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Formatter Task

Overview

The Text Formatter Task reshapes one piece of text: it changes its case, removes its spaces, or flips a date between dd/mm/yyyy and yyyy-mm-dd.

When to use this task:

  • Tidy a name before it reaches the CRM
  • Normalise a reference or code so it matches exactly
  • Prepare a value for display in a message

Key Features:

  • Five text formats: first letter, all capitals, all lowercase, title case, no spaces
  • Two date flips: dd/mm/yyyy ↔ yyyy-mm-dd
  • The original kept beside the result

The Text Formatter task opened to its settings: Formatter set to Title Case and Input Text holding the customer name variable

Outputs

Reference fields as {{task_<ID>_<field>}}.

Field Type Notes
input string The text as received, after variables were resolved.
output string The transformed text — the field you use downstream.

Always emitted

Field Type Notes
run boolean Whether the task succeeded.
run_text string What happened, including the reason on failure.

Quick Start

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 capitalize_first Options: Capitalize First Letter · Capitalize All Letters · Lowercase All · Title Case · Remove Spaces · Date: dd/mm/yyyy → yyyy-mm-dd · Date: yyyy-mm-dd → dd/mm/yyyy
Input Text Text Input text –
  1. Add the Text Formatter task
  2. Choose the Formatter
  3. Set Input Text — text, or a {{variable}} from an earlier task
  4. Test and save

Simple Example:

Formatter:  Title Case
Input Text: {{task_55001_first_name}}      (jane van der merwe)
Output:     {{task_20001_output}} = Jane Van Der Merwe

Formats

Formatter Input Output
Capitalize First Letter jane smith Jane smith
Capitalize All Letters acc-104 ACC-104
Lowercase All Jane@Example.COM jane@example.com
Title Case jane smith Jane Smith — the first letter of each word; the rest left as written
Remove Spaces 082 123 4567 0821234567 — every space, tab and line break
Date: dd/mm/yyyy → yyyy-mm-dd 28/09/2026 2026-09-28
Date: yyyy-mm-dd → dd/mm/yyyy 2026-09-28 28/09/2026

The two date formats only reverse the parts around / or -; they do not check the date. For any other date layout, a weekday or a month name, use the Date Formatter.

Real-World Examples

Tidy a name before it reaches the CRM

Form Submission
  └─ Text Formatter     capitalise the first name
      └─ New Client     create the record with {{task_20001_output}}

{{task_20001_input}} keeps the original value, which is useful when you want to log what was submitted as well as what was stored.

Normalise a reference for matching

Webhook In
  └─ Text Formatter        uppercase the supplied account code
      └─ Match to Client   o_client_id: {{task_20001_output}}

Match to Client compares exactly, so normalising first is what makes the match land.

Prepare a value for display in a message

Google Review Received
  └─ Text Formatter   tidy the reviewer's name
      └─ Email        "New review from {{task_20001_output}}"

Best Practices

  1. Keep the original — {{task_N_input}} holds what arrived, useful to log beside what was stored
  2. Normalise before matching — Match to Client compares exactly
  3. One format per task — to apply two, add a second Formatter reading the first one's output

Troubleshooting

Output Is Empty

The input was empty — check the {{variable}} in Input Text resolves (the run's input shows what arrived).

Title Case Left Capitals Inside Words

Title Case only capitalises the first letter of each word; it does not lowercase the rest. Use Lowercase All first, in a Formatter before it, to get Jane from JANE.

Date Flip Gave Something Odd

The date formats only reverse the parts: 28-09-2026 through dd/mm/yyyy → yyyy-mm-dd comes back unchanged. Use the Date Formatter, which reads every common layout.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I format multiple fields at once?

No — one Input Text per task. Add a Formatter per field.

What's the difference between Formatter and Date Formatter?

The Formatter changes text and flips two date layouts. The Date Formatter reads any common date layout and gives weekdays, month names, week of month, and added or subtracted days.

Can it format numbers or currency?

No. Use a Math Formula or Code task.

How do I extract part of a text?

Use Regex or Find & Replace.