Format Date

Format Date

Overview

The Format Date node provides comprehensive date formatting capabilities for converting dates between different string representations, display formats, and data exchange standards. This node handles complex formatting requirements including localization, timezone conversions, and custom format patterns, making it essential for user interfaces, reports, and API integrations.

Purpose and Functionality

Format Date serves as a versatile date formatting tool that allows you to:

• Convert dates between multiple string formats and standards
• Apply localization for different languages and regions
• Handle timezone conversions during formatting
• Create custom date format patterns for specific requirements
• Support batch formatting of multiple dates simultaneously

flowchart LR
    A[Input Date] --> B[Format Date Node]
    B --> C{Format Type}

    C -->|Preset| D[ISO/RFC/Timestamp]
    C -->|Custom| E[Pattern Tokens]
    C -->|Localized| F[Locale-Specific]

    D --> G[Apply Timezone]
    E --> G
    F --> G

    G --> H[Generate Output]
    H --> I[Formatted Date String]

    subgraph "Format Options"
        J[YYYY-MM-DD]
        K[MMM D, YYYY]
        L[dddd, MMMM D]
        M[h:mm A]
    end

    subgraph "Localization"
        N[en-US: January]
        O[fr-FR: janvier]
        P[es-ES: enero]
        Q[de-DE: Januar]
    end

    E --> J
    E --> K
    E --> L
    E --> M

    F --> N
    F --> O
    F --> P
    F --> Q

    style B fill:#fff3e0
    style I fill:#e8f5e8

Key Features

• Multi-Format Support: Convert between ISO, RFC, custom patterns, and locale-specific formats
• Localization: Format dates according to different languages and cultural conventions
• Timezone Conversion: Apply timezone changes during formatting process
• Custom Patterns: Create flexible format patterns using standard tokens
• Batch Processing: Format multiple dates with consistent settings

Primary Use Cases

• User Interface Display: Format dates for user-friendly display in applications
• Report Generation: Create formatted dates for reports and documents
• API Integration: Convert dates to required formats for external services
• Data Export: Prepare dates in specific formats for file exports

Parameters & Configuration

Required Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description	Example
input_date	string/date	Date to format	"2024-01-15T14:30:45Z"
output_format	string	Target format pattern or preset	"YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"

Optional Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description	Example
input_format	string	"auto"	Expected input format or “auto” for detection	"ISO"
timezone	string	"UTC"	Target timezone for output	"America/New_York"
locale	string	"en-US"	Locale for localized formatting	"fr-FR"
strict_parsing	boolean	false	Require exact format match for input	true

Format Presets

Preset	Description	Example Output
"ISO"	ISO 8601 format	"2024-01-15T14:30:45Z"
"RFC2822"	RFC 2822 format	"Mon, 15 Jan 2024 14:30:45 GMT"
"timestamp"	Unix timestamp	"1705329045"
"date_only"	Date without time	"2024-01-15"
"time_only"	Time without date	"14:30:45"
"human"	Human-readable format	"January 15, 2024 at 2:30 PM"
"short"	Short localized format	"1/15/24"
"medium"	Medium localized format	"Jan 15, 2024"
"long"	Long localized format	"January 15, 2024"
"full"	Full localized format	"Monday, January 15, 2024"

Custom Format Tokens

Token	Description	Example
YYYY	4-digit year	2024
YY	2-digit year	24
MM	2-digit month	01
MMM	Short month name	Jan
MMMM	Full month name	January
DD	2-digit day	15
D	Day without leading zero	15
dddd	Full day name	Monday
ddd	Short day name	Mon
HH	24-hour format hour	14
hh	12-hour format hour	02
mm	Minutes	30
ss	Seconds	45
SSS	Milliseconds	123
A	AM/PM	PM
Z	Timezone offset	+05:00
zz	Timezone abbreviation	EST

