Functions reference for Workflow Definition Language in Azure Logic Apps and Microsoft Flow

• 08/15/2018
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For workflow definitions in Azure Logic Apps and Microsoft Flow, some expressions get their values from runtime actions that might not yet exist when your workflow starts running. To reference these values or process the values in these expressions, you can use functions provided by the Workflow Definition Language.

For example, you can calculate values by using math functions, such as the add() function, when you want the sum from integers or floats. Here are a couple other example tasks that you can perform with functions:

To find functions based on their general purpose, review the following tables. Or, for detailed information about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Functions in expressions

To show how to use a function in an expression, this example shows how you can get the value from the customerName parameter and assign that value to the accountName property by using the parameters() function in an expression:

"accountName": "@parameters('customerName')"

Here are some other general ways that you can use functions in expressions:

For example, the concat() function can take two or more string values as parameters. This function combines those strings into one string. You can either pass in string literals, for example, "Sophia" and "Owen" so that you get a combined string, "SophiaOwen":

"customerName": "@concat('Sophia', 'Owen')"

Or, you can get string values from parameters. This example uses the parameters() function in each concat() parameter and the firstName and lastName parameters. You then pass the resulting strings to the concat() function so that you get a combined string, for example, "SophiaOwen":

"customerName": "@concat(parameters('firstName'), parameters('lastName'))"

Either way, both examples assign the result to the customerName property.

Here are the available functions ordered by their general purpose, or you can browse the functions based on alphabetical order.

String functions

To work with strings, you can use these string functions and also some collection functions. String functions work only on strings.

Collection functions

To work with collections, generally arrays, strings, and sometimes, dictionaries, you can use these collection functions.

Logical comparison functions

To work with conditions, compare values and expression results, or evaluate various kinds of logic, you can use these logical comparison functions. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Conversion functions

To change a value's type or format, you can use these conversion functions. For example, you can change a value from a Boolean to an integer. For more information about how Logic Apps handles content types during conversion, see Handle content types. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Math functions

To work with integers and floats, you can use these math functions. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Date and time functions

To work with dates and times, you can use these date and time functions. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Workflow functions

These workflow functions can help you:

• Get details about a workflow instance at run time.
• Work with the inputs used for instantiating logic apps or flows.
• Reference the outputs from triggers and actions.

For example, you can reference the outputs from one action and use that data in a later action. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

URI parsing functions

To work with uniform resource identifiers (URIs) and get various property values for these URIs, you can use these URI parsing functions. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

Manipulation functions: JSON & XML

To work with JSON objects and XML nodes, you can use these manipulation functions. For the full reference about each function, see the alphabetical list.

All functions - alphabetical list

This section lists all the available functions in alphabetical order.

action

Return the current action's output at runtime, or values from other JSON name-and-value pairs, which you can assign to an expression. By default, this function references the entire action object, but you can optionally specify a property whose value you want. See also actions().

You can use the action() function only in these places:

• The unsubscribe property for a webhook action so you can access the result from the original subscribe request
• The trackedProperties property for an action
• The do-until loop condition for an action

action()
action().outputs.body.<property>

actionBody

Return an action's body output at runtime. Shorthand for actions('<actionName>').outputs.body. See body() and actions().

actionBody('<actionName>')

Example

This example gets the body output from the Twitter action Get user:

actionBody('Get_user')

And returns this result:

"body": {
  "FullName": "Contoso Corporation",
  "Location": "Generic Town, USA",
  "Id": 283541717,
  "UserName": "ContosoInc",
  "FollowersCount": 172,
  "Description": "Leading the way in transforming the digital workplace.",
  "StatusesCount": 93,
  "FriendsCount": 126,
  "FavouritesCount": 46,
  "ProfileImageUrl": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/908820389907722240/gG9zaHcd_400x400.jpg"
}

actionOutputs

Return an action's output at runtime. Shorthand for actions('<actionName>').outputs. See actions().

actionOutputs('<actionName>')

Example

This example gets the output from the Twitter action Get user:

actionOutputs('Get_user')

And returns this result:

{
  "statusCode": 200,
  "headers": {
    "Pragma": "no-cache",
    "Vary": "Accept-Encoding",
    "x-ms-request-id": "a916ec8f52211265d98159adde2efe0b",
    "X-Content-Type-Options": "nosniff",
    "Timing-Allow-Origin": "*",
    "Cache-Control": "no-cache",
    "Date": "Mon, 09 Apr 2018 18:47:12 GMT",
    "Set-Cookie": "ARRAffinity=b9400932367ab5e3b6802e3d6158afffb12fcde8666715f5a5fbd4142d0f0b7d;Path=/;HttpOnly;Domain=twitter-wus.azconn-wus.p.azurewebsites.net",
    "X-AspNet-Version": "4.0.30319",
    "X-Powered-By": "ASP.NET",
    "Content-Type": "application/json; charset=utf-8",
    "Expires": "-1",
    "Content-Length": "339"
  },
  "body": {
    "FullName": "Contoso Corporation",
    "Location": "Generic Town, USA",
    "Id": 283541717,
    "UserName": "ContosoInc",
    "FollowersCount": 172,
    "Description": "Leading the way in transforming the digital workplace.",
    "StatusesCount": 93,
    "FriendsCount": 126,
    "FavouritesCount": 46,
    "ProfileImageUrl": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/908820389907722240/gG9zaHcd_400x400.jpg"
  }
}

actions

Return an action's output at runtime, or values from other JSON name-and-value pairs, which you can assign to an expression. By default, the function references the entire action object, but you can optionally specify a property whose value that you want. For shorthand versions, see actionBody(), actionOutputs(), and body(). For the current action, see action().

