Expressions and functions in Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics
APPLIES TO:
Azure Data Factory
Azure Synapse Analytics
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This article provides details about expressions and functions supported by Azure Data Factory and Azure Synapse Analytics.
Expressions
JSON values in the definition can be literal or expressions that are evaluated at runtime. For example:
"name": "value"
or
"name": "@pipeline().parameters.password"
Expressions can appear anywhere in a JSON string value and always result in another JSON value. If a JSON value is an expression, the body of the expression is extracted by removing the at-sign (@). If a literal string is needed that starts with @, it must be escaped by using @@. The following examples show how expressions are evaluated.
JSON value | Result |
---|---|
"parameters" | The characters 'parameters' are returned. |
"parameters[1]" | The characters 'parameters[1]' are returned. |
"@@" | A 1 character string that contains '@' is returned. |
" @" | A 2 character string that contains ' @' is returned. |
Expressions can also appear inside strings, using a feature called string interpolation where expressions are wrapped in @{ ... }
. For example: "name" : "First Name: @{pipeline().parameters.firstName} Last Name: @{pipeline().parameters.lastName}"
Using string interpolation, the result is always a string. Say I have defined myNumber
as 42
and myString
as foo
:
JSON value | Result |
---|---|
"@pipeline().parameters.myString" | Returns foo as a string. |
"@{pipeline().parameters.myString}" | Returns foo as a string. |
"@pipeline().parameters.myNumber" | Returns 42 as a number. |
"@{pipeline().parameters.myNumber}" | Returns 42 as a string. |
"Answer is: @{pipeline().parameters.myNumber}" | Returns the string Answer is: 42 . |
"@concat('Answer is: ', string(pipeline().parameters.myNumber))" | Returns the string Answer is: 42 |
"Answer is: @@{pipeline().parameters.myNumber}" | Returns the string Answer is: @{pipeline().parameters.myNumber} . |
In the control flow activities like ForEach activity, you can provide an array to be iterated over for the property items and use @item() to iterate over a single enumeration in ForEach activity. For example, if items is an array: [1, 2, 3], @item() returns 1 in the first iteration, 2 in the second iteration, and 3 in the third iteration. You can also use @range(0,10) like expression to iterate ten times starting with 0 ending with 9.
You can use @activity('activity name') to capture output of activity and make decisions. Consider a web activity called Web1. For placing the output of the first activity in the body of the second, the expression generally looks like: @activity('Web1').output or @activity('Web1').output.data or something similar depending upon what the output of the first activity looks like.
Examples
Complex expression example
The below example shows a complex example that references a deep sub-field of activity output. To reference a pipeline parameter that evaluates to a sub-field, use [] syntax instead of dot(.) operator (as in case of subfield1 and subfield2), as part of an activity output.
@activity('*activityName*').output.*subfield1*.*subfield2*[pipeline().parameters.*subfield3*].*subfield4*
Creating files dynamically and naming them is common pattern. Let us explore few dynamic file naming examples.
Append Date to a filename:
@concat('Test_', formatDateTime(utcnow(), 'yyyy-dd-MM'))
Append DateTime in customer timezone :
@concat('Test_', convertFromUtc(utcnow(), 'Pacific Standard Time'))
Append Trigger Time :
@concat('Test_', pipeline().TriggerTime)
Output a custom filename in a Mapping Data Flow when outputting to a single file with date :
'Test_' + toString(currentDate()) + '.csv'
In above cases, 4 dynamic filenames are created starting with Test_.
Dynamic content editor
Dynamic content editor automatically escapes characters in your content when you finish editing. For example, the following content in content editor is a string interpolation with two expression functions.
{
"type": "@{if(equals(1, 2), 'Blob', 'Table' )}",
"name": "@{toUpper('myData')}"
}
Dynamic content editor converts above content to expression "{ \n \"type\": \"@{if(equals(1, 2), 'Blob', 'Table' )}\",\n \"name\": \"@{toUpper('myData')}\"\n}"
. The result of this expression is a JSON format string showed below.
{
"type": "Table",
"name": "MYDATA"
}
A dataset with a parameter
In the following example, the BlobDataset takes a parameter named path. Its value is used to set a value for the folderPath property by using the expression: dataset().path
.
{
"name": "BlobDataset",
"properties": {
"type": "AzureBlob",
"typeProperties": {
"folderPath": "@dataset().path"
},
"linkedServiceName": {
"referenceName": "AzureStorageLinkedService",
"type": "LinkedServiceReference"
},
"parameters": {
"path": {
"type": "String"
}
}
}
}
A pipeline with a parameter
In the following example, the pipeline takes inputPath and outputPath parameters. The path for the parameterized blob dataset is set by using values of these parameters. The syntax used here is: pipeline().parameters.parametername
.
{
"name": "Adfv2QuickStartPipeline",
"properties": {
"activities": [
{
"name": "CopyFromBlobToBlob",
"type": "Copy",
"inputs": [
{
"referenceName": "BlobDataset",
"parameters": {
"path": "@pipeline().parameters.inputPath"
},
"type": "DatasetReference"
}
],
"outputs": [
{
"referenceName": "BlobDataset",
"parameters": {
"path": "@pipeline().parameters.outputPath"
},
"type": "DatasetReference"
}
],
"typeProperties": {
"source": {
"type": "BlobSource"
},
"sink": {
"type": "BlobSink"
}
}
}
],
"parameters": {
"inputPath": {
"type": "String"
},
"outputPath": {
"type": "String"
}
}
}
}
Replacing special characters
Dynamic content editor automatically escapes characters like double quote, backslash in your content when you finish editing. This causes trouble if you want to replace line feed or tab by using \n, \t in replace() function. You can of edit your dynamic content in code view to remove the extra \ in the expression, or you can follow below steps to replace special characters using expression language:
- URL encoding against the original string value
- Replace URL encoded string, for example, line feed (%0A), carriage return(%0D), horizontal tab(%09).
- URL decoding
For example, variable companyName with a newline character in its value, expression @uriComponentToString(replace(uriComponent(variables('companyName')), '%0A', ''))
can remove the newline character.
Contoso-
Corporation
Escaping single quote character
Expression functions in pipelines use the single quote (') to surround string value parameters. Use two consecutive single quote characters within a pipeline string expression to include a single quote. Here's an example: expression @concat('Here is a double quote character: ". ', 'And here is a single quote character all within the same string: ''.')
will return the following result:
Here is a double quote character: ". And here is a single quote character all within the same string: '.
However, in data flow expressions, this syntax isn't supported. Instead, data flow expressions can be surrounded by either single or double quotes. Enclose text requiring single quotes within double quotes, and text requiring double quotes within single quotes, within string functions. If you require a string containing both single and double quotes, you can use concat()
to merge two substrings that each contain either single quotes or double quotes. The data flow equivalent of the previous pipeline expression example would be concat('Here is a double quote character: ". ', "And here is a single quote character all within the same string: '.")
