Code Processor Functions

What It Is

Jetstack's code processor is the function library behind {=...} expressions. These functions let expressions do more than interpolate values. They can cast values, reshape arrays, read query results, inspect changes, build links, and access runtime providers such as trigger parameters or secrets.

Why It Matters

Many important configuration points in Jetstack rely on these functions:

property conditions
default values and calculations
query parameter defaults
automation branching and payload construction
canvas item configuration
integration helpers

If you know what the function set actually exposes, you can write shorter and much more reliable expressions.

Scope Of This Page

This page documents the functions registered in CodeProcessorProvider::getProcessor() and focuses on:

the callable name used inside expressions
the purpose of the function
its parameters
its return value

Per your requested scope, this page intentionally skips every function whose name starts with date_*.

The older date helpers that do not start with date_*, such as date, today, time, strtotime, dateDiff, formatDate, and compareDates, are still covered below because they remain part of the expression API.

Availability Model

Not every function is available in every expression runtime.

Availability	Meaning
`Always`	Registered in every code processor instance.
`Context`	Registered only when the processor has an `ActiveResource` context.
`Trigger`	Registered only when a trigger-parameters provider is present.
`Endpoint`	Registered only when a previous-endpoint provider is present.
`Global vars`	Registered only when a global-variable provider is present.
`Local vars`	Registered only when a local-variable provider is present.
`App params`	Registered only when an app-parameter provider is present.
`Secrets`	Registered only when a secrets provider is present.
`DataQuery provider required`	The function is registered, but it only works when a current `DataQuery` provider exists.

Function Catalog

Basic And Casting

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`get(value)`	`Always`	Returns the provided value unchanged.	`value`: any input.	`mixed`
`getRaw(value)`	`Always`	Low-level helper that marks a property lookup for raw-value resolution.	`value`: usually a property key or path component.	`mixed` marker value used by the resolver
`transformLiteral(value, literal)`	`Always`	Ignores the first argument and returns the literal second argument unchanged.	`value`: any input, `literal`: the value to return.	`mixed`
`setVar(name, value)`	`Always`	Stores a processor variable and returns the stored value.	`name`: string variable name, `value`: any value.	`mixed`
`toBool(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to boolean.	`value`: any value.	`boolean`
`toString(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to string. `DateTimeInterface` values are formatted as ISO 8601 with offset (e.g. `2026-05-26T14:44:26+02:00`), so timezone information is preserved instead of being lost.	`value`: any value.	`string`
`toInt(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to integer.	`value`: any value.	`int`
`toFloat(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to float.	`value`: any value.	`float`
`toArray(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to array.	`value`: any value.	`array`
`toObject(value)`	`Always`	Casts a value to `stdClass`.	`value`: any value.	`stdClass`

Collections And Reshaping

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`map(iterable, transform = "")`	`Always`	Transforms iterable items using a dot-chain or a mapping object. In chain mode, each step resolves a property or calls a transform function. In mapping mode, each output field gets its own transform chain.	`iterable`: any iterable value. `transform`: string chain such as `owner.full_name`, or an array/object map such as `{ "name": "owner.full_name", "status": "status.upper()" }`.	`array`
`range(start, end, step = 1)`	`Always`	Builds a numeric or string range.	`start`: string, int, or float. `end`: string, int, or float. `step`: int or float.	`array`
`in_array(needle, haystack)`	`Always`	Checks whether a value exists in an array.	`needle`: any value. `haystack`: array.	`boolean`
`concat(array)`	`Always`	Joins array items into one string without a separator.	`array`: array of strings.	`string`
`join(separator, array)`	`Always`	Joins array items with a separator.	`separator`: string. `array`: array of strings.	`string`
`arrayKeys(array)`	`Always`	Returns the keys of an array.	`array`: array.	`array`
`arrayValues(array)`	`Always`	Returns the values of an array.	`array`: array.	`array`
`arrayFirstValue(array)`	`Always`	Returns the first value from an array.	`array`: array.	`mixed`
`arrayLastValue(array)`	`Always`	Returns the last value from an array.	`array`: array.	`mixed`
`arrayShift(array)`	`Always`	Removes and returns the first value.	`array`: array.	`mixed`
`arrayPop(array)`	`Always`	Removes and returns the last value.	`array`: array.	`mixed`
`arrayShiftGetArray(array)`	`Always`	Removes the first value and returns the remaining array.	`array`: array.	`array`
`arrayPopGetArray(array)`	`Always`	Removes the last value and returns the remaining array.	`array`: array.	`array`
`arrayPush(array, ...values)`	`Always`	Appends one or more values to the end of the array.	`array`: array. `values`: variadic values to append.	`array`
`arrayUnshift(array, ...values)`	`Always`	Prepends one or more values to the start of the array.	`array`: array. `values`: variadic values to prepend.	`array`
`arrayGetKey(array, key)`	`Always`	Returns a value by key from an array.	`array`: array. `key`: string or number.	`mixed
`length(value)`	`Always`	Returns string length for scalar values or item count for countable values.	`value`: any value.	`number`

