Functions

Functions are building blocks that you use to create results using operations and expressions. A function returns the result of operations performed on input values. An expression is built by combining operators and values that evaluate during a workflow. Function objects are displayed in gray.

Functions allow you to build simple to complex expressions in any field when designing a workflow. The expressions allow you to calculate dates, concatenate text, do logical and regular expressions, perform math calculations, and perform some file operations. These functions and expressions can be used in rules and as a method to change data coming from another system. Functions are used to both evaluate a condition (true/false) and to return a result, which can be of any type that the K2 platform offers.

The Functions are located within the Context Browser > Function tab.

For example, you can use the Smartfield Composer to reduce an employee's first name to the first letter for use as their initial in an email greeting, using the Left text function.

For more information on how to use the All items as a collection option when configuring SmartObjects within the Smartfield Composer, see the How to: Use the All items as a collection option topic.

The success of a conversion depends on the data itself and not only on the input type. For example, converting a long data type to a short works as long as the data itself is convertible, i.e. the number of bits is 16 or less. Converting a decimal to Boolean works as long as the decimal number is 1.0 or 0.0.

Boolean can be converted from a number, where 1 is true and 0 is false. The following table shows the possible accepted input types:

Function Accepted input types
To Binary String (Base-64)
To Boolean String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To Bytes String
To DateTime String
To Decimal String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To Double String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To Integer String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To Long String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To Short String, Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To String String, Byte, List of Byte, Short, Integer, Long, Double, Decimal, Boolean
To K2 FQN User String, String[]
To SharePoint Claims User String, String[]

Functions

Each function is described in the sections below.

Function Description Example

To Base-64 String

 Converts an array of bytes to a base-64 encoded string. Input Value: { 69, 120, 97, 109, 112, 108, 101 }
Result: "RXhhbXBsZQ=="

To Binary

Converts a base-64 encoded string to an array of bytes.

 Input Value: "RXhhbXBsZQ=="
Result: { 69, 120, 97, 109, 112, 108, 101 }

To Boolean

Converts a value to a Boolean data type.

 Input Value: "1"
Result: True

To Bytes

Converts a string to an array of bytes using the default character encoding.

 Input Value: "Example"
Result: { 69, 120, 97, 109, 112, 108, 101 }

To Date

 Converts a value to a Date data type. InputValue: "2017/02/02"
Result: 2017/02/02

To DateTime

 Converts a value to a DateTime data type. InputValue: "2017/02/02 05:05:05 AM"
Result: 2017/02/02 05:05:05 AM

To Decimal

 Converts a value to a Decimal Data type. Input Value: "1"
Result: 1.0

To Double

 Converts a value to a Double data type. Input Value: "1"
Result: 1.0

To Integer

 Converts a value to an Integer data type. Input Value: "1.0"
Result: 1

To K2 FQN User

 Converts an encoded SharePoint claims user or group to K2 FQN user or group.

Example 1:

Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal

Result: K2LDAP:legal

Example 2:

Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal;i:0#. f|ldapmembershipprovider|holly

Result: K2LDAP:joe;K2LDAP:holly

To K2 FQN User

 Converts an encoded SharePoint claims user or group to K2 FQN user or group.

Example 1:

Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal

Result: K2LDAP:legal

Example 2:

Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal;i:0#. f|ldapmembershipprovider|holly

Result: K2LDAP:joe;K2LDAP:holly

To Long

 Converts a value to a Long data type. Input Value: "1.0"
Result: 1

To SharePoint Claims User

 Converts a K2 FQN user or group to an encoded SharePoint claims user or group. Example 1:
Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal
Result: K2LDAP:legal
Example 2:
Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal;i:0#. f|ldapmembershipprovider|holly
Result: K2LDAP:joe;K2LDAP:holly

To SharePoint Claims User

 Converts a K2 FQN user or group to an encoded SharePoint claims user or group. Example 1:
Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal
Result: K2LDAP:legal
Example 2:
Input Value: c:0-.f|ldaproleprovider|legal;i:0#. f|ldapmembershipprovider|holly
Result: K2LDAP:joe;K2LDAP:holly

To Short

 Converts a value to a Short data type. Input Value: "1.0"
Result: 1

To String

 Converts a value to a String data type.
Input Value: 12345
Result: "12345"
Example 2:
Input Value: { 69, 120, 97, 109, 112, 108, 101 }
Result: "Example"

To Time

 Converts a value to a Time data type. InputValue: "05:05:05 AM"
Result:05:05:05 AM

Data functions generates and returns a GUID or updates a Data Field.