. In a data flow, that expression will return the same result as the previous example for pipeline expressions.
Tutorial
This tutorial walks you through how to pass parameters between a pipeline and activity as well as between the activities. The tutorial specifically demonstrates steps for an Azure Data Factory although steps for a Synapse workspace are nearly equivalent but with a slightly different user interface.
Functions
You can call functions within expressions. The following sections provide information about the functions that can be used in an expression.
Date functions
Date or time function | Task |
---|---|
addDays | Add a number of days to a timestamp. |
addHours | Add a number of hours to a timestamp. |
addMinutes | Add a number of minutes to a timestamp. |
addSeconds | Add a number of seconds to a timestamp. |
addToTime | Add a number of time units to a timestamp. See also getFutureTime. |
convertFromUtc | Convert a timestamp from Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) to the target time zone. |
convertTimeZone | Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to the target time zone. |
convertToUtc | Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC). |
dayOfMonth | Return the day of the month component from a timestamp. |
dayOfWeek | Return the day of the week component from a timestamp. |
dayOfYear | Return the day of the year component from a timestamp. |
formatDateTime | Return the timestamp as a string in optional format. |
getFutureTime | Return the current timestamp plus the specified time units. See also addToTime. |
getPastTime | Return the current timestamp minus the specified time units. See also subtractFromTime. |
startOfDay | Return the start of the day for a timestamp. |
startOfHour | Return the start of the hour for a timestamp. |
startOfMonth | Return the start of the month for a timestamp. |
subtractFromTime | Subtract a number of time units from a timestamp. See also getPastTime. |
ticks | Return the ticks property value for a specified timestamp. |
utcNow | Return the current timestamp as a string. |
String functions
To work with strings, you can use these string functions and also some collection functions. String functions work only on strings.
String function | Task |
---|---|
concat | Combine two or more strings, and return the combined string. |
endsWith | Check whether a string ends with the specified substring. |
guid | Generate a globally unique identifier (GUID) as a string. |
indexOf | Return the starting position for a substring. |
lastIndexOf | Return the starting position for the last occurrence of a substring. |
replace | Replace a substring with the specified string, and return the updated string. |
split | Split a string at each occurrence of a specified delimiter, returning the resulting substrings as elements of an array. |
startsWith | Check whether a string starts with a specific substring. |
substring | Return characters from a string, starting from the specified position. |
toLower | Return a string in lowercase format. |
toUpper | Return a string in uppercase format. |
trim | Remove leading and trailing whitespace from a string, and return the updated string. |
Collection functions
To work with collections, generally arrays, strings, and sometimes, dictionaries, you can use these collection functions.
Collection function | Task |
---|---|
contains | Check whether a collection has a specific item. |
empty | Check whether a collection is empty. |
first | Return the first item from a collection. |
intersection | Return a collection that has only the common items across the specified collections. |
join | Return a string that has all the items from an array, separated by the specified character. |
last | Return the last item from a collection. |
length | Return the number of items in a string or array. |
skip | Remove items from the front of a collection, and return all the other items. |
take | Return items from the front of a collection. |
union | Return a collection that has all the items from the specified collections. |
Logical functions
These functions are useful inside conditions, they can be used to evaluate any type of logic.
Logical comparison function | Task |
---|---|
and | Check whether all expressions are true. |
equals | Check whether both values are equivalent. |
greater | Check whether the first value is greater than the second value. |
greaterOrEquals | Check whether the first value is greater than or equal to the second value. |
if | Check whether an expression is true or false. Based on the result, return a specified value. |
less | Check whether the first value is less than the second value. |
lessOrEquals | Check whether the first value is less than or equal to the second value. |
not | Check whether an expression is false. |
or | Check whether at least one expression is true. |
Conversion functions
These functions are used to convert between each of the native types in the language:
- string
- integer
- float
- boolean
- arrays
- dictionaries
Conversion function | Task |
---|---|
array | Return an array from a single specified input. For multiple inputs, see createArray. |
base64 | Return the base64-encoded version for a string. |
base64ToBinary | Return the binary version for a base64-encoded string. |
base64ToString | Return the string version for a base64-encoded string. |
binary | Return the binary version for an input value. |
bool | Return the Boolean version for an input value. |
coalesce | Return the first non-null value from one or more parameters. |
createArray | Return an array from multiple inputs. |
dataUri | Return the data URI for an input value. |
dataUriToBinary | Return the binary version for a data URI. |
dataUriToString | Return the string version for a data URI. |
decodeBase64 | Return the string version for a base64-encoded string. |
decodeDataUri | Return the binary version for a data URI. |
decodeUriComponent | Return a string that replaces escape characters with decoded versions. |
encodeUriComponent | Return a string that replaces URL-unsafe characters with escape characters. |
float | Return a floating point number for an input value. |
int | Return the integer version for a string. |
json | Return the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) type value or object for a string or XML. |
string | Return the string version for an input value. |
uriComponent | Return the URI-encoded version for an input value by replacing URL-unsafe characters with escape characters. |
uriComponentToBinary | Return the binary version for a URI-encoded string. |
uriComponentToString | Return the string version for a URI-encoded string. |
xml | Return the XML version for a string. |
xpath | Check XML for nodes or values that match an XPath (XML Path Language) expression, and return the matching nodes or values. |
Math functions
These functions can be used for either types of numbers: integers and floats.
Math function | Task |
---|---|
add | Return the result from adding two numbers. |
div | Return the result from dividing one number by another number. |
max | Return the highest value from a set of numbers or an array. |
min | Return the lowest value from a set of numbers or an array. |
mod | Return the remainder from dividing one number by another number. |
mul | Return the product from multiplying two numbers. |
rand | Return a random integer from a specified range. |
range | Return an integer array that starts from a specified integer. |
sub | Return the result from subtracting one number from another number. |
Function reference
This section lists all the available functions in alphabetical order.
add
Return the result from adding two numbers.
add(<summand_1>, <summand_2>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<summand_1>, <summand_2> | Yes | Integer, Float, or mixed | The numbers to add |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<result-sum> | Integer or Float | The result from adding the specified numbers |
Example
This example adds the specified numbers:
add(1, 1.5)
And returns this result: 2.5
addDays
Add a number of days to a timestamp.
addDays('<timestamp>', <days>, '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<days> | Yes | Integer | The positive or negative number of days to add |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp plus the specified number of days |
Example 1
This example adds 10 days to the specified timestamp:
addDays('2018-03-15T13:00:00Z', 10)
And returns this result: "2018-03-25T00:00:0000000Z"
Example 2
This example subtracts five days from the specified timestamp:
addDays('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', -5)
And returns this result: "2018-03-10T00:00:0000000Z"
addHours
Add a number of hours to a timestamp.