actions('<actionName>')
actions('<actionName>').outputs.body.<property>

Example

This example gets the status property value from the Twitter action Get user at runtime:

actions('Get_user').outputs.body.status

And returns this result: "Succeeded"

add

Return the result from adding two numbers.

add(<summand_1>, <summand_2>)

Example

This example adds the specified numbers:

add(1, 1.5)

And returns this result: 2.5

addDays

Add a number of days to a timestamp.

addDays('<timestamp>', <days>, '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example adds 10 days to the specified timestamp:

addDays('2018-03-15T13:00:00Z', 10)

And returns this result: "2018-03-25T00:00:0000000Z"

Example 2

This example subtracts five days from the specified timestamp:

addDays('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', -5)

And returns this result: "2018-03-10T00:00:0000000Z"

addHours

Add a number of hours to a timestamp.

addHours('<timestamp>', <hours>, '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example adds 10 hours to the specified timestamp:

addHours('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', 10)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T10:00:0000000Z"

Example 2

This example subtracts five hours from the specified timestamp:

addHours('2018-03-15T15:00:00Z', -5)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T10:00:0000000Z"

addMinutes

Add a number of minutes to a timestamp.

addMinutes('<timestamp>', <minutes>, '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example adds 10 minutes to the specified timestamp:

addMinutes('2018-03-15T00:10:00Z', 10)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:20:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

This example subtracts five minutes from the specified timestamp:

addMinutes('2018-03-15T00:20:00Z', -5)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:15:00.0000000Z"

addProperty

Add a property and its value, or name-value pair, to a JSON object, and return the updated object. If the object already exists at runtime, the function throws an error.

addProperty(<object>, '<property>', <value>)

Example

This example adds the accountNumber property to the customerProfile object, which is converted to JSON with the JSON() function. The function assigns a value that is generated by the guid() function, and returns the updated object:

addProperty(json('customerProfile'), 'accountNumber', guid())

addSeconds

Add a number of seconds to a timestamp.

addSeconds('<timestamp>', <seconds>, '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example adds 10 seconds to the specified timestamp:

addSeconds('2018-03-15T00:00:00Z', 10)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:10.0000000Z"

Example 2

This example subtracts five seconds to the specified timestamp:

addSeconds('2018-03-15T00:00:30Z', -5)

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:25.0000000Z"

addToTime

Add a number of time units to a timestamp. See also getFutureTime().

addToTime('<timestamp>', <interval>, '<timeUnit>', '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example adds one day to the specified timestamp:

addToTime('2018-01-01T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day')

And returns this result: "2018-01-02T00:00:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

This example adds one day to the specified timestamp:

addToTime('2018-01-01T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day', 'D')

And returns the result using the optional "D" format: "Tuesday, January 2, 2018"

and

Check whether all expressions are true. Return true when all expressions are true, or return false when at least one expression is false.

and(<expression1>, <expression2>, ...)

Example 1

These examples check whether the specified Boolean values are all true:

and(true, true)
and(false, true)
and(false, false)

And returns these results:

• First example: Both expressions are true, so returns true.
• Second example: One expression is false, so returns false.
• Third example: Both expressions are false, so returns false.

Example 2

These examples check whether the specified expressions are all true:

and(equals(1, 1), equals(2, 2))
and(equals(1, 1), equals(1, 2))
and(equals(1, 2), equals(1, 3))

And returns these results:

• First example: Both expressions are true, so returns true.
• Second example: One expression is false, so returns false.
• Third example: Both expressions are false, so returns false.

array

Return an array from a single specified input. For multiple inputs, see createArray().

array('<value>')

Example

This example creates an array from the "hello" string:

array('hello')

And returns this result: ["hello"]

base64

Return the base64-encoded version for a string.

base64('<value>')

Example

This example converts the "hello" string to a base64-encoded string:

base64('hello')

And returns this result: "aGVsbG8="

base64ToBinary

Return the binary version for a base64-encoded string.

base64ToBinary('<value>')

Example

This example converts the "aGVsbG8=" base64-encoded string to a binary string:

base64ToBinary('aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result:

"0110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"

base64ToString

Return the string version for a base64-encoded string, effectively decoding the base64 string. Use this function rather than decodeBase64(). Although both functions work the same way, base64ToString() is preferred.

base64ToString('<value>')

Example

This example converts the "aGVsbG8=" base64-encoded string to just a string:

base64ToString('aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result: "hello"

binary

Return the binary version for a string.

binary('<value>')

Example

This example converts the "hello" string to a binary string:

binary('hello')

And returns this result:

"0110100001100101011011000110110001101111"

body

Return an action's body output at runtime. Shorthand for actions('<actionName>').outputs.body. See actionBody() and actions().

body('<actionName>')

Example

This example gets the body output from the Get user Twitter action:

body('Get_user')

And returns this result:

"body": {
    "FullName": "Contoso Corporation",
    "Location": "Generic Town, USA",
    "Id": 283541717,
    "UserName": "ContosoInc",
    "FollowersCount": 172,
    "Description": "Leading the way in transforming the digital workplace.",
    "StatusesCount": 93,
    "FriendsCount": 126,
    "FavouritesCount": 46,
    "ProfileImageUrl": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/908820389907722240/gG9zaHcd_400x400.jpg"
}

bool

Return the Boolean version for a value.

bool(<value>)

Example

These examples convert the specified values to Boolean values:

bool(1)
bool(0)

And returns these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: false

coalesce

Return the first non-null value from one or more parameters. Empty strings, empty arrays, and empty objects are not null.

coalesce(<object_1>, <object_2>, ...)