Function Description Example

Generate GUID

Generates and returns a GUID in string format.

 0f8fad5b-d9cb-469f-a165-70867728950e

Date and Time functions perform operations on date and time input values and return strings, numbers, or date and time values.

Function Description Example

Add Days

 Adds a specified number of days to a date. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Days: 1
Result: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM

Add Hours

 Adds a specified number of hours to a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Hours: 1
Result: 01/01/2017 01:00:00 AM

Add Minutes

 Adds a specified number of minutes to a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Minutes: 1
Result: 01/01/2017 00:01:00 AM

Add Seconds

 Adds a specified number of seconds to a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Seconds: 1
Result: 01/01/2017 00:00:01 AM

Day

 Gets the day of a given date. Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 1

Day Difference

 Calculates the number of days between two dates, and hours are decimal fractions.

Example 1:
First Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Second Date: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 1.0

Example 2:
First Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Second Date: 01/01/2017 12:00:00 PM
Result: 0.5

End of Month

 Gets the last day of a month. Year: 2017
Month: 1
Result: 01/31/2017 11:59:59 PM

End of Quarter

 Gets the last day of a quarter.

Year: 2017
Quarter: 1

Result: 03/31/2017 11:59:59 PM
End of Week Gets the last day of a week. Year: 2017
Week: 1
Result: 01/06/2017 11:59:59 PM

End of Year

 Gets the last day of a year. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 12/31/2017 11:59:59 PM

Format Date and Time

 Formats a date and time to a text representation using a specified date and time format. DateTime: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Format: "dddd, dd MMMM yyyy"
Result: "Thursday, 1 January 2017 "

Maximum

 Gets the maximum date and time from a list of values. Values: {01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM, 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM }

Result: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM

Minimum

 Gets the minimum date and time from a list of values. Values: {01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM, 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM }

Result: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM

Month

 Gets the month of a given date as a number. Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 1

Now

 Gets the current date and time. Result: 06/20/2017 03:34:27 PM

Quarter

 Gets the quarter number a specified date is in. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 1

Start of Month

 Gets the first day of a month. Date and Time: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 01/01/2009 00:00:00 AM

Start of Quarter

 Gets the first day of a quarter. Date and Time: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM

Start of Week

 Gets the first day of a week. Year: 2017
Week: 1
Result: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM

Start of Year

 Gets the first day of a year. Date and Time: 01/02/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM

Subtract Days

 Subtracts a specified amount of days from a date. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Days: 1
Result: 12/31/2016 00:00:00 AM

Subtract Hours

 Subtracts a specified amount of hours from a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Hours: 1
Result: 12/31/2016 00:23:00 AM

Subtract Minutes

 Subtracts a specified amount of minutes from a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Minutes: 1
Result: 12/31/2016 00:59:00 AM

Subtract Seconds

 Subtracts a specified number of seconds from a date and time. Date and Time: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Seconds: 1
Result: 12/31/2016 00:00:59 AM

Today

 Gets the current day. Result: 06/20/2017 00:00:00 AM

Tomorrow

 Return tomorrow's date. Result: 06/21/2017 00:00:00 AM

Week Number

 Gets the week number of the year of a specified date. Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 1

Weekday

 Gets the name of the day of the week from a specified date. Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: "Sunday"

Year

 Gets the year of a date. Date: 01/01/2017 00:00:00 AM
Result: 2017

Yesterday

 Returns yesterday's date. Result: 06/19/2017 00:00:00 AM

The following table lists the date and time abbreviations recognized by the Format Date and Time functions.

Date and Time Abbreviations Example
Year y, yy, yyyy 9, 09, 2017
Month M, MM, MMM, MMMM 2, 02, Feb, February
Day d, ddd, dddd 21, Sat, Saturday
Hour h, hh, H, HH 4, 04, 16, 16
Minute m, mm 1, 01
Second s, ss 1, 01
Millisecond ffff 9999
A.M. or P.M. t, tt P, PM
Timezone z, zz, zzz -6, -06, -06:00

The following table lists the standard date and time specifiers recognized by the Format Date and Time functions.

