---
title: "Flows @ Functions"
url: "https://help.flows.world/en/article/flows-functions"
language: "en"
last_updated: "2026-08-07T13:16:44.073Z"
---

# Flows @ Functions

Functions are built-in helpers you can drop into almost any field in a flow. They start with an `@` and are resolved automatically when the flow runs, the same way variables like `{{name}}` are. Type `@` in a field to open the function picker and choose one.

## Time based functions

These return a point in time expressed in minutes and are commonly used in the **Time to Live** field to control when stored data expires. Use the exact spelling shown, including the underscores.

| Function | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `@NowSecond` | Unix time now, in seconds |
| `@Now` | Unix time now, in minutes |
| `@UnixMillis` | Unix time now, in milliseconds |
| `@End_of_Day` | The time between now and the end of the day. Useful for timers. |
| `@24_hours` | 24 hours from now. Useful for timers. |
| `@1_hour` | 1 hour from now. Useful for timers. |
| `@5_mins` | 5 minutes from now. |
| `@5_days` | 5 days from now. |
| `@7_days` | 7 days from now. |
| `@14_days` | 14 days from now. |
| `@21_days` | 21 days from now. |
| `@Next_Monday_6am` | The interval to next Monday at 6am. Useful for timers. |
| `@Start_next_Month` | The interval to the start of next month at midnight. |
| `@forever` | Never expires. Use in Time to Live fields to keep data indefinitely. |

All of these except `@NowSecond` and `@UnixMillis` return an offset in minutes and support further calculation. For a length of time not listed, enter a plain number of minutes (for example `43200` for 30 days).

## String and other functions

| Function | Description |
| --- | --- |
| `@flowid()` | Returns the flow ID for the current flow. |
| `@guid()` | Returns a randomly generated GUID. |
| `@default(variable, default)` | Checks whether the variable exists and returns the value of default if it does not. |
| `@ifSet(variable, string)` | If the variable is set, the second value is returned; otherwise nothing is returned. |
| `@dynamic(variable)` | Resolves variables that are inside another variable. |
| `@toUpperCase(string)` | Converts the string to upper case. |
| `@toLowerCase(string)` | Converts the string to lower case. |
| `@toString(variable)` | Converts the variable to a string, such as a number. |
| `@length(variable)` | Returns the number of characters in the variable. |
| `@startsWith(variable, search)` | Returns true if the variable starts with the search value, otherwise false. |
| `@endsWith(variable, search)` | Returns true if the variable ends with the search value, otherwise false. |
| `@isNumeric(value)` | Returns true if the value is a number, otherwise false. |
| `@subStr(variable, start, length)` | Returns a substring. Start is zero based, and length is the number of characters to return. |
| `@replace(variable, find, replace)` | Replaces the find value with the replace value in the variable. The find value is treated as a pattern. |
| `@padLeft(variable, padchar, length)` | Adds padchar to the left of the variable until length is reached. |
| `@padRight(variable, padchar, length)` | Adds padchar to the right of the variable until length is reached. |
| `@calc(formula)` | Calculates an equation given by formula. Can also be done with the = operand. |
| `@bigcalc(formula)` | Calculates an equation using arbitrary-precision maths, for very large or high-precision numbers. |
| `@format(variable, format)` | Formats a numeric variable. |
| `@formatDate(variable, format)` | Formats the Unix-seconds value passed in, using the format provided. |
| `@randomString(length)` | Creates a random string of characters. Length must be between 1 and 100. |
| `@randomStr(length)` | Creates a random string of lowercase a to z characters only. |
| `@randomint(maxNumber)` | Creates a random whole number between 0 and maxNumber. |
| `@random(maxNumber)` | Returns a random decimal value between 0 and maxNumber. |
| `@encode64(string)` | Encodes the string in Base64. |
| `@encodePad64(string)` | Same as encode64, but padded to the 3 byte boundary. |
| `@decode64(base64String, outputKey)` | Decodes a Base64 string and stores the result in the output key. |
| `@encodeURL(string)` | Base64 URL-safe encoding (no padding), for values used in URLs. |
| `@md5(string)` | Hashes the string using MD5. |
| `@sha1(string)` | Hashes the string using SHA-1. |
| `@sha256(string)` | Hashes the string using SHA-256. |
| `@hmac(algorithm, key, message)` | Generates an HMAC signature and returns it as hex. Example algorithm: HmacSHA256. |
| `@hmacbase64(algorithm, key, message)` | Generates an HMAC signature and returns it Base64-encoded. |
| `@jwtDecode64(variable, outputKey)` | Decodes a JWT token payload and extracts the claims. |
| `@jwtEncodeRS256(privateKey, claims)` | Creates a JWT token signed with the RS256 algorithm. |
| `@s3auth(host, path, query, httpMethod, accessKey, secretKey, awsRegion, awsService, payload)` | Returns a JSON string with the authorisation headers required for AWS S3. |
| `@toJSON()` / `@toJSON(baseElement)` | Builds a JSON packet from the dictionary items specified. |
| `@flatmapjson(JsonString)` | Parses a JSON string into a JSON object. |
| `@toXML(variable, baseXMLNode)` | Converts the variable into a valid XML string. |
| `@arrayGet(variable, index)` | Returns the entry or object found at index in the array. |
| `@arrayCount(variable)` | Returns the number of elements in the array. |
| `@arraySet(variable, index, newitem)` | Sets newitem into the array at position index. |
| `@arrayAdd(variable, newitem)` | Adds newitem to the end of the array. |
| `@arrayAddString(variable, value)` | Adds value to the end of the array as a string. |
| `@arrayRemove(variable, index)` | Removes the item at index from the array. |
| `@arrayRemoveArray(array1, array2)` | Removes all elements found in the second array from the first array. |
| `@arraytostring(array)` | Converts an array to a string. |
| `@arraySortString(variable, column, asc/desc)` | Sorts and returns a new array, ordered by a string column. |
| `@arraySortNumeric(variable, column, asc/desc)` | Sorts and returns a new array, ordered by a numeric column. |
| `@splitToArrayString(string, delimiter)` | Splits a string into an array, forcing all values to string type. |
| `@splitToArrayNumeric(string, delimiter)` | Splits a string into an array, forcing all values to numeric type. |
| `@encodebracket()` | Strips emojis and other characters that may break the parser from a string. |
| `@decodebracket()` | Restores characters previously removed by encodebracket. |