Example

These examples return the first non-null value from the specified values, or null when all the values are null:

coalesce(null, true, false)
coalesce(null, 'hello', 'world')
coalesce(null, null, null)

And returns these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: "hello"
• Third example: null

concat

Combine two or more strings, and return the combined string.

concat('<text1>', '<text2>', ...)

Example

This example combines the strings "Hello" and "World":

concat('Hello', 'World')

And returns this result: "HelloWorld"

contains

Check whether a collection has a specific item. Return true when the item is found, or return false when not found. This function is case-sensitive.

contains('<collection>', '<value>')
contains([<collection>], '<value>')

Specifically, this function works on these collection types:

• A string to find a substring
• An array to find a value
• A dictionary to find a key

Example 1

This example checks the string "hello world" for the substring "world" and returns true:

contains('hello world', 'world')

Example 2

This example checks the string "hello world" for the substring "universe" and returns false:

contains('hello world', 'universe')

convertFromUtc

Convert a timestamp from Universal Time Coordinated (UTC) to the target time zone.

convertFromUtc('<timestamp>', '<destinationTimeZone>', '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example converts a timestamp to the specified time zone:

convertFromUtc('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'Pacific Standard Time')

And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00.0000000"

Example 2

This example converts a timestamp to the specified time zone and format:

convertFromUtc('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')

And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"

convertTimeZone

Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to the target time zone.

convertTimeZone('<timestamp>', '<sourceTimeZone>', '<destinationTimeZone>', '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example converts the source time zone to the target time zone:

convertTimeZone('2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z', 'UTC', 'Pacific Standard Time')

And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00.0000000"

Example 2

This example converts a time zone to the specified time zone and format:

convertTimeZone('2018-01-01T80:00:00.0000000Z', 'UTC', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')

And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"

convertToUtc

Convert a timestamp from the source time zone to Universal Time Coordinated (UTC).

convertToUtc('<timestamp>', '<sourceTimeZone>', '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example converts a timestamp to UTC:

convertToUtc('01/01/2018 00:00:00', 'Pacific Standard Time')

And returns this result: "2018-01-01T08:00:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

This example converts a timestamp to UTC:

convertToUtc('01/01/2018 00:00:00', 'Pacific Standard Time', 'D')

And returns this result: "Monday, January 1, 2018"

createArray

Return an array from multiple inputs. For single input arrays, see array().

createArray('<object1>', '<object2>', ...)

Example

This example creates an array from these inputs:

createArray('h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o')

And returns this result: ["h", "e", "l", "l", "o"]

dataUri

Return a data uniform resource identifier (URI) for a string.

dataUri('<value>')

Example

This example creates a data URI for the "hello" string:

dataUri('hello')

And returns this result: "data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8="

dataUriToBinary

Return the binary version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI). Use this function rather than decodeDataUri(). Although both functions work the same way, dataUriBinary() is preferred.

dataUriToBinary('<value>')

Example

This example creates a binary version for this data URI:

dataUriToBinary('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result:

"01100100011000010111010001100001001110100111010001100101011110000111010000101111011100000 1101100011000010110100101101110001110110110001101101000011000010111001001110011011001010111 0100001111010111010101110100011001100010110100111000001110110110001001100001011100110110010 10011011000110100001011000110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"

dataUriToString

Return the string version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI).

dataUriToString('<value>')

Example

This example creates a string for this data URI:

dataUriToString('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result: "hello"

dayOfMonth

Return the day of the month from a timestamp.

dayOfMonth('<timestamp>')

Example

This example returns the number for the day of the month from this timestamp:

dayOfMonth('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')

And returns this result: 15

dayOfWeek

Return the day of the week from a timestamp.

dayOfWeek('<timestamp>')

Example

This example returns the number for the day of the week from this timestamp:

dayOfWeek('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')

And returns this result: 3

dayOfYear

Return the day of the year from a timestamp.

dayOfYear('<timestamp>')

Example

This example returns the number of the day of the year from this timestamp:

dayOfYear('2018-03-15T13:27:36Z')

And returns this result: 74

decodeBase64

Return the string version for a base64-encoded string, effectively decoding the base64 string. Consider using base64ToString() rather than decodeBase64(). Although both functions work the same way, base64ToString() is preferred.

decodeBase64('<value>')

Example

This example creates a string for a base64-encoded string:

decodeBase64('aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result: "hello"

decodeDataUri

Return the binary version for a data uniform resource identifier (URI). Consider using dataUriToBinary(), rather than decodeDataUri(). Although both functions work the same way, dataUriToBinary() is preferred.

decodeDataUri('<value>')

Example

This example returns the binary version for this data URI:

decodeDataUri('data:text/plain;charset=utf-8;base64,aGVsbG8=')

And returns this result:

"01100100011000010111010001100001001110100111010001100101011110000111010000101111011100000 1101100011000010110100101101110001110110110001101101000011000010111001001110011011001010111 0100001111010111010101110100011001100010110100111000001110110110001001100001011100110110010 10011011000110100001011000110000101000111010101100111001101100010010001110011100000111101"

decodeUriComponent

Return a string that replaces escape characters with decoded versions.

decodeUriComponent('<value>')

Example

This example replaces the escape characters in this string with decoded versions:

decodeUriComponent('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')

And returns this result: "https://contoso.com"

div

Return the integer result from dividing two numbers. To get the remainder result, see mod().

div(<dividend>, <divisor>)

Example

Both examples divide the first number by the second number:

div(10, 5)
div(11, 5)

