Data Transformation
Format text, calculate numbers, shift dates, and filter lists directly inside any Step field. Append operations to a reference like {{ 2.email }} or {{ 3.total }}. They run in memory at zero credit cost. Use a canvas Step when multiple downstream Steps need the result.
- Use it to
- Clean, calculate, filter, or look up values inline inside any Step field
- Find it
- Workflow data → Data transformation tab, or inline {{ ref | op }}
- Cost
- Free (0 Step credits and 0 Glow AI tokens)
- Limits
- Up to 10,000 items for in-field list operations
- Instead
- Change Fields, Summarize, or Code editor (when several downstream Steps read the result)
{{ 1.email }}| extract_domain"cyberdyne.com""cyberdyne.com""acme.io"1.email → " [email protected] "| trim → "[email protected]"| lower → "[email protected]"| extract_domain → "acme.io"How to Use Data Transformation
1. Visual Configuration
Open the Workflow Data Panel
Click any Step input field on the canvas to open Workflow data.
Switch to the Data Transformation Tab
Select Data transformation in the top bar (next to Data select and Data flow).
Add Transformations to Step Variables
Click Add transformation on a mapped variable to chain Trim spaces, To lowercase, Times, or Format as currency. Operations resolve in memory without changing the earlier Step’s output.
Everyday Examples
| Goal | Input | Transformation | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean name | " john doe " | Trim spaces + Capitalise Each Word | "John Doe" |
| Format phone | "777123456" | Format a phone number: CZ | "+420 777 123 456" |
| Join list | ["Apple", "Banana"] | Join items (comma + space) | "Apple, Banana" |
| Empty fallback | null or "" | If empty, use: "Unknown" | "Unknown" |
Operation Catalogue
Text & Case
Text & Clean Up Operations
| Operation | Syntax (Example) | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Trim spaces | | trim (" hi " → "hi") | Strips outer spaces. |
| lower case | | lower ("Hi" → "hi") | Lowercases text. |
| UPPER CASE | | upper ("Hi" → "HI") | Uppercases text. |
| Capitalise Each Word | | capitalize ("john doe" → "John Doe") | Title-cases words; keeps hyphens. |
| Take the text out of HTML | | strip_html ("<p>Hi</p>" → "Hi") | Strips HTML; keeps breaks and bullets. |
| Take the markdown out | | strip_markdown ("**Hi**" → "Hi") | Strips headings, bold, and links. |
| Remove the code fence | | strip_fence ("```json\n{}\n```" → "{}") | Unwraps outer code fences. |
| Replace text | | replace:"old":"new" | Replaces substring matches. |
| Everything before | | before:"@" ("[email protected]" → "u") | Text before first delimiter. |
| Everything after | | after:"@" ("[email protected]" → "glow.app") | Text after first delimiter. |
| First line only | | first_line | First non-empty line. |
| Shorten to | | limit:100 | Truncates at N chars (emoji/accents = 1). |
| Split on | | split:comma ("a, b" → ["a", "b"]) | Splits by comma, semicolon, tab, or pipe. |
| Count characters / words | | count_characters / | count_words | Char or word count (emoji/accents = 1). |
Fallback Values (If empty)
Append If empty, use (or | default:"value") to supply a fallback when a field is missing, null, or blank:
{{ 3.company | default:"Individual / Self-Employed" }}Preserves 0 and false. default replaces missing, null, and
whitespace-only values while keeping 0 and false. Validate required data
when a fallback would hide an error.
Choosing Between In-Field Transforms and Canvas Steps
- Clean text, extract domains, format currencies, or shift dates inline.
- Pluck fields from a list and join or total them in one input.
- Runs in memory at 0 Step credits for lists up to 10,000 items.
- Route runs across branches with Conditions or Switch Steps.
- Call external APIs once per item with a Repeater loop.
- Sort and filter large datasets up to 100,000 items (Sort, Filter).
- Run
- Open Data transformation on a mapped field, add Trim spaces and lower case, and click Run step.
- You should see
- The field resolves the cleaned lowercase value in memory at 0 Step credits.
What’s Next?
- 👉 Kinds of Data →: Learn how records, lists, and files move between steps.
- Variable Reference Syntax: Master expressions, nested paths, and system variables.
- Repeater Step: Loop through arrays and execute actions per item.