Specifier Pattern value (for en-US culture)
t h:mm tt
d M/d/yyyy
T h:mm:ss tt
D dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy
f dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy h:mm tt
F dddd, MMMM dd, yyyy h:mm:ss tt
g M/d/yyyy h:mm tt
G M/d/yyyy h:mm:ss tt
m, M MMMM dd
y, Y MMMM, yyyy
r, R ddd, dd MMM yyyy HH':'mm':'ss 'GMT' (*)
s yyyy'-'MM'-'dd'T'HH':'mm':'ss (*)
u yyyy'-'MM'-'dd HH':'mm':'ss'Z' (*)
(*) = culture independent

The Files inline functions allow you to get information about files, including the content, from various sources.

The return type for all Files inline functions is an XML string. The functions return an XML structure containing the file name and the file contents in Base64, similar to the following:

<files>
	<file encoding="Base64">
		<name>Leave Policy.docx</name>
		<content>JVBERi0xLjSNCiWys7S1...</content>
	</file>
</files>
Function Description Example

Get File From Content

 Gets a file from data fields, expressions, base64-encoded data and other items containing the file’s content, and allows you to specify a file name. File Name: The name of the file to return.
Content: The contents of the file to return passed any object. For example, input text, a combination of expressions or an object from the context browser.
Result: The content of the file as an XML string.

Get Process Attachments

 Gets all process attachments. Workflow Context's Attachment: Attachments are available from Process Instances of workflows that have Attachments enabled . For more information see How to use the Workflow Attachment and Workflow Comment SmartObjects
Result: The content of the file as an XML string.

List functions perform calculations on lists based on input values and returns a number.

Function Description Example

Contains

Returns true if the input values are found.

Count

Counts the number of items in a list of values.

Values - Input

Integer - Return type

 Input Values: { 1, 2, 3 }
Result: 3

First Item

Gets the first value in a list.

Values - Input

Expected When Empty - Object type. This is returned when the input value is invalid

Object - Return value

Values: {1, 2, 3}

Expected When Empty: 0

Result: 1

Index Item

Gets the last value in a list.

Values - Object of array type. e.g. output from a Split() function call can be passed into this parameter. When using an XML node, make sure to use the lowest node in the tree.

Index - Number of long type. This specifies the 1-based index of the item in the array.

Expected When Empty - Object type. This is returned when the input value is invalid or when the index specified is out of bounds.

Object - Return value (Object) is the selected object in the array if there are no errors.

Example 1:

Values: { "a", "b", "c" }

Index: 1

Expected When Empty: "empty"

Result: "a"

Example 2:

Values: { "a", "b", "c" }

Index: 4

Expected When Empty: "empty"

Result: "empty"

Last Item

Gets the last value in a list.

Values - Input

Expected When Empty - Object type. This is returned when the input value is invalid

Object - Return Value

Values: {1, 2, 3}

Expected When Empty: 0

Result: 3

Logical functions performs a logical operation or comparison on objects and expressions, and return a Boolean (True/False) value.

Function Description Example

And

 Performs an And operation on two Boolean values, returning true if both values are true, false if either value is false. Input Value: True
Input Value: False
Result: False

False

 Gets the Boolean value of false. Result: False

No

 Gets the Boolean value of false. Result: False

Not

The Not function changes false to true and true to false. Returns a true value if the condition evaluates to false and a false value if the condition evaluates to true.

 Condition: True
Result: False

Or

 Performs an Or operation on two Boolean values, returning true if one of the values is true, false if both values are false. Value: True
Value: False
Result: True

True

 Gets the Boolean value of true. Result: True

Xor

 Performs an Exclusive Or operation on two Boolean values, returning true if one and only one of the values is true. Value: True
Value: True
Result: False

Yes

 Gets the Boolean value of true. Result: True
The true and false value inputs need to return values of the same type. For example, dragging a SmartObject delete method into a true value is allowed by the input at design time, however it will not work at runtime because the delete method does not return a value.

Mathematical functions perform calculations, usually based on input values, and returns a number.

Functions Description Example

Absolute (Decimal)

 Gets the absolute (positive) value of a number. Input Value: -1.1
Result: 1.1

Absolute (Number)

 Gets the absolute value of a number. Input Value: -2
Result: 2

Average

 Calculates the average of a collection of values. Input Values: { 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 }
Result: 2.2

Format Number

 Formats a number to a text representation using a specified numeric format specified. Number: 0.111
Format: "C"
Result: "$ 0.11"

Formula

Use Formula to execute mathematical formulas as a part of rules, mappings, and in notifications. You can only use the following four basic math functions [*, / +, -, and ( )]. You can nest mathematical functions inside another. The exception is you cannot drop a formula function directly into another formula.

