Date Formatter Task¶

Overview¶

The Date Formatter Task parses, formats, and manipulates dates and times. Use it to convert between timezones, calculate date differences, add/subtract time periods, or format dates for display.

When to use this task:

• Format dates for different regions
• Convert between timezones
• Calculate date differences
• Add/subtract days, weeks, months
• Parse dates from various formats
• Determine day of week
• Calculate business days
• Format for databases or APIs

Key Features:

• Multiple date format outputs
• Timezone conversion
• Date arithmetic (add/subtract)
• Parse various input formats
• Relative dates (yesterday, next week)
• Day/month/year extraction
• Business day calculations
• ISO 8601 support

Quick Start¶

1. Add Date Formatter task
2. Input date to format
3. Select output format
4. Configure timezone if needed
5. Test
6. Save

Simple Example:

Input: {{task_49001_date}}
Format: MM/DD/YYYY
Output: {{task_26001_formatted}} = 02/08/2026

Common Formats¶

Display Formats¶

Time Formats¶

Combined¶

Configuration¶

Builder fields¶

The Field column is the label as it appears in the task builder; Key is the name the value is stored under and referenced by.

Field	Key	Type	Default	Notes
Formatter	formatter	select	date_formatter_1	Options: Date: dd/mm/yyyy → yyyy-mm-dd · Date → Day of Week · Date → Week of Month · dd Month yyyy → dd/mm/yyyy · dd-mm-yyyy → dd/mm/yyyy · yyyy-mm-dd → dd/mm/yyyy · dd/mm/yyyy HHss → yyyy-mm-dd HHssZ · dd/mm/yyyy → Month of Year · dd/mm/yyyy → dd Month yyyy · dd/mm/yyyy → dd Month · Add Days · Subtract Days
Input Date	Text Input	text	–
Days	days	text	–

Basic Formatting¶

Input Date: {{task_49001_submitted_date}}
Output Format: MMMM DD, YYYY
Timezone: (optional)

Output: {{task_26001_formatted}}

Timezone Conversion¶

Input Date: {{task_46001_timestamp}}
Input Timezone: UTC
Output Timezone: America/New_York
Output Format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss

Output: {{task_26001_formatted}}

Common Timezones:

• UTC - Coordinated Universal Time
• America/New_York - US Eastern
• America/Chicago - US Central
• America/Denver - US Mountain
• America/Los_Angeles - US Pacific
• Europe/London - UK
• Europe/Paris - Central European
• Asia/Tokyo - Japan
• Australia/Sydney - Australia
• Africa/Johannesburg - South Africa

Date Arithmetic¶

Add time:

Operation: Add
Input: {{task_48001_current_date}}
Add: 7 days

Output: {{task_26001_result}} = date 7 days from now

Subtract time:

Operation: Subtract
Input: {{task_49001_due_date}}
Subtract: 3 days

Output: {{task_26001_result}} = reminder date

Units: days, weeks, months, years, hours, minutes

Extract Components¶

Input: 2026-02-08
Extract: Day of Week

Outputs:
{{task_26001_day_name}} = Saturday
{{task_26001_day_number}} = 6 (0=Sunday)
{{task_26001_month_name}} = February
{{task_26001_month_number}} = 2
{{task_26001_year}} = 2026
{{task_26001_day_of_month}} = 8

Calculate Difference¶

Operation: Difference
Start Date: {{task_47001_created_date}}
End Date: {{task_48001_current_date}}
Unit: days

Output: {{task_26001_difference}} = 15

Real-World Examples¶

Put a readable date into a message¶

Schedule
  └─ Date Formatter   format today as "Friday, 14 September"
      └─ Email        "Your report for {{task_26001_output}}"

Triggers report time in UTC, so this is also how you show a local time to a reader.

Work out a follow-up date¶

Form Submission
  └─ Date Formatter   add 7 days to the submission date
      └─ Delay        until {{task_26001_output}}

Normalise a supplied date before storing it¶

Webhook In
  └─ Date Formatter   parse the incoming date into YYYY-MM-DD
      └─ Edit Client  save {{task_26001_output}} to a custom field

{{task_26001_input}} still holds what arrived, which makes a bad input easy to spot.

Output Fields¶

Best Practices¶

Timezone Handling¶

1. Store in UTC - Always store dates in UTC in database
2. Convert for display - Format to user's timezone
3. Be explicit - Specify timezone in configuration
4. Test across zones - Verify with different timezones
5. Document assumptions - Note timezone expectations

Date Validation¶

1. Check before format - Verify date exists
2. Handle invalid dates - Provide defaults
3. Parse carefully - Specify expected input format
4. Test edge cases - Leap years, month ends
5. Validate ranges - Ensure dates are reasonable

Performance¶

1. Format once - Store formatted value in Variable
2. Minimize calculations - Do math in Code task when complex
3. Use relative dates - When possible, use "X days ago"
4. Cache current date - Reference Timer Trigger date
5. Batch operations - Process dates outside loops when possible

Troubleshooting¶

Invalid Date Error¶

Causes:

• Input is not a date
• Date format not recognized
• Null/empty input

Solutions:

• Verify input field has date
• Specify input format
• Provide default date

Timezone Issues¶

Issue: Date shifts by hours

Cause: Timezone conversion unexpected

Solution:

• Explicitly set input/output timezones
• Store dates in UTC
• Use ISO 8601 format

Wrong Date Calculation¶

Issue: Adding 1 month gives unexpected date

Note: Month addition respects month length

• Jan 31 + 1 month = Feb 28/29 (not March 3)

Solution: Be aware of month-end behavior

Format Not Working¶

Issue: Output doesn't match format string

Check:

• Format string syntax correct?
• Using proper tokens (YYYY not yyyy)?
• Date has all components needed?

Common tokens:

• YYYY = 4-digit year
• MM = 2-digit month
• DD = 2-digit day
• HH = 24-hour format
• hh = 12-hour format

Frequently Asked Questions¶

What date formats can I parse?¶

Most common formats:

• ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD)
• US format (MM/DD/YYYY)
• European (DD/MM/YYYY)
• Timestamps (Unix, JavaScript)

How to handle "2 days ago"?¶

Use relative date in Timer Trigger or calculate with Date Formatter.

Can I calculate business days?¶

Yes, use Business Days option to exclude weekends/holidays.

What about daylight saving time?¶

Timezone conversions automatically handle DST.

How to compare two dates?¶

Use Difference operation or If task with date comparison.

Can I format multiple dates at once?¶

No, use separate Date Formatter task for each date or Loop task.

Related Tasks¶

• Timer Trigger - Current date/time
• Client Date Trigger - Date-based triggers
• Formatter - General formatting
• Code Task - Complex date logic
• If Task - Date comparisons