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# bind_outer_context - Query views

> Makes is_selected, is_filtered, and in_query template variables inside a query view resolve against the outer query instead of the view's own query.

Makes [`is_selected`, `is_filtered`, and `in_query` template variables](/modeling/templated-filters/index#self-referential-building) inside a query view resolve against the outer query instead of the view's own query.

When used inside a query view, these variables evaluate against the query view's own inner query by default. This means they typically return `"nothing selected"` or `"nothing filtered"` once a field is wrapped in a query view, unless that field happens to be selected or filtered within the view's own query definition.

Setting `bind_outer_context: true` under the `query:` block makes these three template variables resolve against the outer query that is using the view instead. This allows fields inside query views to react to what's selected or filtered in the outer query, rather than being limited to the view's internal query context.

## Limitations

* **This setting doesn't affect materialized query views.** These views will inherit this property, but cannot react to outer context since they have no outer query at execution time.
* **Querying the view directly will evaluate all template variables to `false`** since there is no outer context to bind to.
* **Nested query views that also set `bind_outer_context: true` chain up to the nearest enclosing query that doesn't itself defer**. The variables resolve against that outermost query's context.

## Syntax

```yaml theme={null}
query:
  bind_outer_context: <true_or_false>
```

## Properties

<ParamField path="query" type="object[]">
  An object containing the individual parameters that make up a query view's query definition.

  <Expandable title="query properties" defaultOpen="true">
    <ParamField path="bind_outer_context" type="boolean">
      If `true`, the template variables `is_selected`, `is_filtered`, and `in_query` inside the query view will resolve against the outer query that uses the view, rather than the view's own inner query.
    </ParamField>
  </Expandable>
</ParamField>

## Examples

In this query view, any field that uses `is_selected`, `is_filtered`, or `in_query` will evaluate those variables based on the outer query's field list and filters, not the view's own `fields:` list.

```yaml theme={null}
query:
  fields:
    users.id: id
    users.name: name
    users.created_date: created_date
  base_view: users
  topic: users
  bind_outer_context: true
```

For example, if a dimension inside the `users` view has a `sql` expression that checks `{% if users.email.is_selected %}`, that condition will be `true` if `users.email` is selected in the outer query that references this query view, even though `users.email` is not in the query view's own `fields:` list above.