# How to access simple input field from search input
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-access-simple-input-field-from-search-input/156787
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [November 15, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-access-simple-input-field-from-search-input/156787 "2018-11-15T05:54:38Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dogface](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/dogface)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-access-simple-input-field-from-search-input/156787/1 "2018-11-15T05:54:38Z")
I am trying to construct a watcher that uses the strings defined in the simple input section and places them into the search input section so I can rapidly create multiple watchers by only having to change the simple input section. In my json, I pass in the simple inputs into the parameters of my search template but it interprets it literally as a string. How can I force it to substitute the variable as the query? Below is example json of my watcher where I try and pass in the simple inputs:
//my Watcher JSON
"input": {
"chain": {
"inputs": [
{
"first": {
"simple": {
"process": "java"
}
}
},
{
"second": {
"search": {
"request": {
"search\_type": "query\_then\_fetch",
"indices": [
"metricbeat-2018-11-13"
],
"types": ,
"template": {
"id": "Template",
"params": {
"ctx\_payload\_first\_process": "{{ctx.payload.first.process}}"
}
}
}
}
}
}
]
}
},
When I run the above code, it interprets it as {{ctx.payload.first.process}} and not java
---
### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [December 13, 2018, 5:54am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/how-to-access-simple-input-field-from-search-input/156787/2 "2018-12-13T05:54:41Z")
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