Expressions – calculation functions in the process
Processes don’t just move data from A to B – they calculate, transform and decide along the way. linqi provides exactly this through its Expressions: calculation functions that you insert as a tag into almost any text field, form or notification, and that linqi evaluates while the process runs. The classic example is the date difference: from two dates – say order date and delivery date – the expression calculates the difference in minutes, hours, days, months or years. Or the formula calculation that, for example, multiplies a quantity by a price and falls back to a defined default value when a value is missing. Because the result is a live value, documents, notifications and following steps always receive the current state – no parallel calculation in a spreadsheet and no manual maintenance.
Around the date, the toolbox covers the day-to-day handling of text and number values: formatting dates and numbers, modifying a date by a specific amount, setting individual date parts, padding text to a target length (for example for number circles), shortening text, converting to lower or upper case, replacing text and regular expressions, extracting values with a regular expression, URL encoding, or converting a file into a Base64 string. You can also draw running numbers from a number circle, generate GUIDs in four formats, or create random text with a defined length and character set. And when a value should depend on a condition, the conditional value expression picks between two values depending on whether the condition is met. All expressions are chosen from the “Insert expression” dialog – no programming required.
One dialog, 19 functions, zero programming
In the process you use expressions everywhere linqi resolves values: in form fields, in notification texts, in document templates and at all places where placeholders can be inserted. The “Insert expression” dialog lists the available functions; you pick the function, define the input values – which can themselves be placeholders from the process – and the tag appears in the text. At runtime linqi evaluates every expression live: the date difference is calculated from the data of the current process run, the running number comes from the configured number circle, the condition is checked with the current values. The result replaces the tag – in the document being created, in the email being sent, in the following step. Because the logic lives inside the expression, you need no script step and no intermediate variable: what you define once in the designer stays a simple, readable tag.
Frequently asked questions about Expressions
What is the date difference?
The expression calculates the difference between two dates in minutes, hours, days, months or years – for example the duration between order date and delivery date. Both dates can come live from the process.
Can I calculate formulas?
Yes. The calculation expression performs a formula calculation with values from the process; if no result can be determined, a configurable default value applies.
Where can I use expressions?
Everywhere linqi resolves placeholders: in form fields, notification texts, document templates and other fields – via the “Insert expression” dialog, without programming.
Can I generate numbers or IDs?
Yes: running numbers from a configured number circle, GUIDs in four formats, or random text with a defined length and character set.