Strings And Text Processing

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`explode(separator, string, limit = PHP_INT_MAX)`	`Always`	Splits a string by a separator.	`separator`: string. `string`: string to split. `limit`: numeric split limit.	`string[]`
`trim(string)`	`Always`	Trims leading and trailing whitespace.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`removeHtmlTags(string)`	`Always`	Removes HTML tags from text.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`upper(string)`	`Always`	Converts a string to uppercase.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`lower(string)`	`Always`	Converts a string to lowercase.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`firstUpper(string)`	`Always`	Uppercases the first character.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`firstLower(string)`	`Always`	Lowercases the first character.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`webalize(string)`	`Always`	Converts text into a URL-safe or slug-like form.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`firstNChars(text, count)`	`Always`	Returns the first `N` characters of a string.	`text`: string. `count`: number of characters.	`string`
`lastNChars(text, count)`	`Always`	Returns the last `N` characters of a string.	`text`: string. `count`: number of characters.	`string`
`startsWith(text, search)`	`Always`	Checks whether text starts with a substring.	`text`: string. `search`: string prefix.	`boolean`
`endsWith(text, search)`	`Always`	Checks whether text ends with a substring.	`text`: string. `search`: string suffix.	`boolean`
`contains(haystack, needle)`	`Always`	Checks whether a string contains a substring or whether an array contains a value. It also supports arrays of `ActiveResource` values and can match by object ID or code property.	`haystack`: string or array. `needle`: any value.	`boolean`

Hashing, Encoding, And Randomness

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`md5(string)`	`Always`	Returns the MD5 hash of a string.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`sha1(string)`	`Always`	Returns the SHA1 hash of a string.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`sha256(string)`	`Always`	Returns the SHA256 hash of a string.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`base64_encode(string)`	`Always`	Base64-encodes a string.	`string`: input string.	`string`
`base64_decode(string)`	`Always`	Base64-decodes a string.	`string`: encoded string.	`string`
`random(length = 10, chars = "0-9a-z")`	`Always`	Generates a random string.	`length`: desired length. `chars`: character pattern.	`string`

