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Math Formula Task

Overview

The Math Formula Task evaluates mathematical expressions using the powerful mathjs library. Calculate totals, apply discounts, convert units, compute scores, or perform any mathematical operation with support for complex formulas, functions, and constants.

When to use this task:

  • Price calculations and discounts
  • Invoice totals with tax and fees
  • Unit conversions (weight, distance, currency)
  • Scoring systems with weights
  • Commission calculations
  • Time and date arithmetic
  • Statistical computations
  • Financial formulas

Key Features:

  • Full mathjs expression support
  • Basic arithmetic (+, -, *, /, ^)
  • Mathematical functions (sqrt, abs, round, sin, cos, etc.)
  • Constants (pi, e)
  • Ternary operators for conditionals
  • Variable replacement
  • Automatic 2-decimal rounding
  • Error handling

Quick Start

1. Add Math Formula task
2. Enter formula with operators and functions
3. Use variables from previous tasks
4. Result rounded to 2 decimals
5. Save

Configuration

Formula

Formula: 100 * 0.9
Formula: {{subtotal}} + ({{subtotal}} * 0.15) + {{shipping}}
Formula: sqrt({{value}}) * 2.5
Formula: {{sales}} > 10000 ? {{sales}} * 0.15 : {{sales}} * 0.10

Supports: - Variables: {{task_X001_field}} - Operators: +, -, *, /, ^ (power) - Parentheses: (, ) - Functions: sqrt(), abs(), round(), ceil(), floor(), min(), max(), etc. - Constants: pi, e - Conditionals: condition ? true_value : false_value

Output Fields

Field Description Example
task_27001_run Success status true
task_27001_run_text Result message Successfully evaluated formula
task_27001_formula Original formula (echoed) 100 * 0.9
task_27001_value Calculated result (2 decimals) 90.00

Common Operations

Basic Arithmetic

# Addition
Formula: 100 + 50
Result: 150.00

# Subtraction  
Formula: 1000 - 150
Result: 850.00

# Multiplication
Formula: 25 * 4.99
Result: 124.75

# Division
Formula: 1000 / 12
Result: 83.33

# Power
Formula: 2 ^ 10
Result: 1024.00

Functions

# Square root
Formula: sqrt(144)
Result: 12.00

# Absolute value
Formula: abs(-50)
Result: 50.00

# Rounding
Formula: round(3.7)
Result: 4.00

Formula: ceil(3.2)
Result: 4.00

Formula: floor(3.8)
Result: 3.00

# Min/Max
Formula: min(10, 25, 5, 18)
Result: 5.00

Formula: max(10, 25, 5, 18)
Result: 25.00

Constants

# Pi
Formula: pi * 2
Result: 6.28

# Euler's number
Formula: e ^ 2
Result: 7.39

# Circle area
Formula: pi * (5 ^ 2)
Result: 78.54

Conditional (Ternary)

# If-then-else
Formula: {{value}} > 100 ? {{value}} * 0.1 : {{value}} * 0.05

If value = 150: Result = 15.00 (10%)
If value = 50: Result = 2.50 (5%)

Real-World Examples

Example 1: E-commerce Order Total

Scenario: Calculate final order total with tax, shipping, and discount

Workflow: 1. Form Submission - Checkout 2. Code Task - Calculate subtotal 3. Math Formula - Calculate tax 4. Math Formula - Apply discount 5. Math Formula - Final total 6. Email - Order confirmation

Calculate Tax (15%): 

Formula: {{task_42001_subtotal}} * 0.15

Apply Discount (if subtotal > $100): 

Formula: {{task_42001_subtotal}} > 100 ? {{task_42001_subtotal}} * 0.9 : {{task_42001_subtotal}}

# 10% discount if over $100, else no discount

Calculate Final Total: 

Formula: {{task_27002_value}} + {{task_27001_value}} + {{task_55001_shipping}}

# Discounted subtotal + tax + shipping

Confirmation Email: 

Subject: Order Confirmation #{{order_id}}

Order Summary:
Subtotal: ${{task_42001_subtotal}}
Discount: ${{task_42001_subtotal}} - {{task_27002_value}} = ${{discount_amount}}
Tax (15%): ${{task_27001_value}}
Shipping: ${{task_55001_shipping}}
TOTAL: ${{task_27003_value}}