Advanced Configuration

{
  "input_date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45.123Z",
  "output_format": "dddd, MMMM D, YYYY [at] h:mm A",
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "locale": "en-US",
  "strict_parsing": false,
  "format_options": {
    "include_timezone": true,
    "use_relative_time": false,
    "capitalize": true
  },
  "fallback_format": "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss"
}

Input/Output Specifications

Input Data Structure

{
  "date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45.123Z",
  "format_config": {
    "output_format": "MMMM D, YYYY [at] h:mm A",
    "timezone": "America/New_York",
    "locale": "en-US"
  }
}

Output Data Structure

{
  "original_date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45.123Z",
  "formatted_date": "January 15, 2024 at 9:30 AM",
  "format_details": {
    "output_format": "MMMM D, YYYY [at] h:mm A",
    "timezone_applied": "America/New_York",
    "locale_used": "en-US",
    "timezone_offset": "-05:00",
    "dst_active": false
  },
  "metadata": {
    "formatting_time": 12,
    "input_format_detected": "ISO",
    "timezone_conversion": true
  }
}

Practical Examples

Example 1: User-Friendly Display Format

Scenario: Format timestamps for display in a user interface

Configuration:

{
  "input_date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45Z",
  "output_format": "MMMM D, YYYY [at] h:mm A",
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "locale": "en-US"
}

Input Data:

{
  "event_timestamp": "2024-01-15T14:30:45Z",
  "event_name": "Team Meeting"
}

Expected Output:

{
  "original_date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45Z",
  "formatted_date": "January 15, 2024 at 9:30 AM",
  "format_details": {
    "timezone_applied": "America/New_York",
    "locale_used": "en-US"
  }
}

Example 2: Multi-Locale Report Generation

Scenario: Generate reports with dates formatted for different regions

Configuration:

{
  "input_date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45Z",
  "output_format": "full",
  "timezone": "Europe/Paris",
  "locale": "fr-FR"
}

Workflow Integration:

sequenceDiagram
    participant DC as Data Collection
    participant FD as Format Date
    participant RG as Report Generator
    participant L as Localization

    DC->>FD: Send raw timestamps
    FD->>L: Apply locale settings
    L->>FD: Return localized patterns
    FD->>FD: Apply timezone conversion
    FD->>FD: Format using patterns
    FD->>RG: Send formatted dates
    RG->>RG: Generate final report

    Note over DC,FD: Raw ISO timestamps
from data sources
    Note over FD,L: Locale-specific
formatting rules
    Note over FD,RG: User-friendly
formatted dates

Complete Example:

{
  "input": {
    "sales_data": [
      {"date": "2024-01-15T14:30:45Z", "amount": 1500, "region": "Europe"},
      {"date": "2024-01-16T09:15:30Z", "amount": 2300, "region": "Europe"}
    ],
    "report_locale": "fr-FR"
  },
  "processing": {
    "format_pattern": "dddd D MMMM YYYY [à] HH:mm",
    "timezone": "Europe/Paris"
  },
  "output": {
    "formatted_sales": [
      {
        "date": "lundi 15 janvier 2024 à 15:30",
        "amount": 1500,
        "region": "Europe"
      },
      {
        "date": "mardi 16 janvier 2024 à 10:15",
        "amount": 2300,
        "region": "Europe"
      }
    ]
  }
}

Examples

Basic Usage

This example demonstrates the fundamental usage of the FormatDate node in a typical workflow scenario.

Configuration:

{
  "date": "example_value",
  "format": true
}

Input Data:

{
  "data": "sample input data"
}

Expected Output:

{
  "result": "processed output data"
}

Advanced Usage

This example shows more complex configuration options and integration patterns.