Date And Time Helpers Not Starting With `date_*`

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`date(format = "Y-m-d H:i:s", timestampOrDate = null)`	`Always`	Formats the current time or a provided timestamp/date string using PHP `date()`. If the second argument is a non-numeric string, it is parsed through `strtotime()`.	`format`: date format string. `timestampOrDate`: Unix timestamp, parseable date string, or `null`.	`string`
`today()`	`Always`	Returns today's date at `23:59:59`.	None.	`string`
`time()`	`Always`	Returns the current Unix timestamp.	None.	`int`
`strtotime(dateTime = "now", baseTimestamp = null)`	`Always`	Parses a date/time string into a Unix timestamp.	`dateTime`: parseable date string. `baseTimestamp`: optional base timestamp.	`int
`dateDiff(date1, date2, absolute = false)`	`Always`	Returns a PHP `DateInterval` between two dates. Accepts strings, timestamps, or `DateTimeInterface` values.	`date1`: first date. `date2`: second date. `absolute`: whether to force an absolute difference.	`DateInterval`
`formatDate(date, format)`	`Always`	Formats a date using a format string. Accepts strings, timestamps, or `DateTimeInterface`.	`date`: date value. `format`: format string.	`string`
`compareDates(date1, operator, date2 = "now")`	`Always`	Compares two dates. Supports operators `>`, `>=`, `<`, `<=`, `==`, `within`, `withinMonth`, and `withinYear`.	`date1`: date string or timestamp. `operator`: comparison operator. `date2`: second date or reference date.	`boolean`
`toUtc(input, format = "Y-m-d H:i:s", sourceTz = null)`	`Always`	Converts a wall-clock value into a UTC datetime string. Use this when handing user input to `query()` or other SQL comparisons. ISO 8601 strings with explicit offsets are honored; naive strings are interpreted in the user's display timezone unless `sourceTz` overrides. The default format omits the offset because MySQL `DATETIME` parameters do not officially support ISO 8601 offsets and UTC is implicit by definition.	`input`: any date/datetime value. `format`: output format string. `sourceTz`: optional source timezone for naive inputs.	`string
`fromUtc(input, format = "c", targetTz = null)`	`Always`	Reverse of `toUtc()`. Converts a UTC value into a formatted wall-clock string in the user's display timezone (or `targetTz` if given). The default format is ISO 8601 with offset (e.g. `2026-05-26T14:44:26+02:00`), so the timezone survives JSON serialization and parses cleanly in every client. Use this when rendering stored UTC values back to the user.	`input`: any UTC date/datetime value. `format`: output format string. `targetTz`: optional target timezone.	`string

ActiveResource And Change Tracking

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`getTitle(activeResource = null)`	`Always`	Returns the title property value of an `ActiveResource`.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string
`export(activeResource = null, properties = null, useSystemNames = true)`	`Always`	Exports raw data from an `ActiveResource`, optionally filtered to selected properties and optionally using system names.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`. `properties`: array of property names/system names or `null`. `useSystemNames`: whether to export using system names.	`array
`hasChanged(changes, property = null)`	`Always`	Checks whether a property changed. In trigger-aware flows, you can call `hasChanged("status")` and it will read the current `changes` object from trigger parameters.	`changes`: either an `ARChanges` object or a property name. `property`: explicit property name when `changes` is passed explicitly.	`boolean
`isOnlyChange(changes, property = null)`	`Always`	Checks whether only one specific property changed. Like `hasChanged`, it also supports shorthand trigger usage.	`changes`: `ARChanges` or property name. `property`: explicit property when `changes` is provided directly.	`boolean
`changedFrom(changes, property, previousValue = null, strict = false)`	`Always`	Checks whether a property changed from a specific previous value. In trigger shorthand, call `changedFrom("status", "draft", true)` and the function will resolve the trigger `changes` object automatically.	`changes`: `ARChanges` or property name in shorthand mode. `property`: property name or previous value in shorthand mode. `previousValue`: expected old value. `strict`: strict comparison flag.	`boolean