And return this result: 2

encodeUriComponent

Return a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded version for a string by replacing URL-unsafe characters with escape characters. Consider using uriComponent(), rather than encodeUriComponent(). Although both functions work the same way, uriComponent() is preferred.

encodeUriComponent('<value>')

Example

This example creates a URI-encoded version for this string:

encodeUriComponent('https://contoso.com')

And returns this result: "http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com"

empty

Check whether a collection is empty. Return true when the collection is empty, or return false when not empty.

empty('<collection>')
empty([<collection>])

Example

These examples check whether the specified collections are empty:

empty('')
empty('abc')

And returns these results:

• First example: Passes an empty string, so the function returns true.
• Second example: Passes the string "abc", so the function returns false.

endsWith

Check whether a string ends with a specific substring. Return true when the substring is found, or return false when not found. This function is not case-sensitive.

endsWith('<text>', '<searchText>')

Example 1

This example checks whether the "hello world" string ends with the "world" string:

endsWith('hello world', 'world')

And returns this result: true

Example 2

This example checks whether the "hello world" string ends with the "universe" string:

endsWith('hello world', 'universe')

And returns this result: false

equals

Check whether both values, expressions, or objects are equivalent. Return true when both are equivalent, or return false when they're not equivalent.

equals('<object1>', '<object2>')

Example

These examples check whether the specified inputs are equivalent.

equals(true, 1)
equals('abc', 'abcd')

And returns these results:

• First example: Both values are equivalent, so the function returns true.
• Second example: Both values aren't equivalent, so the function returns false.

first

Return the first item from a string or array.

first('<collection>')
first([<collection>])

Example

These examples find the first item in these collections:

first('hello')
first(createArray(0, 1, 2))

And return these results:

• First example: "h"
• Second example: 0

float

Convert a string version for a floating-point number to an actual floating point number. You can use this function only when passing custom parameters to an app, for example, a logic app or flow.

float('<value>')

Example

This example creates a string version for this floating-point number:

float('10.333')

And returns this result: 10.333

formatDateTime

Return a timestamp in the specified format.

formatDateTime('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)

Example

This example converts a timestamp to the specified format:

formatDateTime('03/15/2018 12:00:00', 'yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ss')

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T12:00:00"

formDataMultiValues

Return an array with values that match a key name in an action's form-data or form-encoded output.

formDataMultiValues('<actionName>', '<key>')

Example

This example creates an array from the "Subject" key's value in the specified action's form-data or form-encoded output:

formDataMultiValues('Send_an_email', 'Subject')

And returns the subject text in an array, for example: ["Hello world"]

formDataValue

Return a single value that matches a key name in an action's form-data or form-encoded output. If the function finds more than one match, the function throws an error.

formDataValue('<actionName>', '<key>')

Example

This example creates a string from the "Subject" key's value in the specified action's form-data or form-encoded output:

formDataValue('Send_an_email', 'Subject')

And returns the subject text as a string, for example: "Hello world"

getFutureTime

Return the current timestamp plus the specified time units.

getFutureTime(<interval>, <timeUnit>, <format>?)

Example 1

Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example adds five days to that timestamp:

getFutureTime(5, 'Day')

And returns this result: "2018-03-06T00:00:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example adds five days and converts the result to "D" format:

getFutureTime(5, 'Day', 'D')

And returns this result: "Tuesday, March 6, 2018"

getPastTime

Return the current timestamp minus the specified time units.

getPastTime(<interval>, <timeUnit>, <format>?)

Example 1

Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-02-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example subtracts five days from that timestamp:

getPastTime(5, 'Day')

And returns this result: "2018-01-27T00:00:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

Suppose the current timestamp is "2018-02-01T00:00:00.0000000Z". This example subtracts five days and converts the result to "D" format:

getPastTime(5, 'Day', 'D')

And returns this result: "Saturday, January 27, 2018"

greater

Check whether the first value is greater than the second value. Return true when the first value is more, or return false when less.

greater(<value>, <compareTo>)
greater('<value>', '<compareTo>')

Example

These examples check whether the first value is greater than the second value:

greater(10, 5)
greater('apple', 'banana')

And return these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: false

greaterOrEquals

Check whether the first value is greater than or equal to the second value. Return true when the first value is greater or equal, or return false when the first value is less.

greaterOrEquals(<value>, <compareTo>)
greaterOrEquals('<value>', '<compareTo>')

Example

These examples check whether the first value is greater or equal than the second value:

greaterOrEquals(5, 5)
greaterOrEquals('apple', 'banana')

And return these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: false

guid

Generate a globally unique identifier (GUID) as a string, for example, "c2ecc88d-88c8-4096-912c-d6f2e2b138ce":

guid()

Also, you can specify a different format for the GUID other than the default format, "D", which is 32 digits separated by hyphens.

guid('<format>')

Example

This example generates the same GUID, but as 32 digits, separated by hyphens, and enclosed in parentheses:

guid('P')

And returns this result: "(c2ecc88d-88c8-4096-912c-d6f2e2b138ce)"

if

Check whether an expression is true or false. Based on the result, return a specified value.

if(<expression>, <valueIfTrue>, <valueIfFalse>)

Example

This example returns "yes" because the specified expression returns true. Otherwise, the example returns "no":

if(equals(1, 1), 'yes', 'no')

indexOf

Return the starting position or index value for a substring. This function is not case-sensitive, and indexes start with the number 0.

indexOf('<text>', '<searchText>')

Example

This example finds the starting index value for the "world" substring in the "hello world" string:

indexOf('hello world', 'world')

And returns this result: 6

int

Return the integer version for a string.

