Helper Functions

Helper Functions is an app of small utility steps for everyday data work. It covers converting values, reshaping text, and similar chores that would otherwise need custom code.

Find it in the dock under Tools → Data → Convert, alongside Formatting and the built-in data steps.

Setting it up

Some functions do not appear in the catalogue, because a native step does the same job better. These are the ones you are most likely to go hunting for:

Looking for	Use instead
Send HTTP request	HTTP Request
Schedule task in future	Wait, or the Scheduler Trigger for a recurring job
Pause between steps	Wait
Trigger workflow	The Subflow step, which waits for the result
Send email	The email connector for your provider, from the Apps panel
Send to S3	The AWS connector from the Apps panel

If a function you expected is not in the list, check Common Alternatives below before assuming it is missing.

Formatting

Formatting sits beside Helper Functions under Tools → Data → Convert and works the same way. Pick an action, and it becomes a step. It is where most everyday tidying lives.

Group	What it covers
Text	Trim whitespace, transform case, replace text, set a default when a value is empty, encode or decode a URL, convert between HTML and Markdown
Extract	Pull an email address, phone number, URL or number out of a longer string, or match your own regular expression
Date/Time	Format a date, add or subtract time, compare two dates
Numbers	Format a number, format a currency value
Data	Convert JSON to a string

Reach for Set Default Value more often than seems necessary. An empty field arriving at a later step is one of the quieter ways a run goes wrong, and it costs one step to rule out.

Common alternatives

Much of what you might reach for a helper function to do is handled by a dedicated step:

You want to	Use
Reshape or reformat data	AI Data Transform
Parse a JSON string	Parse JSON
Break text into a list	Split Text
Strip HTML down to plain text	HTML to Text
Insert the current date or time	{{ $now }} / {{ $today }} — see Variable Syntax
Format, shift or compare a date	Date
Group a list and count or total it	Summarize
Anything not covered above	Code editor

For a one-off transformation, AI Data Transform is usually the quickest route. Describe the change in plain language rather than finding the right function.

For anything repeated, precise, or performance-sensitive, Code editor is the more predictable choice. It runs the same way every time, and is far easier to debug than a chain of small utility steps.

What’s Next?

• Describe a transformation instead of coding it with AI Data Transform.
• Write it yourself in Code editor.