Example 2: Commission Calculation with Tiers

Scenario: Calculate sales commission with tiered rates

Workflow: 1. CRM Trigger - Deal closed 2. MySQL Query - Get rep's monthly sales 3. Math Formula - Calculate commission rate 4. Math Formula - Calculate commission amount 5. Workflow Note - Create payout task 6. Email - Notify rep

Commission Rates: - Under $10,000: 5% - \(10,000-\)50,000: 10% - Over $50,000: 15%

Calculate Rate: 

Formula: {{task_43001_monthly_sales}} > 50000 ? 0.15 : ({{task_43001_monthly_sales}} > 10000 ? 0.10 : 0.05)

# Nested ternary for 3 tiers

Calculate Commission: 

Formula: {{task_47001_deal_value}} * {{task_27001_value}}

Notify Rep: 

To: {{task_47001_sales_rep}}
Subject: Commission Earned: Deal {{task_47001_deal_name}}

Congratulations on closing {{task_47001_deal_name}}!

Deal Value: ${{task_47001_deal_value}}
Commission Rate: {{task_27001_value * 100}}%
Commission Amount: ${{task_27002_value}}

Monthly Sales: ${{task_43001_monthly_sales}}
Current Tier: {{task_27001_value * 100}}%

[View Commission Details]

Example 3: Loan Payment Calculator

Scenario: Calculate monthly mortgage payment

Workflow: 1. Form Submission - Loan application 2. Math Formula - Monthly interest rate 3. Math Formula - Payment calculation 4. Email - Send estimate 5. PDF - Generate amortization schedule

Monthly Interest Rate: 

Formula: {{task_55001_annual_rate}} / 100 / 12

# Convert annual % to monthly decimal

Monthly Payment (Mortgage Formula): 

Formula: {{task_55001_principal}} * ({{task_27001_value}} * (1 + {{task_27001_value}}) ^ {{task_55001_months}}) / (((1 + {{task_27001_value}}) ^ {{task_55001_months}}) - 1)

# Standard mortgage payment formula

Example Values: 

Principal: $300,000
Annual Rate: 4.5%
Term: 360 months (30 years)

Monthly Rate: 0.00375
Monthly Payment: $1,520.06

Email Estimate: 

Subject: Your Loan Estimate

Loan Details:
Principal: ${{task_55001_principal}}
Interest Rate: {{task_55001_annual_rate}}% annually
Term: {{task_55001_months / 12}} years

Estimated Monthly Payment: ${{task_27002_value}}

Total Interest: ${{(task_27002_value * task_55001_months) - task_55001_principal}}

[Apply Now] [View Amortization Schedule]

Example 4: Inventory Reorder Point Calculation

Scenario: Calculate when to reorder stock using lead time and safety stock

Workflow: 1. Schedule Trigger - Daily inventory check 2. MySQL Query - Get product inventory 3. Math Formula - Calculate reorder point 4. Math Formula - Calculate order quantity 5. If Task - Check if below reorder point 6. Email - Alert purchasing team

Reorder Point Formula: 

Formula: ({{task_43001_daily_sales}} * {{task_43001_lead_time_days}}) + {{task_43001_safety_stock}}

# (Average daily sales × lead time) + safety stock

Order Quantity (Economic Order Quantity approximation): 

Formula: sqrt((2 * {{task_43001_annual_demand}} * {{task_43001_order_cost}}) / {{task_43001_holding_cost}})

Check Stock Level: 

Condition: {{task_43001_current_stock}} <= {{task_27001_value}}
Then: Send reorder alert

Purchasing Alert: 

To: purchasing@company.com
Subject: Reorder Alert: {{task_43001_product_name}}

REORDER NEEDED

Product: {{task_43001_product_name}}
SKU: {{task_43001_sku}}

Current Stock: {{task_43001_current_stock}} units
Reorder Point: {{task_27001_value}} units
Recommended Order Qty: {{task_27002_value}} units

Daily Sales Rate: {{task_43001_daily_sales}} units
Lead Time: {{task_43001_lead_time_days}} days
Safety Stock: {{task_43001_safety_stock}} units

[Create Purchase Order]

Example 5: Weighted Score Calculation

Scenario: Calculate applicant score from multiple weighted criteria

Workflow: 1. Form Submission - Job application 2. AI Prompt - Score resume (0-100) 3. AI Prompt - Score cover letter (0-100) 4. Math Formula - Calculate weighted total 5. If Task - Check if passes threshold 6. Workflow Note - Create interview task

