Formulas

Formulas are the power behind dynamic content in EmberBlocks. Use formulas to display calculated values, filter data, create conditional logic, and much more.

What are Formulas?

Formulas are SQL-like expressions that evaluate to dynamic values. They allow you to:

• Display data from your tables
• Perform calculations
• Create conditional logic
• Filter and aggregate data
• Format values for display

Basic Syntax

Formulas use double curly braces {{}} to reference data:

{{table.field}}           -- Reference a field from a table
{{$row.field}}            -- Current row in list context
{{$row.price * $row.qty}} -- Arithmetic expression

Field References

Table Fields

Reference fields from any table in your app:

{{customers.name}}
{{orders.total}}
{{products.price}}

Current Row

In list contexts (like a List component), use $row to reference the current row:

{{$row.name}}
{{$row.email}}
{{$row.created_at}}

Nested References

Access related data through joins:

{{$row.customer.name}}
{{$row.order.items}}

Operators

Arithmetic

Operator	Description	Example
+	Addition	{{$row.price + $row.tax}}
-	Subtraction	{{$row.total - $row.discount}}
*	Multiplication	{{$row.price * $row.quantity}}
/	Division	{{$row.total / $row.count}}

Comparison

Operator	Description	Example
=	Equal	{{$row.status = 'active'}}
!=	Not equal	{{$row.type != 'draft'}}
<	Less than	{{$row.quantity < 10}}
>	Greater than	{{$row.price > 100}}
<=	Less than or equal	{{$row.stock <= 5}}
>=	Greater than or equal	{{$row.rating >= 4}}

Logical

Operator	Description	Example
AND	Logical AND	{{$row.active AND $row.verified}}
OR	Logical OR	{{$row.admin OR $row.editor}}
NOT	Logical NOT	{{NOT $row.deleted}}

Functions

Conditional Functions

IF

Returns different values based on a condition:

IF(condition, value_if_true, value_if_false)

Examples:

IF($row.status = 'active', 'Yes', 'No')
IF($row.quantity < 10, 'Low Stock', 'In Stock')
IF($row.price > 100, 'Premium', IF($row.price > 50, 'Standard', 'Budget'))

COALESCE

Returns the first non-null value:

COALESCE(value1, value2, ...)

Example:

COALESCE($row.nickname, $row.first_name, 'Unknown')

ISNULL

Checks if a value is null:

ISNULL($row.deleted_at)  -- Returns true if deleted_at is null

Aggregation Functions

Calculate values across multiple rows:

Function	Description	Example
SUM()	Total of values	SUM(orders.total)
COUNT()	Number of rows	COUNT(orders.*)
AVG()	Average value	AVG(products.price)
MIN()	Minimum value	MIN(orders.date)
MAX()	Maximum value	MAX(products.rating)

String Functions

Function	Description	Example
CONCAT()	Join strings	CONCAT($row.first, ' ', $row.last)
UPPER()	Uppercase	UPPER($row.code)
LOWER()	Lowercase	LOWER($row.email)
TRIM()	Remove whitespace	TRIM($row.name)
SUBSTRING()	Extract portion	SUBSTRING($row.code, 0, 3)

Date Functions

Function	Description	Example
NOW()	Current date/time	NOW()
TODAY()	Current date	TODAY()
DATE_ADD()	Add to date	DATE_ADD($row.due_date, 7, 'days')
DATE_DIFF()	Difference between dates	DATE_DIFF(NOW(), $row.created_at, 'days')
FORMAT_DATE()	Format date	FORMAT_DATE($row.date, 'MMM DD, YYYY')

Type Functions

Function	Description	Example
TEXT()	Convert to text	TEXT($row.quantity)
NUMBER()	Convert to number	NUMBER($row.price_text)
DATE()	Convert to date	DATE($row.date_string)

Data Functions

FILTER

Filter rows from a table:

FILTER(table, condition)

Example:

FILTER(orders, orders.status = 'pending')
FILTER(products, products.price > 50)

