Create your own formulas: use the correct JavaScript syntax for each type of calculated element

With AODocs, you can automatically calculate the following elements in your documents:

• calculated properties: values of any type of custom property
• calculated settings, which make custom properties mandatory or hidden 
• calculated titles

Note: Calculated settings are currently in private beta. To request access to the private beta, reach out to us: aodocs-beta@aodocs.com.

These elements can be calculated using formulas that can include references to other elements, thereby creating dependencies between your properties, settings and titles. Library administrators can create calculated elements in any type of library.

Before you use this article, you should:

• be familiar with the basics – learn more: Calculated elements: the basics
• know how to create and configure calculated elements in the library configuration
• be at ease with building simple formulas with copied code snippets – learn more: Getting started with formulas for calculated elements
• have experience adding entity references to your formulas and playing with entity references in JavaScript
• be familiar with the JavaScript programming language, conforming to the ECMAScript® 2019 specification

This article explains the JavaScript syntax you can use in each type of calculated element. It also provides examples of the corresponding calculated values you can expect.

Use this article alongside the article Create your own formulas: play with entity references in JavaScript to learn how to be creative with your calculated elements according to your specific business needs.

Note about different types of JavaScript syntax

Calculated String or Text properties and calculated titles

Calculated Integer properties

Calculated Decimal properties

Calculated Boolean properties and calculated settings

Calculated Date, Date&Time or Time properties

Calculated Category properties

Calculated Person properties

Calculated URL properties

Note about different types of JavaScript syntax

In the examples we give in our articles about calculated elements (learn more: Getting started with formulas for calculated elements), we use two types of JavaScript syntax:

• single expression
• multiple instructions, wrapped in an arrow function

You can use either in your calculated properties, but we recommended taking account of the following considerations.

General rule: the JavaScript code defining a formula must be made of one, and only one, expression. 

This means that:

• if your logic can be expressed in a single expression, you can type it directly in the formula builder, for example:

property`Project name`+' - '+sequenceId`document`

• if your code requires additional instructions (such as when processing dates), you should wrap all your statements in an arrow function definition (() => { ... }), and call it right after the definition with an arrow function call ():

(() => {
const d=new Date(property`Publication date`)
const yyyy=d.getFullYear(),
const mm=`${d.getMonth()+1}`. padStart(2,'0')
const dd=`${d.getDate()}`.padStart( 2,'0')
return `${mm}/${dd}/${yyyy}`
})()

However, you can play with JavaScript to combine these multiple instructions into a single expression on a single line: 

`${`${(new Date(property`Publication date`)) .getMonth()+1}`. padStart(2,'0') }/${`${(new Date(property`Publication date`)) .getDate()}`.padStart( 2,'0') }/${(new Date(property`Publication date`)).getFullYear()}` 

You can then enter this directly in the formula builder without using the arrow function definition. 

We recommend using the arrow function definition because with the single-line expression: 

• there's a lot of repetition, which is not good practice; in our example new Date(property`Publication date`) is repeated three times
• the expression is long, which makes it difficult to read and debug

But it's your choice! 

Calculated String or Text properties and calculated titles

String and Text properties, and also calculated titles, accept as input:

• Strings
• Integers
• Decimals
• Booleans

They also support simple math calculations, which are evaluated when the formula is calculated and the result of which is displayed. Learn more: Use simple math calculations.

Below are some supported JavaScript expressions with their expected values.

Calculated Integer properties

The nominal expected value is a JavaScript Number, but a best effort is made to also map String types. 

Below are some supported JavaScript expressions with their expected integer values.

Calculated Decimal properties

The nominal expected value is a JavaScript Number, but a best effort is made to also map String types. 

Below are some supported JavaScript expressions with their expected decimal values.

Calculated Boolean properties and calculated settings

For Boolean properties and calculated settings, the nominal expected value is a JavaScript Boolean, but a best effort is made to also map String types. 

Below are some supported JavaScript expressions with their expected boolean values.

Calculated Date, Date&Time or Time properties

The nominal expected values are either JavaScript Date or Number. Strings are not supported. 

Notes:
– Dates and times are given in Epoch milliseconds (the number of milliseconds since January 1, 1970, 00:00:00 UTC).
– Months in JavaScript start at zero: January is 0, February is 1, and so on. Learn more: Extract the month.
–  Date properties must use a value that corresponds to midnight UTC, otherwise an error occurs.
– The display of dates varies according to the user's locale. For example, en_GB, en_US and fr_FR all display dates differently.

Below are some supported JavaScript expressions with their expected Date values.

JavaScript expression	JavaScript type	Value of calculated property	Comment
	Date	AODocs Date property:	JavaScript Date
483211100000	Number	AODocs Date&Time property: Value: April 24, 1985 7:18 PM	AODocs translates the number into a JavaScript Date
1607544327000	Number	AODocs Time property: Value: 8:05 PM	AODocs translates the number into a JavaScript Date
new Date(2015,3,1)	Date	AODocs Date&Time property: Value: April 1, 2015 12:00 AM Note: If you don't indicate time in the code, the time defaults to 12 AM UTC (or 12 AM UTC plus however many hours ahead of UTC your timezone is).	JavaScript Date
new Date(2015,3,1,10,30)	Date	AODocs Date&Time property: Value: April 1, 2015 10:30 PM	JavaScript Date

Calculated Category properties

The nominal expected value is a String equal to the selected category value ID. 

Calculated Person properties