Scoring Weights: - Resume: 40% - Cover Letter: 30% - Years Experience: 20% - Education Level: 10%

Calculate Weighted Score: 

Formula: ({{task_38001_resume_score}} * 0.4) + ({{task_38002_cover_letter_score}} * 0.3) + ({{task_55001_years_experience}} * 5 * 0.2) + ({{task_55001_education_level}} * 10 * 0.1)

# Each criterion weighted and summed

Example Calculation: 

Resume Score: 85 × 0.4 = 34.0
Cover Letter: 75 × 0.3 = 22.5
Experience: 6 years × 5 × 0.2 = 6.0
Education: 4 (Master's) × 10 × 0.1 = 4.0

Total Score: 66.50

Check Threshold: 

Condition: {{task_27001_value}} >= 65
Then: Schedule interview
Else: Send rejection

Interview Task: 

Type: Meeting
Client ID: {{task_15001_client_id}}
Due: three_days
Priority: High
User Tags: hiring-manager@company.com

Note: Candidate Interview: {{task_55001_full_name}}

Position: {{task_55001_position}}
Overall Score: {{task_27001_value}}/100

Breakdown:
- Resume: {{task_38001_resume_score}}/100 (40% weight)
- Cover Letter: {{task_38002_cover_letter_score}}/100 (30% weight)
- Experience: {{task_55001_years_experience}} years (20% weight)
- Education: Level {{task_55001_education_level}} (10% weight)

[View Application] [Schedule Interview]

Best Practices

Formula Design

  1. Use parentheses - Ensure correct order of operations
  2. Test with known values - Verify formula correctness
  3. Handle edge cases - Consider division by zero, negative values
  4. Document complex formulas - Add comments in workflow description
  5. Break down complex calculations - Use multiple formula tasks

Variable Usage

# Clear variable names
{{task_43001_subtotal}} + {{task_43001_tax}}

# Not this
{{task_1_val}} + {{task_2_val}}

Error Prevention

# Avoid division by zero
Formula: {{numerator}} / ({{denominator}} == 0 ? 1 : {{denominator}})

# Handle negative values
Formula: abs({{value}})

# Ensure positive results
Formula: max(0, {{calculated_value}})

Precision

  • Results always rounded to 2 decimals
  • For more precision, use Code task
  • For currency, 2 decimals is standard

Troubleshooting

Invalid Formula Error

Issue: Task returns error, value = 0

Causes: - Syntax error in formula - Undefined variable - Division by zero - Invalid function name

Solution: 

# Test formula with actual values first
Formula: 100 + 50  # Test basic formula

# Then add variables
Formula: {{value1}} + {{value2}}

# Check variable exists
Use If task to verify before Math task

Unexpected Result

Issue: Wrong value calculated

Causes: - Order of operations - Variable not replaced - Incorrect formula logic

Solution: 

# Use parentheses
Wrong: 100 + 50 * 2 = 200
Right: (100 + 50) * 2 = 300

# Debug with Code task
Code: return {debug: input.task_X001_field};

Variable Not Replaced

Issue: Formula contains {{...}} in output

Cause: Variable doesn't exist or is empty

Solution: - Verify previous task ran successfully - Check variable name spelling - Use Coalesce for fallback values

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use complex mathjs functions?

Yes, full mathjs library supported. See mathjs.org for complete function list.

What's the precision of calculations?

Internal precision is JavaScript number (64-bit float). Output rounded to 2 decimals.

Can I avoid rounding?

No, 2-decimal rounding is fixed. Use Code task for custom precision.

How do I handle currency?

2-decimal rounding is perfect for currency. Always results like 19.99, never 19.987.

Can formulas span multiple lines?

No, single-line only. Break complex calculations into multiple Math tasks.

Are trigonometric functions supported?

Yes: sin(), cos(), tan(), asin(), acos(), atan(), etc.

Can I use variables in ternary conditions?

Yes: {{value}} > {{threshold}} ? {{value}} * 0.1 : 0

  • Variable - Store calculated values for reuse
  • Code Task - Complex calculations and custom precision
  • If Task - Conditional logic based on calculated values
  • Formatter - Format numbers with thousands separators
  • Coalesce - Provide fallback values for missing data