LOOKUP

Find a single row matching a condition:

LOOKUP(table, condition)
LOOKUP(table, condition).field

Example:

LOOKUP(users, users.id = $row.user_id).name
LOOKUP(settings, settings.key = 'currency').value

Context Variables

Formulas have access to context variables based on where they’re used:

$row

The current row in a list context:

{{$row.id}}
{{$row.name}}
{{$row.created_at}}

$user

The current authenticated user:

{{$user.id}}
{{$user.email}}
{{$user.display_name}}

If connected to an external user table, additional fields are available:

{{$user.department}}
{{$user.manager_id}}

$app

Current app metadata:

{{$app.name}}
{{$app.id}}

$selectedRows

In list contexts with selection enabled:

COUNT($selectedRows)
SUM($selectedRows.amount)

$params

URL parameters passed to the view:

{{$params.id}}
{{$params.filter}}

Formula Contexts

Different formula locations have different available variables:

Context	Available Variables
Component visibility	All tables, $user, $app
List filter	All tables, $user, $app
List field display	All tables, $row, $user, $app
Text component	All tables, $user, $app
Button disabled	All tables, $selectedRows, $user, $app
Action parameters	All tables, $row, $selectedRows, $user, $app
Default value	All tables, $user, $app
Computed value	All tables, $row, $user, $app

Return Types

Formulas return different types depending on the expression:

Type	Description	Example
Text	String value	"Hello World"
Number	Numeric value	42, 3.14
Boolean	True/false	true, false
Date	Date value	2026-01-23
DateTime	Date and time	2026-01-23T10:30:00
Record	Single row	LOOKUP(users, ...)
Array	List of values	[1, 2, 3]
Table	List of records	FILTER(orders, ...)

Formula Editor

The formula editor provides tools to help you write formulas:

Features

• Syntax highlighting - Color-coded syntax for readability
• Auto-completion - Suggestions for tables, fields, and functions
• Inline documentation - Tooltips with function descriptions
• Validation - Real-time error checking
• Test mode - Preview formula results with sample data

Using the Editor

1. Click any formula field to open the editor
2. Type your formula or use auto-complete
3. Check the preview to verify results
4. Click Save to apply

Common Patterns

Display Full Name

CONCAT($row.first_name, ' ', $row.last_name)

Calculate Total with Tax

{{$row.subtotal * (1 + $row.tax_rate)}}

Show Status Badge Color

IF($row.status = 'active', 'green', IF($row.status = 'pending', 'yellow', 'red'))

Days Until Due

DATE_DIFF($row.due_date, TODAY(), 'days')

Filter by Current User

FILTER(tasks, tasks.assigned_to = $user.id)

Conditional Visibility

Show a component only for admins:

$user.role = 'admin'

Default Value with Current Date

TODAY()

Computed Running Total

SUM(FILTER(transactions, transactions.date <= $row.date).amount)

Best Practices

Keep Formulas Simple

• Break complex logic into smaller pieces
• Use intermediate computed fields when helpful
• Comment complex formulas in the description

Performance

• Filter data at the source when possible
• Avoid deeply nested FILTER operations
• Use indexed fields in LOOKUP conditions

Error Handling

• Use COALESCE for potentially null values
• Add ISNULL checks before operations
• Provide meaningful default values

Testing

• Test formulas with edge cases
• Verify behavior with empty data
• Check date formulas across time zones

Troubleshooting

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
”Field not found”	Typo in field name	Check spelling and table reference
”Type mismatch”	Wrong data type	Use type conversion functions
”Null reference”	Accessing null value	Add COALESCE or null check
”Syntax error”	Invalid formula syntax	Check parentheses and operators

Debugging Tips

1. Test small parts of the formula first
2. Use the formula preview with sample data
3. Check that all referenced tables are available
4. Verify field types match expected operations

Next Steps

Now that you understand formulas, explore:

• Actions - Use formulas in action parameters
• Components - Apply formulas to component settings
• Data Sources - Understand your data structure