int('<value>')

Example

This example creates an integer version for the string "10":

int('10')

And returns this result: 10

item

When used inside a repeating action over an array, return the current item in the array during the action's current iteration. You can also get the values from that item's properties.

item()

Example

This example gets the body element from the current message for the "Send_an_email" action inside a for-each loop's current iteration:

item().body

items

Return the current item from each cycle in a for-each loop. Use this function inside the for-each loop.

items('<loopName>')

Example

This example gets the current item from the specified for-each loop:

items('myForEachLoopName')

iterationIndexes

Return the index value for the current iteration inside an Until loop. You can use this function inside nested Until loops.

iterationIndexes('<loopName>')

Example

This example creates a counter variable and increments that variable by one during each iteration in an Until loop until the counter value reaches five. The example also creates a variable that tracks the current index for each iteration. In the Until loop, during each iteration, the example increments the counter and then assigns the counter value to the current index value and then increments the counter. At any time, you can determine the current iteration number by retrieving the current index value.

{
   "actions": {
      "Create_counter_variable": {
         "type": "InitializeVariable",
         "inputs": {
            "variables": [ 
               {
                  "name": "myCounter",
                  "type": "Integer",
                  "value": 0
               }
            ]
         },
         "runAfter": {}
      },
      "Create_current_index_variable": {
         "type": "InitializeVariable",
         "inputs": {
            "variables": [
               {
                  "name": "myCurrentLoopIndex",
                  "type": "Integer",
                  "value": 0
               }
            ]
         },
         "runAfter": {
            "Create_counter_variable": [ "Succeeded" ]
         }
      },
      "Until": {
         "type": "Until",
         "actions": {
            "Assign_current_index_to_counter": {
               "type": "SetVariable",
               "inputs": {
                  "name": "myCurrentLoopIndex",
                  "value": "@variables('myCounter')"
               },
               "runAfter": {
                  "Increment_variable": [ "Succeeded" ]
               }
            },
            "Increment_variable": {
               "type": "IncrementVariable",
               "inputs": {
                  "name": "myCounter",
                  "value": 1
               },
               "runAfter": {}
            }
         },
         "expression": "@equals(variables('myCounter'), 5),
         "limit": {
            "count": 60,
            "timeout": "PT1H"
         },
         "runAfter": {
            "Create_current_index_variable": [ "Succeeded" ]
         }
      }
   }
}

json

Return the JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) type value or object for a string or XML.

json('<value>')

Example 1

This example converts this string to the JSON value:

json('[1, 2, 3]')

And returns this result: [1, 2, 3]

Example 2

This example converts this string to JSON:

json('{"fullName": "Sophia Owen"}')

And returns this result:

{
  "fullName": "Sophia Owen"
}

Example 3

This example converts this XML to JSON:

json(xml('<?xml version="1.0"?> <root> <person id='1'> <name>Sophia Owen</name> <occupation>Engineer</occupation> </person> </root>'))

And returns this result:

{
   "?xml": { "@version": "1.0" },
   "root": {
      "person": [ {
         "@id": "1",
         "name": "Sophia Owen",
         "occupation": "Engineer"
      } ]
   }
}

intersection

Return a collection that has only the common items across the specified collections. To appear in the result, an item must appear in all the collections passed to this function. If one or more items have the same name, the last item with that name appears in the result.

intersection([<collection1>], [<collection2>], ...)
intersection('<collection1>', '<collection2>', ...)

Example

This example finds the common items across these arrays:

intersection(createArray(1, 2, 3), createArray(101, 2, 1, 10), createArray(6, 8, 1, 2))

And returns an array with only these items: [1, 2]

join

Return a string that has all the items from an array and has each character separated by a delimiter.

join([<collection>], '<delimiter>')

Example

This example creates a string from all the items in this array with the specified character as the delimiter:

join(createArray('a', 'b', 'c'), '.')

And returns this result: "a.b.c"

last

Return the last item from a collection.

last('<collection>')
last([<collection>])

Example

These examples find the last item in these collections:

last('abcd')
last(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3))

And returns these results:

• First example: "d"
• Second example: 3

lastIndexOf

Return the starting position or index value for the last occurrence of a substring. This function is not case-sensitive, and indexes start with the number 0.

lastIndexOf('<text>', '<searchText>')

Example

This example finds the starting index value for the last occurrence of the "world" substring in the "hello world" string:

lastIndexOf('hello world', 'world')

And returns this result: 6

length

Return the number of items in a collection.

length('<collection>')
length([<collection>])

Example

These examples count the number of items in these collections:

length('abcd')
length(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3))

And return this result: 4

less

Check whether the first value is less than the second value. Return true when the first value is less, or return false when the first value is more.

less(<value>, <compareTo>)
less('<value>', '<compareTo>')

Example

These examples check whether the first value is less than the second value.

less(5, 10)
less('banana', 'apple')

And return these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: false

lessOrEquals

Check whether the first value is less than or equal to the second value. Return true when the first value is less than or equal, or return false when the first value is more.

lessOrEquals(<value>, <compareTo>)
lessOrEquals('<value>', '<compareTo>')

Example

These examples check whether the first value is less or equal than the second value.

lessOrEquals(10, 10)
lessOrEquals('apply', 'apple')

And return these results:

• First example: true
• Second example: false

listCallbackUrl

Return the "callback URL" that calls a trigger or action. This function works only with triggers and actions for the HttpWebhook and ApiConnectionWebhook connector types, but not the Manual, Recurrence, HTTP, and APIConnection types.

listCallbackUrl()

Example

This example shows a sample callback URL that this function might return:

"https://prod-01.westus.logic.azure.com:443/workflows/<*workflow-ID*>/triggers/manual/run?api-version=2016-10-01&sp=%2Ftriggers%2Fmanual%2Frun&sv=1.0&sig=<*signature-ID*>"

max

Return the highest value from a list or array with numbers that is inclusive at both ends.

max(<number1>, <number2>, ...)
max([<number1>, <number2>, ...])

