Code & Date Tools

What are the Code & Date tools?

Sometimes a flow needs to work something out before it can carry on — turn an answer into a score, reformat a date the way your customer reads it, or figure out how many days are left until a deadline. Two blocks handle this without sending anything to the customer:

• Date & Time — a no-code helper for anything involving dates and times.
• Code — for more advanced needs, run a small piece of JavaScript to shape your data exactly how you want.

Both run instantly, in the middle of a conversation, and save their result into a variable you can use in later blocks.

Date & Time block

The Date & Time block lets you create, reformat, shift, and compare dates — all without writing anything technical. Pick an operation, choose how you want the result to look, and save it to a variable.

What it can do

Operation	What it does	Example
Now	Gets the current date and time in a timezone you choose	Stamp when a request came in
Format	Reformats a date, or converts it to another timezone	Turn 2026-07-06 into Monday, 6 July 2026
Add / Subtract	Shifts a date forward or back by seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years	Add 3 days to today for a follow-up date
Difference	Works out the gap between two dates in the unit you pick	How many days until an appointment

How to set it up

1. Add a Date & Time block to your flow.
2. Choose an operation (Now, Format, Add/Subtract, or Difference).
3. Fill in the details for that operation — for example, the date to work from, how much to add, or the two dates to compare. You can type a fixed value or insert a saved answer with /.
4. Pick a format for the result from the friendly list (like 6 July 2026 or 06/07/2026), and a timezone if it matters. Leave the timezone blank to use your business's timezone.
5. Choose the variable to save the result into.
6. Later blocks can then use it — for example {{followup_date}} in a message.

tip

Use Add / Subtract to build reminder dates ("we'll check back in 3 days") and Difference to personalize urgency ("only 2 days left on your offer").

Code block

The Code block runs a small snippet of JavaScript to transform the information in your flow. Use it when the built-in blocks can't quite do the calculation you need — like scoring a lead from several answers, cleaning up a piece of text, or reshaping data before you send it on.

For developers

The Code block is the most technical block in Flows V2. If you're not comfortable with JavaScript, the Condition, Switch, and Date & Time blocks cover most needs without any code.

What your code can see

Your snippet receives a read-only snapshot of the conversation as input, including:

• input.contact — the contact you're chatting with (name, email, tags, custom fields…)
• input.variables — every answer and value you've saved so far in the flow
• input.message — the customer's most recent message
• input.steps — results from earlier blocks (like an API Executor response)

Your code simply returns a value (a number, a piece of text, or a small object). You then map that returned value into flow variables so later blocks can use it.

Two paths out

• Success — your code ran and returned a value.
• Error — something went wrong (a mistake in the code, it took too long, or the result was too large). The error message is saved so you can send a fallback or hand the chat to a person.

Test before you publish

The block has a built-in Test button: run your snippet against sample data right in the builder and see the result and how long it took, before it ever touches a real conversation.

Good to know

• The Code block is a safe sandbox — it can only work with the data in your flow. It cannot reach the internet, files, or your database. If you need to call an outside service, use the API Executor block instead.
• It's built for quick calculations: snippets run in a fraction of a second and work with a limited amount of data. Anything that runs too long or returns too much simply takes the Error path — it can never freeze a conversation.

Tips & best practices

• Reach for Date & Time first. Most date needs — reminders, deadlines, "days left" — don't need the Code block at all.
• Always wire the Error / failure path on a Code block to something useful (a friendly message or a hand-off), so a bad calculation never leaves the customer stuck.
• Save results to clearly named variables (lead_score, followup_date) so later blocks and messages are easy to read.
• Test as you build. Use the Code block's Test button and the Flow Sessions replay to confirm the numbers come out right.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to know how to code to use Flows V2?

No. The Date & Time block and every other block are no-code. The Code block is the one advanced option for people who want to write a little JavaScript — it's completely optional.

What language does the Code block use?

JavaScript. You write a short snippet that returns a value.

Can the Code block call an API or read a file?

No — it runs in a secure sandbox with no internet or file access. To call an external service, use the API Executor block, which is built for exactly that.

What timezone does the Date & Time block use?

Whatever you choose in the block. If you leave the timezone blank, it uses your business's timezone from your settings.

Where do the results go?

Both blocks save their result into a variable you choose. You can then drop that value into any later message or decision — type / to insert it.