Files And Payload Construction

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`fileFromFile(filename, title = null)`	`Always`	Creates a `SimpleFile` from a filesystem path. If no title is given, the basename of the file is used.	`filename`: full or relative file path. `title`: optional title shown for the file.	`SimpleFile`
`fileFromData(data, title)`	`Always`	Creates a `SimpleFile` from raw data in memory.	`data`: raw file contents. `title`: resulting file title/name.	`SimpleFile`
`if(condition, ifTrue, ifFalse)`	`Always`	Ternary-style helper. The exported function name is `if`, even though the internal method is `ifElse`.	`condition`: any truthy/falsy value. `ifTrue`: value returned when truthy. `ifFalse`: value returned when falsy.	`mixed`
`merge(...args)`	`Always`	Merges arrays and objects into one object. Objects are converted to arrays of properties first. Non-array, non-object arguments are ignored.	`args`: variadic arrays or objects.	`object`
`object(...args)`	`Always`	Builds one object by `array_merge(...$args)` and then converts the result to an object.	`args`: variadic array fragments.	`object`
`objectRaw(...pairs)`	`Always`	Creates an object from a list of single-key arrays.	`pairs`: arrays such as `{"status":"open"}` or `{"owner":123}`.	`object`
`randomFromList(list)`	`Always`	Returns a random item from an array, object property set, or traversable.	`list`: array, object, or traversable.	`mixed
`jsonEncode(data)`	`Always`	JSON-encodes a value.	`data`: any value.	`string`
`jsonDecode(json)`	`Always`	Decodes a JSON string.	`json`: JSON string.	`mixed`
`toApiArray(object)`	`Always`	Converts an object into an API-style array. For `ActiveResource`, it uses API processing; for files, it uses file API serialization; otherwise it casts to array.	`object`: `ActiveResource`, `File`, or another object-like value.	`array`

DataQuery Helpers

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`getDataQuery()`	`DataQuery provider required`	Returns the current `DataQuery` instance.	None.	`mixed`
`dataQueryFetch(property = null)`	`DataQuery provider required`	Fetches one value from the current `DataQuery`.	`property`: optional property path/name.	`mixed
`dataQueryFetchObject()`	`DataQuery provider required`	Fetches one object from the current `DataQuery`.	None.	`object
`dataQueryFetchAll(path = null)`	`DataQuery provider required`	Fetches all results from the current `DataQuery`.	`path`: optional result path or property path.	`array
`dataQueryCount()`	`DataQuery provider required`	Counts rows in the current `DataQuery`.	None.	`int
`dataQueryMin(property)`	`DataQuery provider required`	Returns the minimum value for a property over the current `DataQuery`.	`property`: property name/path.	`mixed
`dataQueryMax(property)`	`DataQuery provider required`	Returns the maximum value for a property over the current `DataQuery`.	`property`: property name/path.	`mixed

Internal Query Helpers

These are available only when the processor has an ActiveResource context.

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`query(query, params = [])`	`Context`	Runs an internal API query by name.	`query`: query identifier. `params`: associative array of query parameters.	`SoopioResultSet`
`queryCount(resultSet)`	`Context`	Returns the count of a query result set.	`resultSet`: `SoopioResultSet`.	`int`
`queryFetchRow(resultSet, property = null)`	`Context`	Fetches a single row or one property from a row.	`resultSet`: `SoopioResultSet`. `property`: optional property name.	`mixed`
`queryFetchObject(resultSet, cache = true)`	`Context`	Fetches one object from a query result set.	`resultSet`: `SoopioResultSet`. `cache`: cache flag for object fetch.	`object
`queryFetchRows(resultSet, path = null)`	`Context`	Fetches all rows from a query result set.	`resultSet`: `SoopioResultSet`. `path`: optional path selection.	`array`
`queryFetchObjects(resultSet)`	`Context`	Fetches all objects from a query result set.	`resultSet`: `SoopioResultSet`.	`array`

Context, User, Resource, And Links

These are also available only when the processor has an ActiveResource context.