addHours('<timestamp>', <hours>, '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<hours> | Yes | Integer | The positive or negative number of hours to add |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp plus the specified number of hours |
Example 1
This example adds 10 hours to the specified timestamp:
addHours('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', 10)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T10:00:0000000Z"
Example 2
This example subtracts five hours from the specified timestamp:
addHours('2018-03-15T15:00:00Z', -5)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T10:00:0000000Z"
addMinutes
Add a number of minutes to a timestamp.
addMinutes('<timestamp>', <minutes>, '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<minutes> | Yes | Integer | The positive or negative number of minutes to add |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp plus the specified number of minutes |
Example 1
This example adds 10 minutes to the specified timestamp:
addMinutes('2018-03-15T00:10:00Z', 10)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:20:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
This example subtracts five minutes from the specified timestamp:
addMinutes('2018-03-15T00:20:00Z', -5)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:15:00.0000000Z"
addSeconds
Add a number of seconds to a timestamp.
addSeconds('<timestamp>', <seconds>, '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<seconds> | Yes | Integer | The positive or negative number of seconds to add |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp plus the specified number of seconds |
Example 1
This example adds 10 seconds to the specified timestamp:
addSeconds('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', 10)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:10.0000000Z"
Example 2
This example subtracts five seconds to the specified timestamp:
addSeconds('2018-03-15T00:00:30Z', -5)
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:25.0000000Z"
addToTime
Add a number of time units to a timestamp. See also getFutureTime().
addToTime('<timestamp>', <interval>, '<timeUnit>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<interval> | Yes | Integer | The number of specified time units to add |
<timeUnit> | Yes | String | The unit of time to use with interval: "Second", "Minute", "Hour", "Day", "Week", "Month", "Year" |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp plus the specified number of time units |
Example 1
This example adds one day to the specified timestamp:
addToTime('2018-01-01T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day')
And returns this result: "2018-01-02T00:00:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
This example adds one day to the specified timestamp:
addToTime('2018-01-01T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day', 'D')
And returns the result using the optional "D" format: "Tuesday, January 2, 2018"
and
Check whether both expressions are true. Return true when both expressions are true, or return false when at least one expression is false.
and(<expression1>, <expression2>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<expression1>, <expression2> | Yes | Boolean | The expressions to check |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when both expressions are true. Return false when at least one expression is false. |
Example 1
These examples check whether the specified Boolean values are both true:
and(true, true)
and(false, true)
and(false, false)
And returns these results:
- First example: Both expressions are true, so returns
true
. - Second example: One expression is false, so returns
false
. - Third example: Both expressions are false, so returns
false
.
Example 2
These examples check whether the specified expressions are both true:
and(equals(1, 1), equals(2, 2))
and(equals(1, 1), equals(1, 2))
and(equals(1, 2), equals(1, 3))
And returns these results:
- First example: Both expressions are true, so returns
true
. - Second example: One expression is false, so returns
false
. - Third example: Both expressions are false, so returns
false
.
array
Return an array from a single specified input. For multiple inputs, see createArray().
array('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string for creating an array |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
[<value>] | Array | An array that contains the single specified input |
Example
This example creates an array from the "hello" string:
array('hello')
And returns this result: ["hello"]
base64
Return the base64-encoded version for a string.
base64('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The input string |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<base64-string> | String | The base64-encoded version for the input string |
Example
This example converts the "hello" string to a base64-encoded string:
base64('hello')
And returns this result: "aGVsbG8="
base64ToBinary
Return the binary version for a base64-encoded string.
base64ToBinary('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The base64-encoded string to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<binary-for-base64-string> | String | The binary version for the base64-encoded string |
Example
This example converts the "aGVsbG8=" base64-encoded string to a binary string:
base64ToBinary('aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result:
"0110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"
base64ToString
Return the string version for a base64-encoded string,
effectively decoding the base64 string.
Use this function rather than decodeBase64().
Although both functions work the same way,
base64ToString()
is preferred.
base64ToString('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The base64-encoded string to decode |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<decoded-base64-string> | String | The string version for a base64-encoded string |
Example
This example converts the "aGVsbG8=" base64-encoded string to just a string:
base64ToString('aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result: "hello"
binary
Return the binary version for a string.
binary('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<binary-for-input-value> | String | The binary version for the specified string |
Example
This example converts the "hello" string to a binary string:
binary('hello')
And returns this result:
"0110100001100101011011000110110001101111"
bool
Return the Boolean version for a value.
bool(<value>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Any | The value to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | The Boolean version for the specified value |
Example
These examples convert the specified values to Boolean values:
bool(1)
bool(0)
And returns these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
false
coalesce
Return the first non-null value from one or more parameters. Empty strings, empty arrays, and empty objects are not null.
coalesce(<object_1>, <object_2>, ...)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<object_1>, <object_2>, ... | Yes | Any, can mix types | One or more items to check for null |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<first-non-null-item> | Any | The first item or value that is not null. If all parameters are null, this function returns null. |
Example
These examples return the first non-null value from the specified values, or null when all the values are null:
coalesce(null, true, false)
coalesce(null, 'hello', 'world')
coalesce(null, null, null)
And returns these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
"hello"
- Third example:
null
concat
Combine two or more strings, and return the combined string.
concat('<text1>', '<text2>', ...)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text1>, <text2>, ... | Yes | String | At least two strings to combine |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<text1text2...> | String | The string created from the combined input strings |
Example
This example combines the strings "Hello" and "World":
concat('Hello', 'World')
And returns this result: "HelloWorld"
contains
Check whether a collection has a specific item. Return true when the item is found, or return false when not found. This function is case-sensitive.
contains('<collection>', '<value>')
contains([<collection>], '<value>')
Specifically, this function works on these collection types:
- A string to find a substring
- An array to find a value
- A dictionary to find a key
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String, Array, or Dictionary | The collection to check |
<value> | Yes | String, Array, or Dictionary, respectively | The item to find |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the item is found. Return false when not found. |
Example 1
This example checks the string "hello world" for the substring "world" and returns true:
contains('hello world', 'world')
Example 2
This example checks the string "hello world" for the substring "universe" and returns false:
contains('hello world', 'universe')
convertFromUtc
Convert a timestamp from Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) to the target time zone.
convertFromUtc('<timestamp>', '<destinationTimeZone>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<destinationTimeZone> | Yes | String | The name for the target time zone. For time zone names, see Microsoft Time Zone Values, but you might have to remove any punctuation from the time zone name. |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<converted-timestamp> | String | The timestamp converted to the target time zone |
Example 1
This example converts a timestamp to the specified time zone:
convertFromUtc('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'Pacific Standard Time')
And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00Z"
Example 2
This example converts a timestamp to the specified time zone and format:
convertFromUtc('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')
And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"
convertTimeZone
Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to the target time zone.
