it('Demo Test, () => {

        // Submit the form and get the transaction number
        var submitButton = element(by.id('submit'));
        submitButton.click();

        // get the generated transaction number from the screen
        let transactionNum = confirmPage.getTransactionNum();


        // would like to use the transActionNum variable to sendkeys into a
        // text element
        var searchInput = element(by.id('search'));
        searchInput.sendkeys(transactionNum);
});

var transactionNumValue = element(by.id('transactionNumber'));

public getTransactionNum(): any {

    this.transactionNumValue.get().getText().then((transactionValue: string)
 => {
    return transactionValue;
});