Tip: When you work with the formula function, always keep in mind the order or operation. PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction) or BODMAS ( Brackets, Of or Order, Division, Multiplication, Addition and Subtraction).

Input Value: 4*4

Result: 16

Maximum (Decimal)

 Gets the maximum value of a list of values. Values: { 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 }
Expected When Empty: 0
Result: 3.3

Maximum (Number)

 Gets the maximum value of a list of values. Values: { 1, 2, 3 }
Expected When Empty: 0
Result: 3

Minimum (Decimal)

 Gets the minimum value of a set of values. Values: { 1.1, 2.2, 3.3 }
Expected When Empty: 0
Result: 1.1

Minimum (Number)

 Gets the minimum value of a set of values. Values: { 1, 2, 3 }
Expected When Empty: 0
Result: 1

Power (Decimal)

 Gets one value raised to the power of another. Base: 1.1
Power: 1.1
Result: 1.11053424105458

Power (Number)

 Gets one value raised to the power of another. Base: 2
Power: 2
Result: 4

Random (Decimal)

 Gets a random number less than or equal to a specified maximum value. Maximum: 1.2
Result: 0.5810660167974728

Random (Number)

 Gets a random number less than or equal to a specified maximum value. Maximum: 2
Result: 1

Random Between (Decimal)

 Gets a random number between two specified values. Minimum: 0.0
Maximum: 1.2
Result: 0.5810660167974728

Random Between (Number)

 Gets a random number between two specified values. Minimum: 0
Maximum: 2
Result: 1

Root (Decimal)

 Gets the positive nth root of a positive number. Number: 32.0
Nth Root: 5.0
Result: 2.0

Root (Number)

 Gets the positive nth root of a positive number. Number: 100
Nth Root: 2
Result: 10

Round

 Rounds a number up or down to a value with a specified precision. Value: 1.111
Digits: 1
Result: 1.1

Round Down

Rounds a value down. Value: 1.15
Digits: 1
Result: 1.1

Round Up

 Rounds a value up. Value: 1.15
Digits: 1
Result: 1.2

Square (Number)

 Gets the square of a number. Number: 2
Result: 4

Square (Decimal)

 Gets the square of a number. Number: 1.1
Result: 1.21

Square Root (Decimal)

 Gets the square root of a number. Number: 1.1
Result: 1.04880884817015

Square Root (Number)

 Gets the square root of a number. Number: 100
Result: 10

Sum (Number)

 Gets the sum of a selected value. Use a SmartObject reference with a Get List method to configure the sum value. You can only use one value at a time. To sum multiple values, use the Formula function. For more information on how to configure the Sum function, see the How to: Use the Sum Function topic.
Drag the SmartObject reference into the Sum value.

Sum (Decimal)

 Gets the sum of a selected value. Use a SmartObject reference with a Get List method to configure the sum value. You can only use one value at a time. To sum multiple values, use the Formula function. For more information on how to configure the Sum function, see the How to: Use the Sum Function topic.
Drag the SmartObject reference into the Sum value.

Regular Expressions provide a powerful, flexible, and efficient method for processing text. A regular expression is a pattern that the regular expression engine attempts to match in input text.

Functions Description Example

Match

For doing a regular expression pattern match of a value. e.g. to check if the input value is a valid E-mail address.

Input – Input text to search on. This is a string type.

Regex Pattern – Regular expression pattern to use for the search.

Case Sensitive – Option to indicate whether the search should be case sensitive or not.

Return value (Boolean) - is true if a match was found, otherwise false.

Example 1:
Input: "Examples"
Pattern: "\\b\\w+es\\b"
Case Sensitive: true
Result: true

Example 2:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "\\b\\w+es\\b"
Case Sensitive: true
Result: false

Example 3:
Input: ""
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: true
Result: true

Note that * will always return a match

Example 4:
Input: ""
Pattern: "[a-z]"
Case Sensitive: true
Result: false

Example 5:
Input: "Examples"
Pattern: "\\b\\w+es\\b"
Case Sensitive: false
Result: true

Matches words ending in 'es'

Example 6:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "\\b\\w+es\\b"
Case Sensitive: false
Result: false

Matches words ending in 'es'

Match Multiple

To match multiple values from the input string value using a regular expression pattern. e.g. Finding all claim codes in a text form that has “CLM” in front followed by a fixed 5 digit number.

