a!customFieldDateDiff() Function

Function

a!customFieldDateDiff( startDate, endDate, interval )

Used to create a custom record field, this function returns the difference between two dates as a Number (Integer). The difference can be returned in days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Returns null when the startDate or endDate is null or empty.

Parameters

Keyword	Type	Description
`startDate`	Any Type	The record field or expression that evaluates to a Date or Date and Time value to use in the date subtraction.
`endDate`	Any Type	The record field or expression that evaluates to a Date or Date and Time value to use in the date subtraction.
`interval`	Text	Determines whether the difference is calculated in days, hours, minutes, or seconds. Valid values are "DAY" (default), "HOUR", "MINUTE", "SECOND".

Usage considerations

Where to use this function

The a!customFieldDateDiff() function can only be used to create a custom record field that evaluates in real time. This means you can reference related record fields, constants, and other supported functions in your calculations.

By default, this function is used in the Date Difference template. You can also use this function when you write your own custom record field expression that evaluates in real-time.

To create a custom record field that evaluates in real-time:

In your record type, go to Data Model.
Click NEW CUSTOM RECORD FIELD.
From SELECT A TEMPLATE, choose Write Your Own Expression.
Choose Real-time evaluation.
Click NEXT.
Enter an expression using any Custom Field function.

Note: Custom record fields that evaluate in real-time must use at least one Custom Field function.
Click NEXT.
Enter a Name for your custom record field.
Click CREATE.
Click SAVE CHANGES. The new custom record field appears in your list of fields.

Using the startDate and endDate parameters

By default, the startDate parameter is subtracted from the endDate parameter. This means that if the startDate is 12/1/2022 and the endDate is 12/10/2022, the resulting value would be 9 days.

You can use the following values in the startDate and endDate parameters:

Record field or related record fields of type Date or Date and Time. Use the recordType! domain to reference your fields. For example, recordType!Case.fields.submittedDate.
Relative date and time functions, like today() or now().

Note: You cannot use a relative date and time function in both parameters.
Constants.

If either parameter is null or empty, a null value is returned.

Example

See the Date Difference template for an example.

Supported functions

In addition to record fields, related record fields, and other custom record fields, you reference any of the following supported functions in the interval parameter of a!customFieldDateDiff(). This allows you to use functions like if() or not() to determine which interval value to return.

