Phone Formatter Task¶

Overview¶

The Phone Formatter Task standardizes phone numbers into consistent formats. Use it to clean data, ensure E.164 compliance for SMS/calling systems, display formatted numbers, or validate phone inputs.

When to use this task:

• Standardize phone numbers from form submissions
• Format for SMS sending (E.164)
• Display user-friendly formats
• Validate phone number format
• Clean imported data
• Convert between international formats
• Remove invalid characters

Key Features:

• Multiple format outputs
• International country code support
• Automatic country detection
• Remove special characters
• E.164 compliance for APIs
• Display formats for UI
• Validation and error handling

Quick Start¶

1. Add Phone Formatter task
2. Input phone number field
3. Select country (or auto-detect)
4. Choose output format
5. Save

Simple Example:

Input: {{task_49001_phone}}
Country: US
Output: {{task_24001_e164}} = +15551234567

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.

Input Phone Number¶

From form:

Phone Number: {{task_49001_phone}}

From contact:

Phone Number: {{task_47001_phone}}

From database:

Phone Number: {{task_43001_customer_phone}}

Country Selection¶

Fixed country:

Country Code: US

Dynamic country:

Country Code: {{task_49001_country}}

Auto-detect:

Country Code: Auto

(Detects from number format or defaults to account settings)

Default Country¶

If phone has no country code and auto-detect fails:

Default Country: US

Outputs¶

There is no is_valid, e164, national or international field: the task produces one formatted value in phone_number_output. Check run to know whether formatting succeeded.

Output Formats¶

The Phone Formatter provides multiple formatted versions:

Common Patterns¶

Format for SMS¶

Phone: {{task_49001_phone}}
Country: US

Use for SMS: {{task_24001_e164}}
Result: +15551234567

Display Formatted¶

Show on website: {{task_24001_international}}
Result: +1 555-123-4567

Show locally: {{task_24001_national}}
Result: (555) 123-4567

Click-to-Call Link¶

<a href="{{task_24001_rfc3966}}">Call Us</a> Result: <a href="tel:+15551234567">Call Us</a>

Validate Phone¶

If {{task_24001_is_valid}} = true:
  → Continue workflow
If {{task_24001_is_valid}} = false:
  → Send error notification

Clean for Storage¶

Store: {{task_24001_e164}}

Always use E.164 for database storage (consistent, searchable).

Real-World Examples¶

Normalise a number before matching on it¶

Form Submission
  └─ Phone Formatter       format the submitted number
      └─ Match to Client   contact_cell_number: {{task_24001_phone_number_output}}

This is the most common use. Matching compares known formats of the same number, so feeding it a normalised value is what makes a match land reliably.

Clean a number before sending an SMS¶

Webhook In
  └─ Phone Formatter   format to E.164
      └─ SMS           to {{task_24001_phone_number_output}}

Check a number is usable at all¶

Form Submission
  └─ Phone Formatter   format the number
      └─ If Statement  run is true → continue, false → ask the customer to re-enter

run is false when the value could not be parsed, so it doubles as a validity check.

Country-Specific Formats¶

United States (US)¶

Input variations:

• 555-123-4567
• (555) 123-4567
• 5551234567
• +1 555-123-4567

Outputs:

• E.164: +15551234567
• National: (555) 123-4567
• International: +1 555-123-4567

United Kingdom (GB)¶

Input variations:

• 020 7123 4567
• +44 20 7123 4567
• 02071234567

Outputs:

• E.164: +442071234567
• National: 020 7123 4567
• International: +44 20 7123 4567

South Africa (ZA)¶

Input variations:

• 011 123 4567
• +27 11 123 4567
• 0111234567

Outputs:

• E.164: +27111234567
• National: 011 123 4567
• International: +27 11 123 4567

Australia (AU)¶

Input variations:

• (02) 1234 5678
• +61 2 1234 5678
• 0212345678

Outputs:

• E.164: +61212345678
• National: (02) 1234 5678
• International: +61 2 1234 5678

Best Practices¶

Always Validate¶

1. Phone Formatter
2. If Task - Check {{task_24001_is_valid}}
3. Only proceed if valid

Store E.164¶

Always save {{task_24001_e164}} to database:

• Consistent format
• Searchable
• SMS/API compatible

Display International¶

Show {{task_24001_international}} to users:

• Clear country code
• User-friendly format
• Click-to-call compatible

Handle Missing Country¶

Input: {{task_49001_phone}}
Country: {{task_49001_country}}
Default Country: US

If {{task_49001_country}} empty, uses US as fallback.

Clean Before Format¶

Remove known invalid characters:

// In Code task before Phone Formatter
let phone = input.task_49001_phone || '';
phone = phone.replace(/[^0-9+]/g, ''); // Keep only digits and +
return { cleaned_phone: phone };

Then format: {{task_42001_cleaned_phone}}

Troubleshooting¶

Phone Shows as Invalid¶

Check:

1. Country code correct?
2. Number has enough digits?
3. Number format matches country?

Common issues:

• Missing country code when needed
• Extra digits
• Wrong country selected

Debug:

View {{task_24001_is_valid}} in execution history
Check original input value

E.164 Format Wrong¶

Issue: {{task_24001_e164}} = 15551234567 (missing +)

Cause: Using digits_only instead of e164

Solution: Always use {{task_24001_e164}} for API calls.

Country Not Detected¶

Issue: Auto-detect fails

Solution: Set default country:

Country: Auto
Default Country: US

International Format Not Showing¶

Issue: Shows national format

Cause: Input didn't include country code

Solution:

1. Specify country in task
2. Or include + in input: +1 555-123-4567

Frequently Asked Questions¶

What's E.164 format?¶

International standard: +\[country code\]\[number\]

• No spaces, dashes, parentheses
• Starts with +
• Example: +15551234567

Why store E.164 format?¶

• Consistent across all countries
• Required for SMS/calling APIs
• Easier to search/match
• Prevents duplicates

Can it validate mobile vs landline?¶

No, it validates format only. Use carrier lookup service for mobile detection.

What if country is unknown?¶

Set default country in task configuration. Most common: US, GB, ZA.

Can I format multiple phones in one task?¶

No, use separate Phone Formatter task for each number:

Task 1: Format {{task_47001_phone}}
Task 2: Format {{task_47001_mobile}}

Does it work with extensions?¶

No, extensions should be stored separately:

Phone: +15551234567
Extension: 123

How do I handle toll-free numbers?¶

Format normally. Examples:

• US: +18001234567
• GB: +448001234567

Related Tasks¶

• SMS Task - Send to {{task_24001_e164}}
• Match to Client - Match by formatted phone
• Edit Client - Update with clean format
• If Task - Validate before proceeding
• Code Task - Additional phone processing