options”: [
{
“name”: “Todo”,
“value”: “Todo”
},
{
“name”: “In progress”,
“value”: “In progress”
},
{
“name”: “Done”,
“value”: “Done”
}
],
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
},
{
“id”: “Attachments”,
“displayName”: “Attachments”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “array”,
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
},
{
“id”: “Attachment Summary”,
“displayName”: “Attachment Summary”,
“required”: false,
“defaultMatch”: false,
“canBeUsedToMatch”: true,
“display”: true,
“type”: “string”,
“readOnly”: false,
“removed”: false
}
],
“attemptToConvertTypes”: false,
“convertFieldsToString”: false
},
“options”: {}
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.airtable”,
“typeVersion”: 2.1,
“position”: [
-760,
-230
],
“id”: “91578f3f-9a03-4460-a380-c3c3a13a0773”,
“name”: “Write to Airtable”,
“credentials”: {
“airtableTokenApi”: {
“id”: “EOcONbBHLBwM8A7B”,
“name”: “Airtable Personal Access Token account”
}
}
},
{
“parameters”: {
“inputSource”: “passthrough”
},
“type”: “n8n-nodes-base.executeWorkflowTrigger”,
“typeVersion”: 1.1,
“position”: [
-980,
-230
],
“id”: “79292ce8-16d8-41b3-8477-6b2d8a2cfbdc”,
“name”: “When Executed by Another Workflow”
}
],
“connections”: {
“Write to Airtable”: {
“main”: [
]
},
“When Executed by Another Workflow”: {
“main”: [
[
{
“node”: “Write to Airtable”,
“type”: “main”,
“index”: 0
}
]
]
}
},
“pinData”: {},
“meta”: {
“instanceId”: “3fe59674673aa1ee8c73f73cdc944b5eaa3b26185033a2c0922aeca6376ca1d3”
}
}
Share the output returned by the last node
[
{
“id”: “recgKdsYbB4cZ1CR9”,
“createdTime”: “2025-07-15T14:26:11.000Z”,
“fields”: {
“Attachment Summary”: {
“state”: “error”,
“errorType”: “emptyDependency”,
“value”: null,
“isStale”: false
}
}
}
]
Information on your n8n setup
-
n8n version:
1.84.1 -
Database (default: SQLite):
sqlite
- n8n EXECUTIONS_PROCESS setting (default: own, main):
Where do I find this? I am using self-hosted, but someone else installed it for me.
-
Running n8n via (Docker, npm, n8n cloud, desktop app):
-
npm
-
Operating system:
-
mac m1 14.5