convertTimeZone('<timestamp>', '<sourceTimeZone>', '<destinationTimeZone>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<sourceTimeZone> | Yes | String | The name for the source time zone. For time zone names, see Microsoft Time Zone Values, but you might have to remove any punctuation from the time zone name. |
<destinationTimeZone> | Yes | String | The name for the target time zone. For time zone names, see Microsoft Time Zone Values, but you might have to remove any punctuation from the time zone name. |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<converted-timestamp> | String | The timestamp converted to the target time zone |
Example 1
This example converts the source time zone to the target time zone:
convertTimeZone('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'UTC', 'Pacific Standard Time')
And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00.0000000"
Example 2
This example converts a time zone to the specified time zone and format:
convertTimeZone('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'UTC', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')
And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"
convertToUtc
Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).
convertToUtc('<timestamp>', '<sourceTimeZone>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<sourceTimeZone> | Yes | String | The name for the source time zone. For time zone names, see Microsoft Time Zone Values, but you might have to remove any punctuation from the time zone name. |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<converted-timestamp> | String | The timestamp converted to UTC |
Example 1
This example converts a timestamp to UTC:
convertToUtc('01/01/2018 00:00:00', 'Pacific Standard Time')
And returns this result: "2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
This example converts a timestamp to UTC:
convertToUtc('01/01/2018 00:00:00', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')
And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"
createArray
Return an array from multiple inputs. For single input arrays, see array().
createArray('<object1>', '<object2>', ...)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<object1>, <object2>, ... | Yes | Any, but not mixed | At least two items to create the array |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
[<object1>, <object2>, ...] | Array | The array created from all the input items |
Example
This example creates an array from these inputs:
createArray('h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o')
And returns this result: ["h", "e", "l", "l", "o"]
dataUri
Return a data uniform resource identifier (URI) for a string.
dataUri('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<data-uri> | String | The data URI for the input string |
Example
This example creates a data URI for the "hello" string:
dataUri('hello')
And returns this result: "data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8="
dataUriToBinary
Return the binary version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI).
Use this function rather than decodeDataUri().
Although both functions work the same way,
dataUriBinary()
is preferred.
dataUriToBinary('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The data URI to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<binary-for-data-uri> | String | The binary version for the data URI |
Example
This example creates a binary version for this data URI:
dataUriToBinary('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result:
"01100100011000010111010001100001001110100111010001100101011110000111010000101111011100000 1101100011000010110100101101110001110110110001101101000011000010111001001110011011001010111 0100001111010111010101110100011001100010110100111000001110110110001001100001011100110110010 10011011000110100001011000110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"
dataUriToString
Return the string version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI).
dataUriToString('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The data URI to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<string-for-data-uri> | String | The string version for the data URI |
Example
This example creates a string for this data URI:
dataUriToString('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result: "hello"
dayOfMonth
Return the day of the month from a timestamp.
dayOfMonth('<timestamp>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<day-of-month> | Integer | The day of the month from the specified timestamp |
Example
This example returns the number for the day of the month from this timestamp:
dayOfMonth('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')
And returns this result: 15
dayOfWeek
Return the day of the week from a timestamp.
dayOfWeek('<timestamp>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<day-of-week> | Integer | The day of the week from the specified timestamp where Sunday is 0, Monday is 1, and so on |
Example
This example returns the number for the day of the week from this timestamp:
dayOfWeek('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')
And returns this result: 3
dayOfYear
Return the day of the year from a timestamp.
dayOfYear('<timestamp>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<day-of-year> | Integer | The day of the year from the specified timestamp |
Example
This example returns the number of the day of the year from this timestamp:
dayOfYear('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')
And returns this result: 74
decodeBase64
Return the string version for a base64-encoded string,
effectively decoding the base64 string.
Consider using base64ToString()
rather than decodeBase64()
.
Although both functions work the same way,
base64ToString()
is preferred.
decodeBase64('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The base64-encoded string to decode |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<decoded-base64-string> | String | The string version for a base64-encoded string |
Example
This example creates a string for a base64-encoded string:
decodeBase64('aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result: "hello"
decodeDataUri
Return the binary version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI).
Consider using dataUriToBinary(),
rather than decodeDataUri()
.
Although both functions work the same way,
dataUriToBinary()
is preferred.
decodeDataUri('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The data URI string to decode |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<binary-for-data-uri> | String | The binary version for a data URI string |
Example
This example returns the binary version for this data URI:
decodeDataUri('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')
And returns this result:
"01100100011000010111010001100001001110100111010001100101011110000111010000101111011100000 1101100011000010110100101101110001110110110001101101000011000010111001001110011011001010111 0100001111010111010101110100011001100010110100111000001110110110001001100001011100110110010 10011011000110100001011000110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"
decodeUriComponent
Return a string that replaces escape characters with decoded versions.
decodeUriComponent('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string with the escape characters to decode |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<decoded-uri> | String | The updated string with the decoded escape characters |
Example
This example replaces the escape characters in this string with decoded versions:
decodeUriComponent('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')
And returns this result: "https://contoso.com"
div
Return the result of dividing one number by another number.
div(<dividend>, <divisor>)
The precise return type of the function depends on the types of its parameters — see examples for detail.
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<dividend> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number to divide by the divisor |
<divisor> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number that divides the dividend. A divisor value of zero causes an error at runtime. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<quotient-result> | Integer or Float | The result of dividing the first number by the second number |
Example 1
These examples divide the number 9 by 2:
div(9, 2.0)
div(9.0, 2)
div(9.0, 2.0)
And all return this result: 4.5
Example 2
This example also divides the number 9 by 2, but because both parameters are integers the remainder is discarded (integer division):
div(9, 2)
The expression returns the result 4
. To obtain the value of the remainder, use the mod() function.
encodeUriComponent
Return a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded version for a
string by replacing URL-unsafe characters with escape characters.
Consider using uriComponent(),
rather than encodeUriComponent()
.