Category	Function	Description
Array	a!flatten()	Converts an array that contains other arrays into an array of single items.
Array	a!update()	Inserts new values or replaces existing values at the specified index or field name and returns the resulting updated data.
Array	append()	Appends a value or values to the given array, and returns the resulting array.
Array	index()	Returns the data[index] if it is valid or else returns the default value.
Array	insert()	Inserts a value into the given array and returns the resulting array.
Array	joinarray()	Concatenates the elements of an array together into one string and inserts a string separator between each element.
Array	ldrop()	Drops a given number of values from the left side of an array and returns the resulting array.
Array	length()	This function returns the number of elements in an array.
Array	rdrop()	Drops a given number of values from the right side of an array, and returns the resulting array.
Array	remove()	Removes the value at a given index from an array, and returns the resulting array.
Array	reverse()	Returns an array in reverse order.
Array	updatearray()	Inserts new values or modifies existing values at the specified index of a given array, and returns the resulting array.
Array	where()	Returns the indices where the values in the input array are true.
Array	wherecontains()	Receives one or more values and returns an array of indices that indicate the position of the values within the array.
Base Conversion	bin2dec()	Converts a Binary number as text to a Decimal number.
Base Conversion	bin2hex()	Converts a Binary number as text to a Hex number as text.
Base Conversion	bin2oct()	Converts a Binary number as text to an Octal number as text.
Base Conversion	dec2bin()	Converts a Decimal number to a Binary number as text.
Base Conversion	dec2hex()	Converts a Decimal number to a Binary number as text.
Base Conversion	dec2oct()	Converts a Decimal number to an Octal number as text.
Base Conversion	hex2bin()	Converts a Hex number as text to a Binary number as text.
Base Conversion	hex2dec()	Converts a Hex number as text to a Decimal number.
Base Conversion	hex2oct()	Converts a Hex number as text to an Octal number as text.
Base Conversion	oct2bin()	Converts an Octal number as text to a Binary number as text.
Base Conversion	oct2dec()	Converts an Octal number as text to a Decimal number.
Base Conversion	oct2hex()	Converts an Octal number as text to a Hex number as text.
Conversion	displayvalue()	Tries to match a value in a given array with a value at the same index in a replacement array and returns either the value at the same index or a default value if the value is not found.
Conversion	externalize()	Converts the given value to a string representation so that it can be saved externally.
Conversion	toboolean()	Converts a value to Boolean.
Conversion	todate()	Converts a value to Date with Timezone.
Conversion	todatetime()	Converts a value to Date and Time.
Conversion	todecimal()	Converts a value to Decimal (double precision floating point).
Conversion	toemailaddress()	Converts a value to email address.
Conversion	tointeger()	Converts a value to Integer.
Conversion	tointervalds()	Converts a value to Interval (Day to Second).
Conversion	tostring()	Converts a value to Text.
Conversion	totime()	Converts a value to Time.
Conversion	touniformstring()	Converts a value to Text, preserving the original scalar or array structure.
Date and Time	a!addDateTime()	Adds the specified increments of time to the startDateTime and returns a date and time value. You can select a process calendar to ensure the return value falls within the specified working days and time.
Date and Time	calisworkday()	This returns whether or not the given Date and Time is a work day, according to the calendar defined for the system.
Date and Time	calisworktime()	This returns whether or not the given Date and Time is within working hours, according to the calendars defined for the system.
Date and Time	calworkdays()	This returns the actual number of work days between two Date and Times (both inclusive), according to the calendar defined for the system.
Date and Time	calworkhours()	This returns the actual number of work hours between two given Date and Times (both inclusive), according to the calendar defined for the system.
Date and Time	date()	Converts text into data accepted by the date data type and functions that require date parameters.
Date and Time	datetime()	Converts the given Date and Time into a serial number that holds the Date and Time data type.
Date and Time	datevalue()	Converts a value to a date.
Date and Time	day()	Returns the day of the month from the day specified.
Date and Time	dayofyear()	Returns the day number within the year.
Date and Time	days360()	Returns the number of days between two dates, based on a 360-day calendar.
Date and Time	daysinmonth()	Returns the number of days in the given month in the given year.
Date and Time	edate()	Returns the date that is the number of months before or after the given starting date.
Date and Time	eomonth()	Returns the date for the last day of the month that is the number of months before or after the given starting date.
Date and Time	gmt()	Subtracts a time zone offset from a given Date and Time.
Date and Time	hour()	Returns the hour from the time specified.
Date and Time	intervalds()	Converts the given time components into an equivalent time duration, an interval expressing days to seconds. This value is treated as a duration (Joe ran the marathon in 3 hours and 23 minutes), not a point in time.
Date and Time	isleapyear()	Returns a Boolean value for whether the given year is a leap year.
