Documentation Index
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DocPipe templates pull data from earlier nodes into the configuration of later ones. Wherever you see a field that accepts {{ ... }} (callback URL, HTTP body, email subject, transform output, validation rule), you can reference an upstream value, index into arrays, transform it with filters, or insert a built-in helper.
Basic syntax
A template expression has three parts: a path, optional filters, and the surrounding {{ }} markers.
{{ path | filter | filter }}
{{ ... }} token.
Path
A path is a dotted identifier, optionally with array indices.
| Form | What it resolves to |
|---|
{{nodeName}} | The full output of the named upstream node, as JSON |
{{nodeName.payload.field}} | A field inside that node’s output |
{{nodeName.payload.items[0].sku}} | The first element of an array, then a field inside it |
{{nodeName.payload.items[-1]}} | The last element of an array (negative index counts from the end) |
{ success, payload, metadata, error }. Paths are case sensitive and may use letters, digits, and underscores.
Each node in the editor has a Name field. Default names are auto-assigned (extract, extract2, vars, etc.) but you can rename a node to anything that’s unique within the pipeline. Whatever name you pick is the identifier used at the head of every template expression.
Built-in placeholders
These resolve from the run context:
| Placeholder | Value |
|---|
{{documentId}} | The current document’s ID |
{{organizationId}} | The owning organization’s ID |
{{pipeId}} | The current pipe’s ID |
{{nodeId}} | The current node’s ID |
Built-in helpers
These produce a value at the time the template is evaluated.
| Helper | Returns |
|---|
{{now}} | Current UTC datetime as ISO 8601 (yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ) |
{{today}} | Current UTC date (yyyy-MM-dd) |
{{nowUnix}} | Current Unix epoch seconds |
{{uuid}} | A new UUID v7 (time-ordered) |
{{now | formatDate: 'yyyy-MM-dd'}}.
Filters
Add a filter with the pipe character: {{ value | filter }}. Filters with arguments use a colon: {{ value | filter: 'arg1', 'arg2' }}. You can chain as many filters as you need, applied left to right.
Filter arguments
Each argument is one of:
| Form | Example | Notes |
|---|
| Number literal | {{count | add: 5}} | -3.14, 1e6, etc. |
| Quoted string | {{name | concat: '!'}} | Single or double quotes |
true, false, null | {{value | default: null}} | Bare keywords |
| Path reference | {{payload.terms | div: payload.divisor}} | Resolved against the same upstream context as the head expression |
identifier(.identifier|[N])*). The runtime resolves them at filter-application time, so they can reference upstream node fields (extract.payload.divisor), built-in helpers ({{end | dateDiff: 'days', start}}), or array elements ({{items[0] | concat: items[1]}}). If the path resolves to a type that doesn’t match what the filter expects (e.g., div argument resolves to a string), the editor flags it before the run starts.
String filters
| Filter | Example | Result |
|---|
upper | {{name | upper}} | ALICE |
lower | {{name | lower}} | alice |
trim | {{ ' alice ' | trim}} | alice |
replace: 'from', 'to' | {{name | replace: 'a', '@'}} | @lice |
substring: start, length? | {{name | substring: 0, 3}} | Ali |
split: separator | {{tags | split: ','}} | ["a","b","c"] |
concat: 'suffix' | {{name | concat: '!'}} | Alice! |
contains: 'needle' | {{name | contains: 'lic'}} | true |
Number filters
| Filter | Example | Result |
|---|
round: digits? | {{3.14159 | round: 2}} | 3.14 |
ceil | {{3.2 | ceil}} | 4 |
floor | {{3.8 | floor}} | 3 |
abs | {{-5 | abs}} | 5 |
add: n | {{5 | add: 3}} | 8 |
sub: n | {{5 | sub: 3}} | 2 |
mul: n | {{5 | mul: 3}} | 15 |
div: n | {{6 | div: 3}} | 2 |
Array filters
| Filter | Example |
|---|
length | {{items | length}} |
first | {{items | first}} |
last | {{items | last}} |
join: separator | {{tags | join: ', '}} |
sum | {{prices | sum}} |
avg | {{prices | avg}} |
min | {{prices | min}} |
max | {{prices | max}} |
unique | {{tags | unique}} |
sort | {{prices | sort}} |
Date filters
Operate on ISO 8601 strings (or anything that can be parsed as one).
| Filter | Example | Result |
|---|
formatDate: '...' | {{now | formatDate: 'yyyy-MM-dd'}} | 2026-04-28 |
addDays: n | {{today | addDays: 7}} | 2026-05-05T00:00:00Z |
subDays: n | {{today | subDays: 1}} | 2026-04-27T00:00:00Z |
dateDiff: unit, otherDate | {{end | dateDiff: 'days', '{{start}}'}} | 5 |
formatDate uses .NET-style format strings. Common patterns: yyyy-MM-dd, yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssZ, MM/dd/yyyy, HH:mm.
General filters
| Filter | Example | Notes |
|---|
default: 'fallback' | {{maybeMissing | default: 'n/a'}} | Substitutes when the value is null or empty |
json | {{payload | json}} | Stringify the value as JSON |
escape | {{name | escape}} | HTML-escape a string |
Type-aware autocomplete
When you type inside a {{ ... }} field in a node editor, DocPipe suggests:
- Upstream node fields at the start of the expression (after
{{)
- Built-in helpers (
now, today, uuid, nowUnix) alongside fields
- Filters after a
|, scoped to the type of the preceding value (an array path shows length, first, join; a string path shows upper, lower, trim)
- Filter arguments as snippet placeholders you can tab through
Unknown filter names render with a red squiggle and surface as a validation error on the node.
Inside JSON bodies
When you write a template inside a JSON value position, like "qty": "{{payload.qty}}", DocPipe emits the resolved value as raw JSON so types are preserved. A number stays unquoted, an object stays structured, an array stays an array.
{
"amount": "{{payload.amount | round: 2}}",
"lines": "{{payload.lineItems}}"
}
{
"amount": 3.14,
"lines": [{ "sku": "A1", "qty": 2 }]
}
Filter arguments inside a JSON-position template should use single quotes ('a') rather than double quotes, to avoid clashing with the surrounding JSON string.
Common recipes
Last item from an extracted line items array, with a fallback:
{{extract.payload.lineItems[-1].sku | default: 'no-sku'}}
{{extract.payload.amounts | sum | round: 2}}
yyyy-MM-dd string:
{{today | addDays: 30 | formatDate: 'yyyy-MM-dd'}}
{{extract.metadata | json}}
{{extract.payload.tags | join: ', ' | upper}}
When a template doesn’t resolve
If the path can’t be resolved (the field is missing, the upstream node didn’t run, the index is out of bounds), DocPipe substitutes an empty string. Use default: '...' to provide a fallback.
If the filter name is unknown or a filter call is malformed (wrong arg count, bad argument type), the substitution yields an empty string and the node surfaces a validation error.
