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a!flatten() Function

Function

a!flatten( array )

Converts an array that contains other arrays into an array of single items.

Parameters

Keyword Type Description

array

Any Type Array

Array to be flattened.

Returns

Any Type Array

Usage considerations

Understanding results

a!flatten() removes nesting from arrays, such as those created by looping functions. When passed a simple array, a!flatten() returns it unmodified.

Nulls are not removed from lists. Use reject() and isnull() to easily remove nulls from a flattened list.

a!flatten() always returns an array, so when passed a single item, a!flatten() returns an array containing that item.

When passed an empty or null array, a!flatten() returns an empty array.

If the array's type is Any Type, a!flatten() returns an array of the appropriate type.

Examples

Remove nesting from arrays

If you use a!forEach() to iterate over a list of items, it will return a nested list of arrays. For example:

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a!forEach(
  items: {1, 2, 3},
  expression: enumerate(fv!item)
)

Returns a three-item list consisting of {0}, {0, 1}, and {0, 1, 2}.

You can use a!flatten() to remove the nesting and return a single array. For example:

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a!flatten(
  a!forEach(
    items: {1, 2, 3},
    expression: enumerate(fv!item)
  )
)

Returns {0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 2}.

Only array nesting is removed when using a!flatten. Nested maps, dictionaries, and other data types retain their structure. For example, flattening an array containing a nested array of maps and a map with a nested map:

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a!flatten(
  {
    {
      a!map(id: 1), 
      a!map(id: 2),
    },
    a!map(
      id: 3,
      address: a!map(street: "Main Street", number: 101)
    )
  }
)

Returns a three-item list of maps. The nested map structure is unaffected:

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{
  a!map(id: 1),
  a!map(id: 2),
  a!map(id: 3, address: a!map(street: "Main Street", number: 101))
}

Retain data types

a!flatten() retains the data type of each array item.

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typename(
  typeof(
    a!flatten(
      a!map
        data: {1, 2, 3}
      ).data
    )
  )
)

Returns a list of integers.

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typename(
  typeof(
    a!flatten(
      a!map
        data: {1, 2, "a"}
      ).data
    )
  )
)

Returns list of variant types because the flattened array includes two numbers and a text string.

Feature compatibility

The table below lists this function's compatibility with various features in Appian.
Feature Compatibility Note
Portals Compatible
Offline Mobile Compatible
Sync-Time Custom Record Fields Compatible

Can be used to create a custom record field that only evaluates at sync time.

Real-Time Custom Record Fields Incompatible

Custom record fields that evaluate in real time must be configured using one or more Custom Field functions.

Process Reports Incompatible

Cannot be used to configure a process report.

Process Events Incompatible

Cannot be used to configure a process event node, such as a start event or timer event.

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