Date and Time	lastndays()	Returns a Boolean value for whether the given date is within the last given number of days.
Date and Time	local()	This is a Date and Time addition function, adding time zone offset to given Date and Time.
Date and Time	milli()	This function returns the millisecond portion of a timestamp or the decimal number that represents 1 millisecond in days.
Date and Time	minute()	Returns the minute from the time specified.
Date and Time	month()	Returns the month from the specified date.
Date and Time	networkdays()	Returns the number of working days between two specified dates.
Date and Time	now()	Returns the current Date and Time as a serial number.
Date and Time	second()	Returns the seconds from the specified time.
Date and Time	a!subtractDateTime()	Subtracts the specified increments of time from the startDateTime and returns a date and time value. You can select a process calendar to ensure the return value falls within the specified working days and time.
Date and Time	time()	Converts the given time into an equivalent time value.
Date and Time	timevalue()	Converts the given time into an equivalent interval.
Date and Time	timezone()	Returns the default offset in minutes from GMT, which is generally the process initiator's time zone.
Date and Time	timezoneid()	Returns the time zone ID for the current context.
Date and Time	today()	Returns the current day in GMT.
Date and Time	weekday()	Returns the day of the week of the specified date.
Date and Time	weeknum()	Returns the week number within the year for the given date using a given methodology.
Date and Time	workday()	Returns the date the given number of workdays before or after the given date.
Date and Time	year()	Returns the year for the date specified.
Date and Time	yearfrac()	Determine the fraction of the year.
Informational	a!defaultValue()	Returns a default value when the specified value is null or empty. When there are multiple default parameters, each parameter is evaluated in order and the first non-null and non-empty default will be returned. `Null`, `""`, and `{}` are all considered null or empty values.
Informational	a!keys()	Returns the keys of the provided map, dictionary, CDT, or record.
Informational	a!listType()	Returns the list type number for a given type number.
Conversion	cast()	Converts a value from its existing type to the specified type.
Informational	error()	Raises an error with the given message, used for invalidating execution.This function never returns a value.
Informational	infinity()	Represents a constant number that stands for positive infinity or a negative infinity if you negate the value.
Informational	isinfinite()	Tests given numbers against positive and negative infinity, returning `true` if the number is infinite, `false` if the number is not infinite.
Informational	isnegativeinfinity()	Tests given numbers against negative infinity, returning true if number is negative infinity, false if number is not negative infinity.
Informational	a!isNotNullOrEmpty()	Returns `false` if the value is null, an empty string, or an empty list. Otherwise returns `true`.
Informational	isnull()	Returns true if value is null, false otherwise.
Informational	a!isNullOrEmpty()	Returns `true` if the value is null, an empty string, or an empty list. Otherwise returns `false`.
Informational	ispositiveinfinity()	Tests given numbers against positive infinity, returning `true` if the numbers are positive infinity, false if the numbers are not positive infinity.
Informational	nan()	Constant number representing Not A Number, generally used for comparison to the result of mathematical operations with invalid inputs. This is equivalent to a decimal (floating point) null, but nan() is provided for more explicit usage in mathematical expressions.
Informational	null()	Returns a null value.
Informational	runtimetypeof()	Returns the numerical representation of an Appian system data type when used during process execution.
Informational	typename()	Returns the type name of a given type number.
Informational	typeof()	Returns the type number of a given value.
Logical	and()	Returns `true` if all inputs are `true`; returns `false` if at least one input is false.
Logical	choose()	Evaluates the `choice` argument at the given `index` and returns the result.
Logical	false()	Returns the Boolean value `false`.
Logical	if()	Returns `valueIfTrue` if `condition` returns `true`; returns `valueIfFalse` otherwise.
Logical	not()	Converts `true` into `false`, and `false` into `true`.
Logical	or()	Returns `true` if any inputs are `true`; returns `false` if all inputs are `false`.
Logical	true()	Returns the Boolean value `true`.
Looping	a!forEach()	Evaluates an expression for each item in a list and returns a new array of the results.
Looping	all()	Calls a rule or function that returns either true or false for each item in list, asks the question, "Do all items in this list yield true for this rule/function?", and returns true if all items in list evaluates to true.
Looping	any()	Calls a rule or function that returns either true or false for each item in list by asking the question, "Do any items in this list yield true for this rule/function?" with the intent to discover if any item(s) yield true.
Looping	apply()	Calls a rule or function for each item in a list, and provides any contexts specified.
Looping	filter()	Calls a predicate for each item in a list and returns any items for which the returned value is true.
Looping	merge()	Takes a variable number of lists and merges them into a single list (or a list of lists) that is the size of the largest list provided.
