flowable/flowable-engine · error · FlowableIllegalArgumentException

dataObjectName is null

Error message

dataObjectName is null

What it means

GetDataObjectCmd requires both an execution id and a data object name. After validating executionId it validates dataObjectName; a null name throws FlowableIllegalArgumentException. The name is the lookup key for the data object within the execution's scope, so it cannot be inferred.

Solutions

1. Ensure dataObjectName is a non-null, non-empty string matching a data object defined in the process
2. Validate the name at the boundary that constructs the call
3. Compare against DataObject definitions in the BPMN model to confirm exact spelling
4. If names are optional in your API, guard the call and skip when absent

Example fix

// before
runtimeService.getDataObject(executionId, dataObjectName); // null name
// after
if (dataObjectName != null && !dataObjectName.isEmpty()) {
    runtimeService.getDataObject(executionId, dataObjectName);
}

if (dataObjectName == null || dataObjectName.isEmpty()) throw new IllegalArgumentException("dataObjectName required");
DataObject d = runtimeService.getDataObject(executionId, dataObjectName);

boolean hasDataObjectName(String n) { return n != null && !n.trim().isEmpty(); }

When it happens

Trigger: Calling runtimeService.getDataObject(executionId, null) or the *Local variants with a null name; names generated dynamically (e.g. from configuration or UI fields) that are empty/unset; passing the wrong parameter into an overloaded call.

Common situations: Configuration key renamed upstream so the lookup variable is null; payload-driven workflows where the data object name field is optional but passed through unchecked.

Related errors

• executionId is null
• executionId is null
• activatedBefore is null
• activity tenant id is null
• after time is null

AI-assisted analysis of flowable/flowable-engine@d6d39ce1c6 (2026-09-11). Data as JSON: /api/errors/1357460ecb3e6080. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at modules/flowable-engine/src/main/java/org/flowable/engine/impl/cmd/GetDataObjectCmd.java:68

        this.dataObjectName = dataObjectName;
        this.isLocal = isLocal;
    }

    public GetDataObjectCmd(String executionId, String dataObjectName, boolean isLocal, String locale, boolean withLocalizationFallback) {
        this.executionId = executionId;
        this.dataObjectName = dataObjectName;
        this.isLocal = isLocal;
        this.locale = locale;
        this.withLocalizationFallback = withLocalizationFallback;
    }

    @Override
    public DataObject execute(CommandContext commandContext) {
        if (executionId == null) {
            throw new FlowableIllegalArgumentException("executionId is null");
        }
        if (dataObjectName == null) {
            throw new FlowableIllegalArgumentException("dataObjectName is null");
        }

        ExecutionEntity execution = CommandContextUtil.getExecutionEntityManager(commandContext).findById(executionId);

        if (execution == null) {
            throw new FlowableObjectNotFoundException("execution " + executionId + " doesn't exist", Execution.class);
        }

        DataObject dataObject = null;

        VariableInstance variableEntity = null;
        if (Flowable5Util.isFlowable5ProcessDefinitionId(commandContext, execution.getProcessDefinitionId())) {
            Flowable5CompatibilityHandler compatibilityHandler = Flowable5Util.getFlowable5CompatibilityHandler();
            variableEntity = compatibilityHandler.getExecutionVariableInstance(executionId, dataObjectName, isLocal);

        } else {
            if (isLocal) {
                variableEntity = execution.getVariableInstanceLocal(dataObjectName, false);

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