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`currentLink()`	`Context`	Returns the current action link string, not a full absolute URL.	None.	`string`
`user(property = null)`	`Context`	Returns the current user `ActiveResource`, or one property from that user.	`property`: optional property name.	`ActiveResource
`resource(type, idOrData)`	`Context`	Resolves an `ActiveResource` of the given type from an ID or inline data.	`type`: target type name. `idOrData`: scalar ID/code, array, `stdClass`, or `ArrayHash`.	`ActiveResource
`objectShowLink(activeResource = null)`	`Context`	Returns the full show URL for an `ActiveResource`. Returns an empty string if no valid resource is passed.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string`
`objectEditLink(activeResource = null)`	`Context`	Returns the full edit URL for an `ActiveResource`. Returns an empty string if no valid resource is passed.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string`
`objectCopyLink(activeResource = null)`	`Context`	Returns the full copy URL for an `ActiveResource`. Returns an empty string if no valid resource is passed.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string`
`objectCreateLink(activeResource = null)`	`Context`	Returns the full create URL for an `ActiveResource`. Returns an empty string if no valid resource is passed.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string`
`objectDeleteLink(activeResource = null)`	`Context`	Returns the full delete URL for an `ActiveResource`. Returns an empty string if no valid resource is passed.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`.	`string`
`objectActionLink(activeResource = null, action = null, args = [])`	`Context`	Returns the full URL for a named object action. Returns an empty string if either the resource or action is missing.	`activeResource`: `ActiveResource` or `null`. `action`: action name. `args`: optional action arguments as an array.	`string`
`isLoginAs()`	`Context`	Returns whether the current user is operating through a shadow-login session.	None.	`boolean`
`isApiRequest()`	`Context`	Returns whether the current request is being handled as an API call rather than a user-facing page. Useful when an expression should branch between human-facing output and machine-facing payloads (for example, omitting decorative fields from API responses).	None.	`boolean`

Runtime Parameter Helpers

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`trigger(name)`	`Trigger`	Returns a trigger parameter by name. Commonly used in automations and change-driven flows.	`name`: trigger parameter name.	`mixed`
`endpoint(name)`	`Endpoint`	Returns a parameter from the previous endpoint context.	`name`: parameter name.	`mixed`
`templateVar(name)`	`Template vars`	Returns a variable from the focus page template.	`name`: variable name.	`mixed`
`var(name)`	`Local vars`	Returns a local variable. The exported function name is `var`, backed by the internal method `localVar`.	`name`: variable name.	`mixed`
`env(name)`	`Env vars`	Returns an environment variable from app settings. Returns `null` for unknown names (reserved Config keys do not bleed through).	`name`: environment variable name.	`mixed`
`appParameter(name)`	`App params`	Returns an app parameter by name.	`name`: parameter name.	`mixed`
`selection()`	`App params`	Shortcut for the app parameter named `selection`.	None.	`mixed`

Secrets

Function	Availability	Purpose	Parameters	Returns
`getSecret(name)`	`Secrets`	Reads a secret value from the secret store.	`name`: secret name.	`mixed`
`saveSecret(name, value, title = "", type = "string")`	`Secrets`	Saves or updates a secret value.	`name`: secret name. `value`: secret value. `title`: human-readable label. `type`: secret type.	`mixed`
`removeSecret(name)`	`Secrets`	Deletes a secret from the secret store.	`name`: secret name.	`mixed`

Notes On Practical Use

Functions With Aliased Export Names

These are the names you actually call in expressions:

use if(...), not ifElse(...)
use object(...), not objectMerge(...)
use var(...), not localVar(...)

Functions That Depend On Runtime Providers

Some functions look universal in the catalog, but they only work when their provider exists:

query*, currentLink, user, resource, and object*Link require a current ActiveResource context
trigger requires trigger parameters
endpoint requires a previous-endpoint provider
templateVar, var, and env require their respective variable providers
appParameter and selection require app-parameter access
getSecret, saveSecret, and removeSecret require the secret-store provider
getDataQuery and the dataQuery* helpers require a current DataQuery provider

Functions Worth Using Carefully

getRaw() is a low-level helper. It is useful when you intentionally need raw property values rather than the standard resolved value flow.
map() is powerful, but it becomes hard to maintain when the transform chain tries to do too much in one expression.
query() is convenient, but repeated query calls inside expressions can make configuration harder to reason about. Prefer explicit queries and typed configuration when possible.
Secret functions are operationally powerful and should be used deliberately. See Secret Store.