Looping	none()	Calls a rule or function that returns either true or false for each item in list by asking the question, "Do all items in this list yield false for this rule/function?" with the intent to discover if no items will yield true.
Looping	reduce()	Calls a rule or function for each item in a list, passing the result of each call to the next one, and returns the value of the last computation.
Looping	reject()	Calls a predicate for each item in a list, rejects any items for which the returned value is true, and returns all remaining items.
Mathematical	abs()	Returns the absolute value(s) of the specified number(s).
Mathematical	ceiling()	Rounds the number up to the nearest multiple of the specified significance.
Mathematical	combin()	Calculates the number of unique ways to choose m elements from a pool of n elements.
Mathematical	a!distanceBetween()	Returns the distance between the two locations (in meters) specified by the start and end coordinates. The distance is calculated by tracing a line between the two locations that follows the curvature of the Earth, and measuring the length of the resulting arc.
Mathematical	e()	Returns the value of e.
Mathematical	enumerate()	Returns a list of integer numbers from 0 through n-1.
Mathematical	even()	Rounds positive numbers up to nearest even integer and negative numbers down to the nearest even integer.
Mathematical	exp()	Returns e raised to the specified power.
Mathematical	fact()	The factorial of specified number.
Mathematical	factdouble()	The double factorial of specified number (mathematically n!!).
Mathematical	floor()	Rounds the number down to the nearest multiple of the specified significance.
Mathematical	int()	Rounds the specified number down to the nearest integer.
Mathematical	ln()	Returns the natural logarithm of the specified number, which is the power that e must be raised to in order to equal the specified number.
Mathematical	log()	Returns the logarithm of the number using the specified base, which is the power that base must be raised to, to equal the number.
Mathematical	mod()	Returns the remainder of dividend when divided by the divisor.
Mathematical	mround()	Rounds the number to the specified multiple.
Mathematical	multinomial()	Adds the specified integers and divides the factorial of the sum by the factorial of the individual numbers.
Mathematical	odd()	Rounds positive numbers up to nearest odd integer and negative numbers down to the nearest odd integer.
Mathematical	pi()	Returns the value of pi.
Mathematical	power()	Returns the base number raised to the specified exponent.
Mathematical	product()	Returns the product of the specified numbers.
Mathematical	quotient()	Returns the quotient when numerator is divided by the denominator, and drops the remainder.
Mathematical	rand()	Returns a random number between 0 and 1 based on an even probability distribution, which is seeded by the transaction time.
Mathematical	round()	Rounds off the number to the specified number of digits.
Mathematical	rounddown()	Rounds the number down to the specified digit.
Mathematical	roundup()	Rounds the number up to the specified digit.
Mathematical	sign()	Returns the number divided by its absolute value, which is 1 if the number is positive and -1 if the number is negative.
Mathematical	sqrt()	Returns the square root(s) of the specified number(s).
Mathematical	sqrtpi()	Multiplies the number by pi, then returns the square root of the product.
Mathematical	sum()	Returns the sum of the specified numbers.
Mathematical	sumsq()	Squares each number and then returns the sum of the squares.
Mathematical	trunc()	Truncates a decimal number to the specified number of places after the decimal point.
Scripting	offsetFromGMT()	Returns the offset (in minutes) from GMT of the given date and timezone.
Scripting	property()	This function extracts a bean's property under a given key name (the `nameOfProperty` parameter).
Array	contains()	Checks whether an array contains the value.
Array	difference()	Returns the values in array1 and not in array2.
Array	intersection()	Returns only those elements that appear in all of the given arrays.
Array	symmetricdifference()	Returns the values unique to two arrays but are not in the intersection of them.
Array	union()	Returns all unique elements from the given arrays.
System	a!jsonPath()	Finds information in a JSON string. JSONPath is used to navigate through elements and attributes in a JSON string.
System	a!map()	Creates a map of values (Any Type) with each value stored at the corresponding string key. Values stored in maps are not wrapped in variants.
Text	char()	Converts a number into its Unicode character equivalent.
Text	charat()	Returns the character at given index within specified string.
Text	clean()	Returns the specified text, minus any characters not considered printable. Printable characters are the 95 printable ASCII characters plus three special characters: BACKSPACE (0x08), TAB (0x09), and NEWLINE (0x0a).
Text	cleanwith()	Returns the specified text, minus any characters not in the list of valid characters.
Text	code()	Converts the text into Unicode integers.
Text	concat()	Concatenates the specified strings into one string, without a separator.
Text	exact()	Compares two given text strings in a case-sensitive manner, returning true only if they are exactly the same.
Text	extract()	Returns the value (or values, if the text contains multiple delimited values) between the delimiters from the given text.
Text	extractanswers()	Returns an array of strings that respond to the questions provided.