Example

These examples get the highest value from the set of numbers and the array:

max(1, 2, 3)
max(createArray(1, 2, 3))

And return this result: 3

min

Return the lowest value from a set of numbers or an array.

min(<number1>, <number2>, ...)
min([<number1>, <number2>, ...])

Example

These examples get the lowest value in the set of numbers and the array:

min(1, 2, 3)
min(createArray(1, 2, 3))

And return this result: 1

mod

Return the remainder from dividing two numbers. To get the integer result, see div().

mod(<dividend>, <divisor>)

Example

This example divides the first number by the second number:

mod(3, 2)

And return this result: 1

mul

Return the product from multiplying two numbers.

mul(<multiplicand1>, <multiplicand2>)

Example

These examples multiple the first number by the second number:

mul(1, 2)
mul(1.5, 2)

And return these results:

• First example: 2
• Second example 3

multipartBody

Return the body for a specific part in an action's output that has multiple parts.

multipartBody('<actionName>', <index>)

not

Check whether an expression is false. Return true when the expression is false, or return false when true.

not(<expression>)

Example 1

These examples check whether the specified expressions are false:

not(false)
not(true)

And return these results:

• First example: The expression is false, so the function returns true.
• Second example: The expression is true, so the function returns false.

Example 2

These examples check whether the specified expressions are false:

not(equals(1, 2))
not(equals(1, 1))

And return these results:

• First example: The expression is false, so the function returns true.
• Second example: The expression is true, so the function returns false.

or

Check whether at least one expression is true. Return true when at least one expression is true, or return false when all are false.

or(<expression1>, <expression2>, ...)

Example 1

These examples check whether at least one expression is true:

or(true, false)
or(false, false)

And return these results:

• First example: At least one expression is true, so the function returns true.
• Second example: Both expressions are false, so the function returns false.

Example 2

These examples check whether at least one expression is true:

or(equals(1, 1), equals(1, 2))
or(equals(1, 2), equals(1, 3))

And return these results:

• First example: At least one expression is true, so the function returns true.
• Second example: Both expressions are false, so the function returns false.

parameters

Return the value for a parameter that is described in your workflow definition.

parameters('<parameterName>')

Example

Suppose that you have this JSON value:

{
  "fullName": "Sophia Owen"
}

This example gets the value for the specified parameter:

parameters('fullName')

And returns this result: "Sophia Owen"

rand

Return a random integer from a specified range, which is inclusive only at the starting end.

rand(<minValue>, <maxValue>)

Example

This example gets a random integer from the specified range, excluding the maximum value:

rand(1, 5)

And returns one of these numbers as the result: 1, 2, 3, or 4

range

Return an integer array that starts from a specified integer.

range(<startIndex>, <count>)

Example

This example creates an integer array that starts from the specified index and has the specified number of integers:

range(1, 4)

And returns this result: [1, 2, 3, 4]

replace

Replace a substring with the specified string, and return the result string. This function is case-sensitive.

replace('<text>', '<oldText>', '<newText>')

Example

This example finds the "old" substring in "the old string" and replaces "old" with "new":

replace('the old string', 'old', 'new')

And returns this result: "the new string"

removeProperty

Remove a property from an object and return the updated object.

removeProperty(<object>, '<property>')

Example

This example removes the "accountLocation" property from a "customerProfile" object, which is converted to JSON with the JSON() function, and returns the updated object:

removeProperty(json('customerProfile'), 'accountLocation')

setProperty

Set the value for an object's property and return the updated object. To add a new property, you can use this function or the addProperty() function.

setProperty(<object>, '<property>', <value>)

Example

This example sets the "accountNumber" property on a "customerProfile" object, which is converted to JSON with the JSON() function. The function assigns a value generated by guid() function, and returns the updated JSON object:

setProperty(json('customerProfile'), 'accountNumber', guid())

skip

Remove items from the front of a collection, and return all the other items.

skip([<collection>], <count>)

Example

This example removes one item, the number 0, from the front of the specified array:

skip(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3), 1)

And returns this array with the remaining items: [1,2,3]

split

Return an array that contains substrings, separated by commas, based on the specified delimiter character in the original string.

split('<text>', '<delimiter>')

Example

This example creates an array with substrings from the specified string based on the specified character as the delimiter:

split('a_b_c', '_')

And returns this array as the result: ["a","b","c"]

startOfDay

Return the start of the day for a timestamp.

startOfDay('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)

Example

This example finds the start of the day for this timestamp:

startOfDay('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T00:00:00.0000000Z"

startOfHour

Return the start of the hour for a timestamp.

startOfHour('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)

Example

This example finds the start of the hour for this timestamp:

startOfHour('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')

And returns this result: "2018-03-15T13:00:00.0000000Z"

startOfMonth

Return the start of the month for a timestamp.

startOfMonth('<timestamp>', '<format>'?)