Although both functions work the same way,
uriComponent()
is preferred.
encodeUriComponent('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string to convert to URI-encoded format |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<encoded-uri> | String | The URI-encoded string with escape characters |
Example
This example creates a URI-encoded version for this string:
encodeUriComponent('https://contoso.com')
And returns this result: "http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com"
empty
Check whether a collection is empty. Return true when the collection is empty, or return false when not empty.
empty('<collection>')
empty([<collection>])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String, Array, or Object | The collection to check |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the collection is empty. Return false when not empty. |
Example
These examples check whether the specified collections are empty:
empty('')
empty('abc')
And returns these results:
- First example: Passes an empty string, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: Passes the string "abc", so the function returns
false
.
endsWith
Check whether a string ends with a specific substring. Return true when the substring is found, or return false when not found. This function is not case-sensitive.
endsWith('<text>', '<searchText>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string to check |
<searchText> | Yes | String | The ending substring to find |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the ending substring is found. Return false when not found. |
Example 1
This example checks whether the "hello world" string ends with the "world" string:
endsWith('hello world', 'world')
And returns this result: true
Example 2
This example checks whether the "hello world" string ends with the "universe" string:
endsWith('hello world', 'universe')
And returns this result: false
equals
Check whether both values, expressions, or objects are equivalent. Return true when both are equivalent, or return false when they're not equivalent.
equals('<object1>', '<object2>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<object1>, <object2> | Yes | Various | The values, expressions, or objects to compare |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when both are equivalent. Return false when not equivalent. |
Example
These examples check whether the specified inputs are equivalent.
equals(true, 1)
equals('abc', 'abcd')
And returns these results:
- First example: Both values are equivalent, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: Both values aren't equivalent, so the function returns
false
.
first
Return the first item from a string or array.
first('<collection>')
first([<collection>])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String or Array | The collection where to find the first item |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<first-collection-item> | Any | The first item in the collection |
Example
These examples find the first item in these collections:
first('hello')
first(createArray(0, 1, 2))
And return these results:
- First example:
"h"
- Second example:
0
float
Convert a string version for a floating-point number to an actual floating point number.
float('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string that has a valid floating-point number to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<float-value> | Float | The floating-point number for the specified string |
Example
This example creates a string version for this floating-point number:
float('10.333')
And returns this result: 10.333
formatDateTime
Return a timestamp in the specified format.
formatDateTime('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<reformatted-timestamp> | String | The updated timestamp in the specified format |
Example
This example converts a timestamp to the specified format:
formatDateTime('03/15/2018 12:00:00', 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss')
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T12:00:00"
getFutureTime
Return the current timestamp plus the specified time units.
getFutureTime(<interval>, <timeUnit>, <format>?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<interval> | Yes | Integer | The number of specified time units to add |
<timeUnit> | Yes | String | The unit of time to use with interval: "Second", "Minute", "Hour", "Day", "Week", "Month", "Year" |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The current timestamp plus the specified number of time units |
Example 1
Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example adds five days to that timestamp:
getFutureTime(5, 'Day')
And returns this result: "2018-03-06T00:00:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example adds five days and converts the result to "D" format:
getFutureTime(5, 'Day', 'D')
And returns this result: "Tuesday, March 6, 2018"
getPastTime
Return the current timestamp minus the specified time units.
getPastTime(<interval>, <timeUnit>, <format>?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<interval> | Yes | Integer | The number of specified time units to subtract |
<timeUnit> | Yes | String | The unit of time to use with interval: "Second", "Minute", "Hour", "Day", "Week", "Month", "Year" |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The current timestamp minus the specified number of time units |
Example 1
Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-02-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example subtracts five days from that timestamp:
getPastTime(5, 'Day')
And returns this result: "2018-01-27T00:00:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-02-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example subtracts five days and converts the result to "D" format:
getPastTime(5, 'Day', 'D')
And returns this result: "Saturday, January 27, 2018"
greater
Check whether the first value is greater than the second value. Return true when the first value is more, or return false when less.
greater(<value>, <compareTo>)
greater('<value>', '<compareTo>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String | The first value to check whether greater than the second value |
<compareTo> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String, respectively | The comparison value |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the first value is greater than the second value. Return false when the first value is equal to or less than the second value. |
Example
These examples check whether the first value is greater than the second value:
greater(10, 5)
greater('apple', 'banana')
And return these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
false
greaterOrEquals
Check whether the first value is greater than or equal to the second value. Return true when the first value is greater or equal, or return false when the first value is less.
greaterOrEquals(<value>, <compareTo>)
greaterOrEquals('<value>', '<compareTo>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String | The first value to check whether greater than or equal to the second value |
<compareTo> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String, respectively | The comparison value |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the first value is greater than or equal to the second value. Return false when the first value is less than the second value. |
Example
These examples check whether the first value is greater or equal than the second value:
greaterOrEquals(5, 5)
greaterOrEquals('apple', 'banana')
And return these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
false
guid
Generate a globally unique identifier (GUID) as a string, for example, "c2ecc88d-88c8-4096-912c-d6f2e2b138ce":
guid()
Also, you can specify a different format for the GUID other than the default format, "D", which is 32 digits separated by hyphens.
guid('<format>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<format> | No | String | A single format specifier for the returned GUID. By default, the format is "D", but you can use "N", "D", "B", "P", or "X". |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<GUID-value> | String | A randomly generated GUID |
Example
This example generates the same GUID, but as 32 digits, separated by hyphens, and enclosed in parentheses:
guid('P')
And returns this result: "(c2ecc88d-88c8-4096-912c-d6f2e2b138ce)"
if
Check whether an expression is true or false. Based on the result, return a specified value.
if(<expression>, <valueIfTrue>, <valueIfFalse>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<expression> | Yes | Boolean | The expression to check |
<valueIfTrue> | Yes | Any | The value to return when the expression is true |
<valueIfFalse> | Yes | Any | The value to return when the expression is false |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<specified-return-value> | Any | The specified value that returns based on whether the expression is true or false |
Example
This example returns "yes"
because the
specified expression returns true.
Otherwise, the example returns "no"
:
if(equals(1, 1), 'yes', 'no')
indexOf
Return the starting position or index value for a substring. This function is not case-sensitive, and indexes start with the number 0.
indexOf('<text>', '<searchText>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string that has the substring to find |
<searchText> | Yes | String | The substring to find |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<index-value> | Integer | The starting position or index value for the specified substring. If the string is not found, return the number -1. |
Example
This example finds the starting index value for the "world" substring in the "hello world" string:
indexOf('hello world', 'world')
And returns this result: 6
int
Return the integer version for a string.
int('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<integer-result> | Integer | The integer version for the specified string |
Example
This example creates an integer version for the string "10":
int('10')
And returns this result: 10
json
Return the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) type value or object for a string or XML.
json('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String or XML | The string or XML to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<JSON-result> | JSON native type or object | The JSON native type value or object for the specified string or XML. If the string is null, the function returns an empty object. |
Example 1
This example converts this string to the JSON value:
json('[1, 2, 3]')
And returns this result: [1, 2, 3]
Example 2
This example converts this string to JSON:
json('{"fullName": "Sophia Owen"}')
And returns this result:
{
"fullName": "Sophia Owen"
}
Example 3
This example converts this XML to JSON:
json(xml('<?xml version="1.0"?> <root> <person id='1'> <name>Sophia Owen</name> <occupation>Engineer</occupation> </person> </root>'))
And returns this result:
{
"?xml": { "@version": "1.0" },
"root": {
"person": [ {
"@id": "1",
"name": "Sophia Owen",
"occupation": "Engineer"
} ]
}
}
intersection
Return a collection that has only the common items across the specified collections. To appear in the result, an item must appear in all the collections passed to this function. If one or more items have the same name, the last item with that name appears in the result.