Text	find()	Returns index location of case-sensitive substring with given string.
Text	fixed()	Rounds the specified number off to a certain number of decimals and returns it as text, with optional commas.
Text	initials()	Returns only the uppercase characters from within the given text.
Text	insertkey()	Returns the provided text, wrapped with the specified delimiters.
Text	insertkeyval()	Returns the provided key-value pairs, wrapped with the specified delimiters.
Text	insertquestions()	Returns an array of questions with a ==EOQ== at the end, returning a single string that can be parsed with `extractanswers()` function after it has been filled in by a user.
Text	keyval()	Returns the value(s) associated with the given key(s).
Text	left()	Returns a specified number of characters from the text, starting from the first character.
Text	leftb()	Returns a specified number of bytes from the text, starting from the first byte.
Text	len()	Returns the length in characters of the text.
Text	lenb()	Returns the length in bytes of the text.
Text	like()	Tests whether a string of text is like a given pattern.
Text	lower()	Converts all characters in the text into lowercase (Unicode case folding).
Text	mid()	Returns a substring from the middle of the specified text.
Text	midb()	Returns a substring from the middle of the specified text.
Text	padleft()	Pads text with spaces on the left so that it is a certain length.
Text	padright()	Pads text with spaces on the right so that it is a certain length.
Text	proper()	Converts each character in the text into proper case, meaning it will capitalize the first first letter of every word and convert the rest into lowercase.
Text	replace()	Replaces a piece of the specified text with new text.
Text	replaceb()	Replaces a piece of the specified text with new text.
Text	rept()	Concatenates the text to itself a specified number of times and returns the result.
Text	resource()	Retrieves a string of translated text appropriate for the current user, according to their language preference, by matching a given key with text.
Text	right()	Returns a specified number of characters from the text, starting from the last character.
Text	search()	Searches the text for a particular substring, returning the positional index of the first character of the first match.
Text	searchb()	Searches the text for a particular substring, returning the positional index of the first byte of the first match.
Text	soundex()	Returns the soundex code, used to render similar sounding names via phonetic similarities into identical four (4) character codes.
Text	split()	Splits text into a list of text elements, delimited by the text specified in the separator.
Text	strip()	Returns the provided text, minus any characters considered printable. Printable characters are the 95 printable ASCII characters plus three special characters: BACKSPACE (0x08), TAB (0x09), and NEWLINE (0x0a).
Text	stripHtml()	Changes the provided HTML string into a plain text string by converting `<br>`, `<p>`, and `<div>` to line breaks, stripping all other tags, and converting escaped characters into their display values.
Text	stripwith()	The function returns the provided text, minus any characters on the list of invalid characters.
Text	substitute()	Substitutes a specific part of a string with another string.
Text	toHtml()	Converts a string in plain text to the HTML equivalent that displays appropriately in an HTML page, by replacing reserved characters with their escaped counterparts.
Text	trim()	Removes all unnecessary spaces from the text.
Text	upper()	Converts all letters in the text into uppercase.
Text	value()	Converts text representing a number into an actual number or datetime.
Trigonometry	acos()	Returns the arccosine(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	acosh()	Returns the hyperbolic arccosine(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	asin()	Returns the arcsine(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	asinh()	Returns the hyperbolic arcsine(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	atan()	Returns the arctangent(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	atanh()	Returns the hyperbolic arctangent(s) of the specified number(s) in radians.
Trigonometry	cos()	Returns the cosine(s) of the specified number(s).
Trigonometry	cosh()	Returns the hyperbolic cosine(s) of the specified number(s).
Trigonometry	degrees()	Converts the measure(s) of the specified angle(s) from radians to degrees.
Trigonometry	radians()	Converts the measure of the specified angle from degrees to radians.
Trigonometry	sin()	Returns the sine(s) of the specified number(s).
Trigonometry	sinh()	Returns the hyperbolic sine(s) of the specified number(s).
Trigonometry	tan()	Returns the tangent(s) of the specified number(s).
Trigonometry	tanh()	Returns the hyperbolic tangent(s) of the specified number(s).

Feature compatibility

The table below lists this function's compatibility with various features in Appian.

Feature	Compatibility	Note
Portals	Partially compatible	Can be used with Appian Portals if it is connected using an integration and web API.
Offline Mobile	Incompatible
Sync-Time Custom Record Fields	Incompatible
Real-Time Custom Record Fields	Compatible	Can only be used to create a custom record field that evaluates in real time. It cannot be used anywhere else in your application.
Process Reports	Incompatible	You cannot use this function to configure a process report.
Process Events	Incompatible	You cannot use this function to configure a process event node, such as a start event or timer event.

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