Step Error When Using ‘I assign values from config file’

Step Error When Using ‘I assign values from config file’

This article describes the root cause and resolution for error messages you may encounter when using the ‘I assign values from config file’ step in Cycle.

Error Examples

You may get error messages similar to the messages below when using the step ‘I assign values from config file’.

Cycle version 2.13 and later:




Cycle versions prior to 2.13:



HOCON File Syntax

Cycle uses the HOCON syntax when parsing the ‘.conf’ file specified in your ‘I assign values from config file’ step.


This syntax is useful for assigning key=value pairs where the “key” becomes the Cycle variable name, but HOCON syntax rule violations can lead to step errors in Cycle.

The HOCON syntax treats the characters listed below as “forbidden characters”: 


 $ " { } [ ] : = , + # ` ^ ? ! @ * & \ or whitespace


Quotes are required around any string including these characters in order for Cycle to parse the file properly and assign the string to a Cycle variable. These types of characters are typical in passwords and you may run into this issue if you are using a config file to load passwords into Cycle variables.


Examples of Quoted vs Unquoted Strings

Example 1

Unquoted string including ‘#’:

Cycle step result:

Quoted string including "#":

Cycle step result:


Example 2

Unquoted string including "!":


Cycle step result:

Quoted string including "!":


Cycle step result:


Additional Information

Additional information on HOCON syntax can be found by clicking this link: HOCON syntax

Additional information on using .config files in Cycle can be found by clicking this link: Cycle User Manual

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