intersection([<collection1>], [<collection2>], ...)
intersection('<collection1>', '<collection2>', ...)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection1>, <collection2>, ... | Yes | Array or Object, but not both | The collections from where you want only the common items |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<common-items> | Array or Object, respectively | A collection that has only the common items across the specified collections |
Example
This example finds the common items across these arrays:
intersection(createArray(1, 2, 3), createArray(101, 2, 1, 10), createArray(6, 8, 1, 2))
And returns an array with only these items: [1, 2]
join
Return a string that has all the items from an array and has each character separated by a delimiter.
join([<collection>], '<delimiter>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | Array | The array that has the items to join |
<delimiter> | Yes | String | The separator that appears between each character in the resulting string |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<char1><delimiter><char2><delimiter>... | String | The resulting string created from all the items in the specified array |
Example
This example creates a string from all the items in this array with the specified character as the delimiter:
join(createArray('a', 'b', 'c'), '.')
And returns this result: "a.b.c"
last
Return the last item from a collection.
last('<collection>')
last([<collection>])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String or Array | The collection where to find the last item |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<last-collection-item> | String or Array, respectively | The last item in the collection |
Example
These examples find the last item in these collections:
last('abcd')
last(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3))
And returns these results:
- First example:
"d"
- Second example:
3
lastIndexOf
Return the starting position or index value for the last occurrence of a substring. This function is not case-sensitive, and indexes start with the number 0.
lastIndexOf('<text>', '<searchText>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string that has the substring to find |
<searchText> | Yes | String | The substring to find |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<ending-index-value> | Integer | The starting position or index value for the last occurrence of the specified substring. If the string is not found, return the number -1. |
Example
This example finds the starting index value for the last occurrence of the "world" substring in the "hello world" string:
lastIndexOf('hello world', 'world')
And returns this result: 6
length
Return the number of items in a collection.
length('<collection>')
length([<collection>])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String or Array | The collection with the items to count |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<length-or-count> | Integer | The number of items in the collection |
Example
These examples count the number of items in these collections:
length('abcd')
length(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3))
And return this result: 4
less
Check whether the first value is less than the second value. Return true when the first value is less, or return false when the first value is more.
less(<value>, <compareTo>)
less('<value>', '<compareTo>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String | The first value to check whether less than the second value |
<compareTo> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String, respectively | The comparison item |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the first value is less than the second value. Return false when the first value is equal to or greater than the second value. |
Example
These examples check whether the first value is less than the second value.
less(5, 10)
less('banana', 'apple')
And return these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
false
lessOrEquals
Check whether the first value is less than or equal to the second value. Return true when the first value is less than or equal, or return false when the first value is more.
lessOrEquals(<value>, <compareTo>)
lessOrEquals('<value>', '<compareTo>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String | The first value to check whether less than or equal to the second value |
<compareTo> | Yes | Integer, Float, or String, respectively | The comparison item |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the first value is less than or equal to the second value. Return false when the first value is greater than the second value. |
Example
These examples check whether the first value is less or equal than the second value.
lessOrEquals(10, 10)
lessOrEquals('apply', 'apple')
And return these results:
- First example:
true
- Second example:
false
max
Return the highest value from a list or array with numbers that is inclusive at both ends.
max(<number1>, <number2>, ...)
max([<number1>, <number2>, ...])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<number1>, <number2>, ... | Yes | Integer, Float, or both | The set of numbers from which you want the highest value |
[<number1>, <number2>, ...] | Yes | Array - Integer, Float, or both | The array of numbers from which you want the highest value |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<max-value> | Integer or Float | The highest value in the specified array or set of numbers |
Example
These examples get the highest value from the set of numbers and the array:
max(1, 2, 3)
max(createArray(1, 2, 3))
And return this result: 3
min
Return the lowest value from a set of numbers or an array.
min(<number1>, <number2>, ...)
min([<number1>, <number2>, ...])
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<number1>, <number2>, ... | Yes | Integer, Float, or both | The set of numbers from which you want the lowest value |
[<number1>, <number2>, ...] | Yes | Array - Integer, Float, or both | The array of numbers from which you want the lowest value |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<min-value> | Integer or Float | The lowest value in the specified set of numbers or specified array |
Example
These examples get the lowest value in the set of numbers and the array:
min(1, 2, 3)
min(createArray(1, 2, 3))
And return this result: 1
mod
Return the remainder from dividing one number by another number. For integer division, see div().
mod(<dividend>, <divisor>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<dividend> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number to divide by the divisor |
<divisor> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number that divides the dividend. A divisor value of zero causes an error at runtime. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<modulo-result> | Integer or Float | The remainder from dividing the first number by the second number |
Example
This example calculates the remainder when the first number is divided by the second number:
mod(3, 2)
And returns this result: 1
mul
Return the product from multiplying two numbers.
mul(<multiplicand1>, <multiplicand2>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<multiplicand1> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number to multiply by multiplicand2 |
<multiplicand2> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number that multiplies multiplicand1 |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<product-result> | Integer or Float | The product from multiplying the first number by the second number |
Example
These examples multiply the first number by the second number:
mul(1, 2)
mul(1.5, 2)
And return these results:
- First example:
2
- Second example
3
not
Check whether an expression is false. Return true when the expression is false, or return false when true.
not(<expression>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<expression> | Yes | Boolean | The expression to check |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the expression is false. Return false when the expression is true. |
Example 1
These examples check whether the specified expressions are false:
not(false)
not(true)
And return these results:
- First example: The expression is false, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: The expression is true, so the function returns
false
.
Example 2
These examples check whether the specified expressions are false:
not(equals(1, 2))
not(equals(1, 1))
And return these results:
- First example: The expression is false, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: The expression is true, so the function returns
false
.
or
Check whether at least one expression is true. Return true when at least one expression is true, or return false when both are false.
or(<expression1>, <expression2>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<expression1>, <expression2> | Yes | Boolean | The expressions to check |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when at least one expression is true. Return false when both expressions are false. |
Example 1
These examples check whether at least one expression is true:
or(true, false)
or(false, false)
And return these results:
- First example: At least one expression is true, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: Both expressions are false, so the function returns
false
.