Input – Input text to search on. This is a string type.

Regex Pattern – Regular expression pattern to use for the search.

Case Sensitive – Option to indicate whether the search should be case sensitive or not.

Return value (String[]) - is the array of string values that matched the pattern. If there is no match, it returns No match found.

Example 1:
Input: "example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: "true"
Result: { "example" }

Example 2:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: "true"
Result: { "xample" }

Example 3:
Input: "example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: false
Result: { "example" }

Example 4:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Result: { "Example" }

To

To match a single value string from the input string value using a regular expression pattern. e.g. Finding a user’s name specified in a text form.

Input – Input text to search on. This is a string type.

Regex Pattern – Regular expression pattern to use for the search.

Case Sensitive – Option to indicate whether the search should be case sensitive or not.

Expected When Empty – String type. This is returned when there is no match found or the matched value is empty.

Return value (String) - is the matched string if there is a match.

Example 1:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: true
Expected When Empty: "empty"
Result: "empty"

Example 2:
Input: "An example"
Pattern: "\\b\\w+es\\b"
Case Sensitive: true
Expected When Empty: "empty"
Result: "empty"

Example 3:
Input: "example;"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: true
Expected When Empty: "empty"
Result: "example"

Example 4:
Input: "Example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Case Sensitive: false
Expected When Empty: "empty"
Result: "Example"

Example 5:
Input: "example"
Pattern: "[a-z]*"
Expected When Empty: "empty"
Result: "example"

Text functions perform operations such as concatenations or insertions on text. Text-based operations are 1-based, meaning that the index of the first character in a string is 1.

Functions Description Example

Hyperlink

 Creates a hyperlink with a display name and URL. Display Name: "K2"
URL: "http://www.k2.com"
Result: "<a href= http://www.k2.com > K2</a>"

Contains

 Returns a true value if a substring is found within another string. Sequence: "12345"
Text: "234"
Result: True

Empty String

 Returns an empty string. Result: "Blank"

Find

 Returns the index if the specified string is found within another string. Returns 0 if no match can be found. Substring: "12345"
Text: "234"
Result: 2

Insert

 Inserts a substring into a string at a specified position. Text: "Example"
Substring: "00000"
Position: 2
Result: "E00000xample"

Join

 Concatenates a list of text values or fields, delimiting each with a separator. Values: { "1", "2", "3" }
Separator: ";"
Result: "1;2;3"

Left

 Returns a subset of characters from the left side of a string. Text: "Test"
Length: 1
Result: "T"

Length

 Returns the length of a string. Text: "Test"
Result: 4

Mid

 Returns a subset of characters from a string, starting at a specified index and continuing to the end of the string. Text: "Example"
Start: 3
Result: "ample"

Pad Left

 Pads a string with a padding character on the left side up to a specified length. Source String: "Example"
Pad Character: "#"
Overall Length: 9
Result: "##Example "

Pad Right

 Pads a string with a padding character on the right side up to a specified length. Source String: "Example"
Pad Character: "#"
Overall Length: 9
Result: "Example##"

Proper

 Converts a string to proper case. Text: "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"
Result: "The Quick Brown Fox Jumps Over The Lazy Dog"

Replace

 Replaces a substring within a string with a new substring. Text: "Ex000le"
Find: "000"
Replace: "amp "
Result: "Example"

Right

 Returns characters from the right side of a string. Text: "Example"
Length: 3
Result: "ple"

Split

 Splits text into substrings delimited by a specified separator value. Text: "a;b;c"
Separator: ";"
Result: { "a", "b", "c" }

To Lower

 Converts a string to lower case. Text: "Example"
Result: "example"

To Upper

 Converts a string to upper case. Text: "Example"
Result: "EXAMPLE"

Trim

 Removes leading and trailing spaces and line breaks from a string. Text: " Example"
Result: "Example"

URL Decode

 Encodes a URL string. URL: "http://local.com/test url.asmx"
Result: "http%3a%2f%2flocal.com%2ftest+url.asmx"

URL Encode

 Decodes a URL string. URL: "http%3a%2f%2flocal.com%2ftest+url.asmx"
Result: "http://local.com/test url.asmx"