Configuration:

{
  "parameter1": "advanced_value",
  "parameter2": false,
  "advancedOptions": {
    "option1": "value1",
    "option2": 100
  }
}

Integration Example

Example showing how this node integrates with other workflow nodes:

1. Previous Node → FormatDate → Next Node
2. Data flows through the workflow with appropriate transformations
3. Error handling and validation at each step

Integration Patterns

Common Node Combinations

Pattern 1: Display Formatting Pipeline

• Nodes: Database Query → Format Date → Template Engine → User Interface
• Use Case: Format dates for user-friendly display
• Configuration Tips: Use locale-specific formats for better user experience

Pattern 2: Export Preparation

• Nodes: Data Processing → Format Date → File Generator → Download
• Use Case: Prepare dates in specific formats for file exports
• Data Flow: Processed data → formatted dates → structured export → file download

Best Practices

• Performance: Use batch processing for multiple dates with the same format
• Error Handling: Provide fallback formats for invalid input dates
• Data Validation: Validate input dates before formatting to prevent errors
• Resource Management: Cache locale data for frequently used locales

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Issue: Format Pattern Errors

• Symptoms: Unexpected output format or formatting failures
• Causes: Invalid format tokens or incorrect pattern syntax
• Solutions:
  1. Verify format tokens against supported token list
  2. Use square brackets for literal text: [at]
  3. Test patterns with sample dates before production use
• Prevention: Use preset formats when possible and validate custom patterns

Issue: Locale-Specific Formatting Problems

• Symptoms: Incorrect month/day names or unexpected date formats
• Causes: Unsupported locale or missing locale data
• Solutions:
  1. Use standard locale codes (e.g., “en-US”, “fr-FR”)
  2. Fallback to default locale if specific locale fails
  3. Test with different locales during development
• Prevention: Validate locale codes and provide fallback options

Performance Issues

• Slow Formatting: Reduce complexity of format patterns or use presets
• Memory Usage: Process large date arrays in batches
• Locale Loading: Cache locale data to avoid repeated loading

Limitations & Constraints

Technical Limitations

• Date Range: Supports dates from 1900-01-01 to 2100-12-31
• Format Complexity: Very complex patterns may impact performance

Locale Limitations

• Locale Support: Not all locales may be available in all browser environments
• Custom Locales: Custom locale definitions not supported
• RTL Languages: Right-to-left text formatting may require additional handling

Data Limitations

• Input Size: Maximum 1000 dates per batch operation
• Pattern Length: Format patterns limited to 200 characters
• Processing Time: Complex formatting operations timeout after 30 seconds

Key Terminology

Field Transformation: Process of modifying data field names, types, or values

Type Conversion: Converting data from one type to another (string, number, boolean, etc.)

Data Validation: Process of ensuring data meets specified criteria and constraints

Schema: Structure definition that describes the format and constraints of data

Serialization: Process of converting data structures into a format for storage or transmission

Search & Discovery

Keywords

• data processing
• field manipulation
• type conversion
• data validation
• formatting
• transformation

Common Search Terms

• “transform”
• “convert”
• “format”
• “edit”
• “modify”
• “process”
• “validate”
• “clean”
• “restructure”

Primary Use Cases

• data cleaning
• format conversion
• field manipulation
• data validation
• report generation
• data processing

Learning Path

Skill Level: Beginner

Enhanced Cross-References

Workflow Patterns

• Data Processing Patterns
• Content Manipulation Patterns
• Data Validation Workflows

Related Tutorials

• Data Processing Fundamentals
• Advanced Data Manipulation

Practical Examples

• Real-World Use Cases
• Integration Examples
• Best Practice Examples

Related Nodes

Similar Functionality

• ExtractPartOfADate: Use when you need different approach to similar functionality

Complementary Nodes

• GetCurrentDate: Works well together in workflows
• AddToADate: Works well together in workflows
• EditFields: Works well together in workflows

Common Workflow Patterns

• GetCurrentDate → FormatDate → EditFields: Common integration pattern
• AddToADate → FormatDate → DownloadAsFile: Common integration pattern

See Also

• Data Processing Patterns
• Data Transformation Guide
• Data Mapping Expressions
• Field Validation Examples

Decision Guides:

• Data Transformation Decision Guide

General Resources:

• Workflow Patterns
• Integration Examples
• Node Types Overview

Additional Resources

• Date Formatting Patterns Guide
• Localization Best Practices
• Report Generation Examples