Example 2
These examples check whether at least one expression is true:
or(equals(1, 1), equals(1, 2))
or(equals(1, 2), equals(1, 3))
And return these results:
- First example: At least one expression is true, so the function returns
true
. - Second example: Both expressions are false, so the function returns
false
.
rand
Return a random integer from a specified range, which is inclusive only at the starting end.
rand(<minValue>, <maxValue>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<minValue> | Yes | Integer | The lowest integer in the range |
<maxValue> | Yes | Integer | The integer that follows the highest integer in the range that the function can return |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<random-result> | Integer | The random integer returned from the specified range. Note that every invocation of rand() will produce a unique result, meaning that the value you observe in output monitoring may not be the same at actual run time. |
Example
This example gets a random integer from the specified range, excluding the maximum value:
rand(1, 5)
And returns one of these numbers as the result: 1
, 2
, 3
, or 4
range
Return an integer array that starts from a specified integer.
range(<startIndex>, <count>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<startIndex> | Yes | Integer | An integer value that starts the array as the first item |
<count> | Yes | Integer | The number of integers in the array |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
[<range-result>] | Array | The array with integers starting from the specified index |
Example
This example creates an integer array that starts from the specified index and has the specified number of integers:
range(1, 4)
And returns this result: [1, 2, 3, 4]
replace
Replace a substring with the specified string, and return the result string. This function is case-sensitive.
replace('<text>', '<oldText>', '<newText>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string that has the substring to replace |
<oldText> | Yes | String | The substring to replace |
<newText> | Yes | String | The replacement string |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-text> | String | The updated string after replacing the substring If the substring is not found, return the original string. |
Example
This example finds the "old" substring in "the old string" and replaces "old" with "new":
replace('the old string', 'old', 'new')
And returns this result: "the new string"
skip
Remove items from the front of a collection, and return all the other items.
skip([<collection>], <count>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | Array | The collection whose items you want to remove |
<count> | Yes | Integer | A positive integer for the number of items to remove at the front |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
[<updated-collection>] | Array | The updated collection after removing the specified items |
Example
This example removes one item, the number 0, from the front of the specified array:
skip(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3), 1)
And returns this array with the remaining items: [1,2,3]
split
Split a string at each occurrence of a specified delimiter, returning the resulting substrings as elements of an array. A delimiter is typically a single character, but multicharacter delimiters are supported.
split('<text>', '<delimiter>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string to separate into substrings |
<delimiter> | Yes | String | The string to use as the delimiter |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
[<substring1>,<substring2>,...] | Array | An array that contains substrings of the original string |
Example
This example returns an array containing substrings of the string "a_b_c" based on the delimiter "_":
split('a_b_c', '_')
The array returned is: ["a","b","c"]
startOfDay
Return the start of the day for a timestamp.
startOfDay('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The specified timestamp but starting at the zero-hour mark for the day |
Example
This example finds the start of the day for this timestamp:
startOfDay('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:00.0000000Z"
startOfHour
Return the start of the hour for a timestamp.
startOfHour('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The specified timestamp but starting at the zero-minute mark for the hour |
Example
This example finds the start of the hour for this timestamp:
startOfHour('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')
And returns this result: "2018-03-15T13:00:00.0000000Z"
startOfMonth
Return the start of the month for a timestamp.
startOfMonth('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The specified timestamp but starting on the first day of the month at the zero-hour mark |
Example
This example returns the start of the month for this timestamp:
startOfMonth('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')
And returns this result: "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z"
startsWith
Check whether a string starts with a specific substring. Return true when the substring is found, or return false when not found. This function is not case-sensitive.
startsWith('<text>', '<searchText>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string to check |
<searchText> | Yes | String | The starting string to find |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
true or false | Boolean | Return true when the starting substring is found. Return false when not found. |
Example 1
This example checks whether the "hello world" string starts with the "hello" substring:
startsWith('hello world', 'hello')
And returns this result: true
Example 2
This example checks whether the "hello world" string starts with the "greetings" substring:
startsWith('hello world', 'greetings')
And returns this result: false
string
Return the string version for a value.
string(<value>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | Any | The value to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<string-value> | String | The string version for the specified value |
Example 1
This example creates the string version for this number:
string(10)
And returns this result: "10"
Example 2
This example creates a string for the specified JSON object and uses the backslash character (\) as an escape character for the double-quotation mark (").
string( { "name": "Sophie Owen" } )
And returns this result: "{ \\"name\\": \\"Sophie Owen\\" }"
sub
Return the result from subtracting one number from another number.
sub(<minuend>, <subtrahend>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<minuend> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number from which to subtract the subtrahend |
<subtrahend> | Yes | Integer or Float | The number to subtract from the minuend |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<result> | Integer or Float | The result from subtracting the second number from the first number |
Example
This example subtracts the second number from the first number:
sub(10.3, .3)
And returns this result: 10
substring
Return characters from a string, starting from the specified position, or index. Index values start with the number 0.
substring('<text>', <startIndex>, <length>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string whose characters you want |
<startIndex> | Yes | Integer | A positive number equal to or greater than 0 that you want to use as the starting position or index value |
<length> | Yes | Integer | A positive number of characters that you want in the substring |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<substring-result> | String | A substring with the specified number of characters, starting at the specified index position in the source string |
Example
This example creates a five-character substring from the specified string, starting from the index value 6:
substring('hello world', 6, 5)
And returns this result: "world"
subtractFromTime
Subtract a number of time units from a timestamp. See also getPastTime.
subtractFromTime('<timestamp>', <interval>, '<timeUnit>', '<format>'?)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string that contains the timestamp |
<interval> | Yes | Integer | The number of specified time units to subtract |
<timeUnit> | Yes | String | The unit of time to use with interval: "Second", "Minute", "Hour", "Day", "Week", "Month", "Year" |
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updated-timestamp> | String | The timestamp minus the specified number of time units |
Example 1
This example subtracts one day from this timestamp:
subtractFromTime('2018-01-02T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day')
And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00:0000000Z"
Example 2
This example subtracts one day from this timestamp:
subtractFromTime('2018-01-02T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day', 'D')
And returns this result using the optional "D" format: "Monday, January, 1, 2018"
take
Return items from the front of a collection.
take('<collection>', <count>)
take([<collection>], <count>)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection> | Yes | String or Array | The collection whose items you want |
<count> | Yes | Integer | A positive integer for the number of items that you want from the front |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<subset> or [<subset>] | String or Array, respectively | A string or array that has the specified number of items taken from the front of the original collection |
Example
These examples get the specified number of items from the front of these collections:
take('abcde', 3)
take(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3, 4), 3)
And return these results:
- First example:
"abc"
- Second example:
[0, 1, 2]
ticks
Return the ticks
property value for a specified timestamp.
