Knowledge Management

inputlookup in macro

JensT
Communicator

Hi,

I have this search:


| inputlookup mySearch | where foo=bar

Now I'd like to do this:

mySearch(bar)


with definition = | inputlookup mySearch | where foo=$bar$

But it does not work.

I get: Error in 'inputlookup' command: This command must be the first command of a search.

How can i use inputlookup in a macro?

Regards, Jens

Tags (2)
0 Karma

martin_mueller
SplunkTrust
SplunkTrust

Here's what is happening: Splunk is turning this query

`mySearch(bar)`

into this:

search `mySearch(bar)`

which is then expanded into this:

search | inputlookup yada yada yada

To get around this you need to move the pipe out of the macro and into the search:

| `mySearch(bar)`

This will make sure Splunk does not add the implicit search command.

linu1988
Champion

It happens because Splunk adds an search before MACRO, Savedsearch when it's called. So if you just mention the |inputlookup macro(bar) then it will work. Thanks. There may be some other solution but i can tell this much.

0 Karma
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

How Splunk AI Assistant Is Transforming Investigations: Insights from .conf26

At .conf26 in Denver, I spent much of my time in conversation with Splunk customers about Splunk AI Assistant. ...

Make Your Machine Data AI-Ready in Splunk

Every team is getting ready for AI agents.   Thursday, November 12, 2026  |  11AM  PST / 2PM EST   ...

Splunk Asynchronous Forwarding Explained

Splunk asynchronous forwarding is often misunderstood as simply setting autoLBVolume. That is not quite right. ...