# How to Get a Record from Custom Data by Search Criteria?

When your scenario needs to find an existing record (e.g. store by city, client by email, VIP by phone), use the `custom_modules__get` action. It searches by values from user state variables and saves the result to a variable for use in later blocks.

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## When Needed

- User selects a city — you need to show a list of stores from Custom Data.
- User enters email or phone — you need to check VIP status or get client data.
- You need to check if a record exists with certain values and branch the scenario accordingly.

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## What's Important to Know

- **custom_modules__get** — action for searching and getting a record from Custom Data.
- Before use, you need to save field values for search in the user state.
- Search is performed by values from variables of type "model_name:field_name".
- After getting the record, you can output its attributes in a message block.

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## Prerequisites

- [x] You are logged in with integrator or administrator rights.
- [x] There is a created Custom Data model with records in the system.
- [x] You have access to the scenario constructor.
- [x] You know which fields to search by.

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## Step-by-Step Instructions

### Preparing Search Criteria

1. In the scenario, add blocks to collect data to search by:
   - **"Wait for Response"** — for entering search value
   - **"Message with Keyboard"** — for selection from options
2. Save the value to a variable of type "model_name:field_name" (for example, `customer:email`, `product:code`).

**Example:** To search by the "email" field, save the value to the `customer:email` variable.

### Configuring Action

1. Add an **"Action"** block to the scenario after search criteria collection blocks.
2. In the "Action" block settings, select the **`custom_modules__get`** function.
3. In the configuration field (JSON), enter parameters:

```json
{
  "module_name": "customer",
  "set_to": "customer"
}
```

- `module_name` — name of the model with the custom table (for example, "customer", "product")
- `set_to` — name of the variable where the found record will be saved (for example, "customer", "found_product")

4. Save changes in the action and scenario.

### Using Retrieved Record

After getting the record, you can output its attributes in a message block using the variable from `set_to`. For example, if `set_to` = "customer", you can use `{{customer:name}}` or `{{customer:phone}}` to output field values.

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## Usage Example

**Scenario:**
1. "Wait for Response" block → user enters email, saved to `customer:email`
2. "Action" block with `custom_modules__get` → searches for record by `customer:email`, saves to `customer`
3. "Message" block → outputs `{{customer:name}}` and `{{customer:phone}}`

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## Typical Scenarios

| Scenario | Model fields | Sequence |
|----------|--------------|------|
| **Stores catalog** | city, address, lang_code | User selects city → get by filters → show stores list |
| **VIP check** | email, phone, vip_status | User enters email/phone → get → show VIP benefits or standard flow |
| **Categories for routing** | id, first_level, last_level, name | Inline buttons with callback_data = id → get by id → route to branch |

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## Important Notes

- Before using `custom_modules__get`, be sure to save field values for search in user state variables.
- If the record is not found, the variable from `set_to` will be empty.
- You can use multiple fields for search simultaneously — the system will find a record that matches all criteria.

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## What Happens After

After executing the `custom_modules__get` action, the found record is saved to the variable specified in `set_to`. The record becomes available for use in subsequent scenario blocks. If the record is not found, the variable will be empty.

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## How to Verify It Worked

- Check that search values are saved to variables of type "model_name:field_name".
- Make sure the model name in `module_name` matches an existing model.
- Test the scenario and check that the record is found and saved to the variable.
- Check that record attributes are available for output.

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## Related Materials

- [Custom Data patterns and examples](/en/customdata/explanation/custom-data-patterns-and-examples.md) — how to choose the right approach
- [How to create a record in Custom Data](/en/customdata/how-to/use-custom-modules-set.md)
- [Use autocomplete search](/en/customdata/how-to/use-custom-modules-search.md)
- [Create model](/en/customdata/how-to/create-model.md)