A tick is a 100-nanosecond interval.
ticks('<timestamp>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<timestamp> | Yes | String | The string for a timestamp |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<ticks-number> | Integer | The number of ticks that have elapsed since 12:00:00 midnight, January 1, 0001 in the Gregorian calendar since the input timestamp |
toLower
Return a string in lowercase format. If a character in the string doesn't have a lowercase version, that character stays unchanged in the returned string.
toLower('<text>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string to return in lowercase format |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<lowercase-text> | String | The original string in lowercase format |
Example
This example converts this string to lowercase:
toLower('Hello World')
And returns this result: "hello world"
toUpper
Return a string in uppercase format. If a character in the string doesn't have an uppercase version, that character stays unchanged in the returned string.
toUpper('<text>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string to return in uppercase format |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<uppercase-text> | String | The original string in uppercase format |
Example
This example converts this string to uppercase:
toUpper('Hello World')
And returns this result: "HELLO WORLD"
trim
Remove leading and trailing whitespace from a string, and return the updated string.
trim('<text>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<text> | Yes | String | The string that has the leading and trailing whitespace to remove |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updatedText> | String | An updated version for the original string without leading or trailing whitespace |
Example
This example removes the leading and trailing whitespace from the string " Hello World ":
trim(' Hello World ')
And returns this result: "Hello World"
union
Return a collection that has all the items from the specified collections. To appear in the result, an item can appear in any collection passed to this function. If one or more items have the same name, the last item with that name appears in the result.
union('<collection1>', '<collection2>', ...)
union([<collection1>], [<collection2>], ...)
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<collection1>, <collection2>, ... | Yes | Array or Object, but not both | The collections from where you want all the items |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<updatedCollection> | Array or Object, respectively | A collection with all the items from the specified collections - no duplicates |
Example
This example gets all the items from these collections:
union(createArray(1, 2, 3), createArray(1, 2, 10, 101))
And returns this result: [1, 2, 3, 10, 101]
uriComponent
Return a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded version for a
string by replacing URL-unsafe characters with escape characters.
Use this function rather than encodeUriComponent().
Although both functions work the same way,
uriComponent()
is preferred.
uriComponent('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string to convert to URI-encoded format |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<encoded-uri> | String | The URI-encoded string with escape characters |
Example
This example creates a URI-encoded version for this string:
uriComponent('https://contoso.com')
And returns this result: "http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com"
uriComponentToBinary
Return the binary version for a uniform resource identifier (URI) component.
uriComponentToBinary('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The URI-encoded string to convert |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<binary-for-encoded-uri> | String | The binary version for the URI-encoded string. The binary content is base64-encoded and represented by $content . |
Example
This example creates the binary version for this URI-encoded string:
uriComponentToBinary('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')
And returns this result:
"001000100110100001110100011101000111000000100101001100 11010000010010010100110010010001100010010100110010010001 10011000110110111101101110011101000110111101110011011011 110010111001100011011011110110110100100010"
uriComponentToString
Return the string version for a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded string, effectively decoding the URI-encoded string.
uriComponentToString('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The URI-encoded string to decode |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<decoded-uri> | String | The decoded version for the URI-encoded string |
Example
This example creates the decoded string version for this URI-encoded string:
uriComponentToString('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')
And returns this result: "https://contoso.com"
utcNow
Return the current timestamp.
utcNow('<format>')
Optionally, you can specify a different format with the <format> parameter.
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<format> | No | String | Either a single format specifier or a custom format pattern. The default format for the timestamp is "o" (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss.fffffffK), which complies with ISO 8601 and preserves time zone information. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<current-timestamp> | String | The current date and time |
Example 1
Suppose today is April 15, 2018 at 1:00:00 PM. This example gets the current timestamp:
utcNow()
And returns this result: "2018-04-15T13:00:00.0000000Z"
Example 2
Suppose today is April 15, 2018 at 1:00:00 PM. This example gets the current timestamp using the optional "D" format:
utcNow('D')
And returns this result: "Sunday, April 15, 2018"
xml
Return the XML version for a string that contains a JSON object.
xml('<value>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<value> | Yes | String | The string with the JSON object to convert The JSON object must have only one root property, which can't be an array. |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<xml-version> | Object | The encoded XML for the specified string or JSON object |
Example 1
This example creates the XML version for this string, which contains a JSON object:
xml(json('{ \"name\": \"Sophia Owen\" }'))
And returns this result XML:
<name>Sophia Owen</name>
Example 2
Suppose you have this JSON object:
{
"person": {
"name": "Sophia Owen",
"city": "Seattle"
}
}
This example creates XML for a string that contains this JSON object:
xml(json('{\"person\": {\"name\": \"Sophia Owen\", \"city\": \"Seattle\"}}'))
And returns this result XML:
<person>
<name>Sophia Owen</name>
<city>Seattle</city>
<person>
xpath
Check XML for nodes or values that match an XPath (XML Path Language) expression, and return the matching nodes or values. An XPath expression, or just "XPath", helps you navigate an XML document structure so that you can select nodes or compute values in the XML content.
xpath('<xml>', '<xpath>')
Parameter | Required | Type | Description |
---|---|---|---|
<xml> | Yes | Any | The XML string to search for nodes or values that match an XPath expression value |
<xpath> | Yes | Any | The XPath expression used to find matching XML nodes or values |
Return value | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
<xml-node> | XML | An XML node when only a single node matches the specified XPath expression |
<value> | Any | The value from an XML node when only a single value matches the specified XPath expression |
[<xml-node1>, <xml-node2>, ...] -or- [<value1>, <value2>, ...] | Array | An array with XML nodes or values that match the specified XPath expression |
Example 1
Following on Example 1, this example finds nodes that match the
<count></count>
node and adds those node values with the sum()
function:
xpath(xml(parameters('items')), 'sum(/produce/item/count)')
And returns this result: 30
Example 2
For this example, both expressions find nodes that match the
<location></location>
node, in the specified arguments,
which include XML with a namespace. The expressions use the backslash
character (\) as an escape character for the double quotation mark (").
Expression 1
xpath(xml(body('Http')), '/*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"]')
Expression 2
xpath(xml(body('Http')), '/*[local-name()=\"file\" and namespace-uri()=\"http://contoso.com\"]/*[local-name()=\"location\"]')
Here are the arguments:
This XML, which includes the XML document namespace,
xmlns="http://contoso.com"
:<?xml version="1.0"?> <file xmlns="http://contoso.com"> <location>Paris</location> </file>
Either XPath expression here:
/*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"]
/*[local-name()=\"file\" and namespace-uri()=\"http://contoso.com\"]/*[local-name()=\"location\"]
Here is the result node that matches the <location></location>
node:
<location xmlns="https://contoso.com">Paris</location>
Example 3
Following on Example 3, this example finds the value in the
<location></location>
node:
xpath(xml(body('Http')), 'string(/*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"])')
And returns this result: "Paris"
Note
One can add comments to data flow expressions, but not in pipeline expressions.
Related content
For a list of system variables you can use in expressions, see System variables.
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