n8n Workflow: Basic Text Processing and Command Execution

This n8n workflow demonstrates a fundamental pattern for processing text input, manipulating it, and then executing a shell command based on the modified data. It's a simple yet powerful template for integrating n8n with system-level operations.

What it does

This workflow performs the following steps:

1. Starts the workflow: Initiates the execution flow.
2. Edits Fields (Set): Takes an initial input and allows for modification or creation of data fields. In a real-world scenario, this node would typically receive data from a trigger (like a webhook or a scheduled event) and prepare it for further processing.
3. Merges Data: Combines the output from the "Edit Fields" node with itself. While this specific configuration (merging with itself) might seem unusual, in a more complex workflow, this node would typically merge data from two or more different branches of the workflow.
4. Executes Command: Runs a specified shell command on the server hosting the n8n instance. This command can utilize the data processed in the preceding steps.

Prerequisites/Requirements

• An n8n instance (self-hosted or cloud).
• Understanding of basic shell commands if you intend to modify the "Execute Command" node.

Setup/Usage

1. Import the workflow: Copy the JSON content and import it into your n8n instance.
2. Configure the "Edit Fields" node:
   • By default, this node might contain example data. Modify the fields and values as needed to represent the text or data you wish to process.
3. Configure the "Execute Command" node:
   • Update the Command field with the shell command you want to execute. You can reference data from previous nodes using expressions (e.g., echo "{{ $json.yourFieldName }}").
   • Ensure the command has the necessary permissions to run on your n8n host.
4. Activate the workflow: Once configured, activate the workflow to make it ready for execution.
5. Run the workflow: You can manually execute the workflow from the n8n editor to test it. In a production environment, you would typically connect a trigger node (e.g., a Webhook, Cron, or another service-specific trigger) to the "Start" node.