Example

This example returns the start of the month for this timestamp:

startOfMonth('2018-03-15T13:30:30Z')

And returns this result: "2018-03-01T00:00:00.0000000Z"

startsWith

Check whether a string starts with a specific substring. Return true when the substring is found, or return false when not found. This function is not case-sensitive.

startsWith('<text>', '<searchText>')

Example 1

This example checks whether the "hello world" string starts with the "hello" substring:

startsWith('hello world', 'hello')

And returns this result: true

Example 2

This example checks whether the "hello world" string starts with the "greetings" substring:

startsWith('hello world', 'greetings')

And returns this result: false

string

Return the string version for a value.

string(<value>)

Example 1

This example creates the string version for this number:

string(10)

And returns this result: "10"

Example 2

This example creates a string for the specified JSON object and uses the backslash character (\) as an escape character for the double-quotation mark (").

string( { "name": "Sophie Owen" } )

And returns this result: "{ \\"name\\": \\"Sophie Owen\\" }"

sub

Return the result from subtracting the second number from the first number.

sub(<minuend>, <subtrahend>)

Example

This example subtracts the second number from the first number:

sub(10.3, .3)

And returns this result: 10

substring

Return characters from a string, starting from the specified position, or index. Index values start with the number 0.

substring('<text>', <startIndex>, <length>)

Example

This example creates a five-character substring from the specified string, starting from the index value 6:

substring('hello world', 6, 5)

And returns this result: "world"

subtractFromTime

Subtract a number of time units from a timestamp. See also getPastTime.

subtractFromTime('<timestamp>', <interval>, '<timeUnit>', '<format>'?)

Example 1

This example subtracts one day from this timestamp:

subtractFromTime('2018-01-02T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day')

And returns this result: "2018-01-01T00:00:00:0000000Z"

Example 2

This example subtracts one day from this timestamp:

subtractFromTime('2018-01-02T00:00:00Z', 1, 'Day', 'D')

And returns this result using the optional "D" format: "Monday, January, 1, 2018"

take

Return items from the front of a collection.

take('<collection>', <count>)
take([<collection>], <count>)

Example

These examples get the specified number of items from the front of these collections:

take('abcde', 3)
take(createArray(0, 1, 2, 3, 4), 3)

And return these results:

• First example: "abc"
• Second example: [0, 1, 2]

ticks

Return the ticks property value for a specified timestamp. A tick is a 100-nanosecond interval.

ticks('<timestamp>')

toLower

Return a string in lowercase format. If a character in the string doesn't have a lowercase version, that character stays unchanged in the returned string.

toLower('<text>')

Example

This example converts this string to lowercase:

toLower('Hello World')

And returns this result: "hello world"

toUpper

Return a string in uppercase format. If a character in the string doesn't have an uppercase version, that character stays unchanged in the returned string.

toUpper('<text>')

Example

This example converts this string to uppercase:

toUpper('Hello World')

And returns this result: "HELLO WORLD"

trigger

Return a trigger's output at runtime, or values from other JSON name-and-value pairs, which you can assign to an expression.

• Inside a trigger's inputs, this function returns the output from the previous execution.

• Inside a trigger's condition, this function returns the output from the current execution.

By default, the function references the entire trigger object, but you can optionally specify a property whose value that you want. Also, this function has shorthand versions available, see triggerOutputs() and triggerBody().

trigger()

triggerBody

Return a trigger's body output at runtime. Shorthand for trigger().outputs.body. See trigger().

triggerBody()

triggerFormDataMultiValues

Return an array with values that match a key name in a trigger's form-data or form-encoded output.

triggerFormDataMultiValues('<key>')

Example

This example creates an array from the "feedUrl" key value in an RSS trigger's form-data or form-encoded output:

triggerFormDataMultiValues('feedUrl')

And returns this array as an example result: ["http://feeds.reuters.com/reuters/topNews"]

triggerFormDataValue

Return a string with a single value that matches a key name in a trigger's form-data or form-encoded output. If the function finds more than one match, the function throws an error.

triggerFormDataValue('<key>')

Example

This example creates a string from the "feedUrl" key value in an RSS trigger's form-data or form-encoded output:

triggerFormDataValue('feedUrl')

And returns this string as an example result: "http://feeds.reuters.com/reuters/topNews"

triggerMultipartBody

Return the body for a specific part in a trigger's output that has multiple parts.

triggerMultipartBody(<index>)

triggerOutputs

Return a trigger's output at runtime, or values from other JSON name-and-value pairs. Shorthand for trigger().outputs. See trigger().

triggerOutputs()

trim

Remove leading and trailing whitespace from a string, and return the updated string.

trim('<text>')

Example

This example removes the leading and trailing whitespace from the string " Hello World ":

trim(' Hello World  ')

And returns this result: "Hello World"

union

Return a collection that has all the items from the specified collections. To appear in the result, an item can appear in any collection passed to this function. If one or more items have the same name, the last item with that name appears in the result.

union('<collection1>', '<collection2>', ...)
union([<collection1>], [<collection2>], ...)

Example

This example gets all the items from these collections:

union(createArray(1, 2, 3), createArray(1, 2, 10, 101))

And returns this result: [1, 2, 3, 10, 101]

uriComponent

Return a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded version for a string by replacing URL-unsafe characters with escape characters. Use this function rather than encodeUriComponent(). Although both functions work the same way, uriComponent() is preferred.

uriComponent('<value>')

Example

This example creates a URI-encoded version for this string:

uriComponent('https://contoso.com')

And returns this result: "http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com"

uriComponentToBinary

Return the binary version for a uniform resource identifier (URI) component.

uriComponentToBinary('<value>')

Example

This example creates the binary version for this URI-encoded string:

uriComponentToBinary('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')

And returns this result:

"001000100110100001110100011101000111000000100101001100 11010000010010010100110010010001100010010100110010010001 10011000110110111101101110011101000110111101110011011011 110010111001100011011011110110110100100010"

uriComponentToString

Return the string version for a uniform resource identifier (URI) encoded string, effectively decoding the URI-encoded string.

uriComponentToString('<value>')

Example

This example creates the decoded string version for this URI-encoded string:

uriComponentToString('http%3A%2F%2Fcontoso.com')

And returns this result: "https://contoso.com"

uriHost

Return the host value for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriHost('<uri>')

Example

This example finds the host value for this URI:

uriHost('https://www.localhost.com:8080')

And returns this result: "www.localhost.com"

uriPath

Return the path value for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriPath('<uri>')

Example

This example finds the path value for this URI:

uriPath('http://www.contoso.com/catalog/shownew.htm?date=today')

And returns this result: "/catalog/shownew.htm"

uriPathAndQuery

Return the path and query values for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriPathAndQuery('<uri>')

Example

This example finds the path and query values for this URI:

uriPathAndQuery('http://www.contoso.com/catalog/shownew.htm?date=today')

And returns this result: "/catalog/shownew.htm?date=today"

uriPort

Return the port value for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriPort('<uri>')

Example

This example returns the port value for this URI:

uriPort('http://www.localhost:8080')

And returns this result: 8080

uriQuery

Return the query value for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriQuery('<uri>')

Example

This example returns the query value for this URI:

uriQuery('http://www.contoso.com/catalog/shownew.htm?date=today')

And returns this result: "?date=today"

uriScheme

Return the scheme value for a uniform resource identifier (URI).

uriScheme('<uri>')

Example

This example returns the scheme value for this URI:

uriScheme('http://www.contoso.com/catalog/shownew.htm?date=today')

And returns this result: "http"

utcNow

Return the current timestamp.

utcNow('<format>')

Optionally, you can specify a different format with the <format> parameter.

Example 1

Suppose today is April 15, 2018 at 1:00:00 PM. This example gets the current timestamp:

utcNow()

And returns this result: "2018-04-15T13:00:00.0000000Z"

Example 2

Suppose today is April 15, 2018 at 1:00:00 PM. This example gets the current timestamp using the optional "D" format:

utcNow('D')

And returns this result: "Sunday, April 15, 2018"

variables

Return the value for a specified variable.

variables('<variableName>')

Example

Suppose the current value for a "numItems" variable is 20. This example gets the integer value for this variable:

variables('numItems')

And returns this result: 20

workflow

Return all the details about the workflow itself during run time.

workflow().<property>

Example

This example returns the name for a workflow's current run:

workflow().run.name

xml

Return the XML version for a string that contains a JSON object.

xml('<value>')

Example 1

This example creates the XML version for this string, which contains a JSON object:

xml(json('{ \"name\": \"Sophia Owen\" }'))

And returns this result XML:

<name>Sophia Owen</name>

Example 2

Suppose you have this JSON object:

{
  "person": {
    "name": "Sophia Owen",
    "city": "Seattle"
  }
}

This example creates XML for a string that contains this JSON object:

xml(json('{\"person\": {\"name\": \"Sophia Owen\", \"city\": \"Seattle\"}}'))

And returns this result XML:

<person>
  <name>Sophia Owen</name>
  <city>Seattle</city>
<person>

xpath

Check XML for nodes or values that match an XPath (XML Path Language) expression, and return the matching nodes or values. An XPath expression, or just "XPath", helps you navigate an XML document structure so that you can select nodes or compute values in the XML content.

xpath('<xml>', '<xpath>')

Example 1

This example finds nodes that match the <name></name> node in the specified arguments, and returns an array with those node values:

xpath(xml(parameters('items')), '/produce/item/name')

Here are the arguments:

• The "items" string, which contains this XML:

  "<?xml version="1.0"?> <produce> <item> <name>Gala</name> <type>apple</type> <count>20</count> </item> <item> <name>Honeycrisp</name> <type>apple</type> <count>10</count> </item> </produce>"

  The example uses the parameters() function to get the XML string from the "items" argument, but must also convert the string to XML format by using the xml() function.

• This XPath expression, which is passed as a string:

  "/produce/item/name"

Here is the result array with the nodes that match <name></name:

[ <name>Gala</name>, <name>Honeycrisp</name> ]

Example 2

Following on Example 1, this example finds nodes that match the <count></count> node and adds those node values with the sum() function:

xpath(xml(parameters('items')), 'sum(/produce/item/count)')

And returns this result: 30

Example 3

For this example, both expressions find nodes that match the <location></location> node, in the specified arguments, which include XML with a namespace. The expressions use the backslash character (\) as an escape character for the double quotation mark (").

• Expression 1

  xpath(xml(body('Http')), '/*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"]')

• Expression 2

  xpath(xml(body('Http')), '/*[local-name()=\"file\" and namespace-uri()=\"http://contoso.com\"]/*[local-name()=\"location\"]')

Here are the arguments:

• This XML, which includes the XML document namespace, xmlns="http://contoso.com":

  <?xml version="1.0"?> <file xmlns="http://contoso.com"> <location>Paris</location> </file>
  

• Either XPath expression here:

  • /*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"]

  • /*[local-name()=\"file\" and namespace-uri()=\"http://contoso.com\"]/*[local-name()=\"location\"]

Here is the result node that matches the <location></location> node:

<location xmlns="https://contoso.com">Paris</location>

Example 4

Following on Example 3, this example finds the value in the <location></location> node:

xpath(xml(body('Http')), 'string(/*[name()=\"file\"]/*[name()=\"location\"])')

And returns this result: "Paris"

Next steps

Learn about the Workflow Definition Language