Form expression syntax
The complete reference for writing expressions in the eMarketeer form editor — value references, operators, and functions.
An expression is a formula or logical statement that eMarketeer evaluates while someone fills in your form. Expressions power the conditional rules behind branching logic, and they can also calculate values, validate answers, and control whether a field is read-only.
You can build an expression with the visual editor (the magic wand icon) or type it directly into the Expression field. This article describes the syntax for writing expressions by hand.
Where you use expressions
Branching logic — show or hide a question, skip ahead, or complete the form early. See Form branching logic.
Calculated values — derive a value from other answers.
Validation — enforce a constraint, such as a start date that must fall before an end date.
Read-only states — make a field editable only when a condition is met.
Referencing values
Expressions read values from the form by name, wrapped in curly braces.
Question values
Most question types
{questionName}
{email}
Checkboxes, image picker, ranking (by position, zero-based)
{questionName[index]}
{q1[0]}
Multiple textboxes
{questionName.itemName}
{q1.item1}
Matrix cell values
Cell in the same row
{row.columnName}
{row.column1}
Cell in the previous row
{prevRow.columnName}
{prevRow.column1}
Cell in the next row
{nextRow.columnName}
{nextRow.column1}
Row index, all rows (starts at 1)
{rowIndex}
{rowIndex}
Row index, visible rows (starts at 1)
{visibleRowIndex}
{visibleRowIndex}
Row name or value
{rowName}
iif({rowName} = 'test', 'Yes', 'No')
Row title
{rowTitle}
Title: {rowTitle}
Cell in a single-select matrix
{matrixName.rowName}
{matrix1.row1}
Cell in a multi-select matrix
{matrixName.rowName.columnName}
{matrix1.row1.column1}
Cell in a dynamic matrix (by row index)
{matrixName[rowIndex].columnName}
{dmatrix1[0].column1}
Cell in a preceding row (offset)
{matrixName[-1].columnName}
{matrix1[-1].column1}
Total-row cell, same matrix
{totalRow.columnName}
{totalRow.column1}
Total-row cell, from another question
{matrixName-total.columnName}
{matrix1-total.column1}
Dynamic panel values
Question in the same panel
{panel.questionName}
{panel.q1}
Question in the previous panel
{prevPanel.questionName}
{prevPanel.q1}
Question in the next panel
{nextPanel.questionName}
{nextPanel.q1}
Question in the parent panel
{parentPanel.questionName}
{parentPanel.q1}
Question in a specific panel (by index)
{panelName[index].questionName}
{dpanel1[0].q1}
Question in the last panel
{panelName[-1].questionName}
{dpanel1[-1].q1}
Custom variables
Custom variables store dynamically calculated values. Reference them exactly like questions, by name in curly braces: {variableName}.
Function results
Functions return values you can use as operands. For example, dateDiff() returns a number you can compare in a validation rule.
Operators
Comparison operators
Comparisons are case-sensitive.
empty
Value is empty (undefined or null)
{q1} empty
notempty
Value is not empty
{q1} notempty
=
==, equal
Equal (ignores type)
{q1} = 10
!=
<>, notequal
Not equal
{q1} != 10
<
less
Less than
{q1} < 10
>
greater
Greater than
{q1} > 10
<=
lessorequal
Less than or equal to
{q1} <= 10
>=
greaterorequal
Greater than or equal to
{q1} >= 10
contains
*=, contain
Value or array contains the operand
{q1} contains 'abc'
notcontains
notcontain
Value or array does not contain the operand
{q1} notcontains 'abc'
anyof
Value is any of the listed values
{q1} anyof ['a', 'b']
noneof
Value is none of the listed values
{q1} noneof ['a', 'b']
allof
Value includes all of the listed values
{q1} allof ['a', 'b']
Logical operators
!
negate
Inverts a boolean result
!{q1}
&&
and
True when all conditions are true
{q1} empty and {q2} empty
||
or
True when any condition is true
{q1} empty or {q2} empty
Arithmetic operators
+
Addition
{q1} + {q2}
-
Subtraction
{q1} - {q2}
*
Multiplication
{q1} * {q2}
/
Division
{q1} / {q2}
%
Remainder (modulo)
{q1} % {q2}
^
Exponentiation (alias power)
{q1} ^ {q2}
Functions
Logical functions
iif(condition, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse) returns one of two values depending on whether the condition is true.
Date functions
age(date)
Age in years from a birthdate
age('2000-01-01')
currentDate()
Current date and time
currentDate()
today(offset)
Today's date, optionally offset by a number of days
today(-1) (yesterday)
year(date)
Year
year('2000-01-01') returns 2000
month(date)
Month, 1–12
month('2000-01-01') returns 1
day(date)
Day of the month, 1–31
day('2000-01-30') returns 30
weekday(date)
Day of the week, 0 (Sunday) to 6 (Saturday)
weekday('2000-01-01') returns 6
dateDiff(date1, date2, unit)
Difference between two dates in days, hours, minutes, seconds, months, or years
dateDiff('2000-01-01', '2000-02-01', 'days') returns 31
dateAdd(date, amount, unit)
Date with time added or subtracted, in the same units as dateDiff
dateAdd('2000-01-01', 10, 'days')
Aggregation functions
sum(...)
Sum of the values
sum(10, 20, 30, 40) returns 100
min(...)
Smallest value
min(10, 20, 30, 40) returns 10
max(...)
Largest value
max(10, 20, 30, 40) returns 40
avg(...)
Average of the values
avg(10, 20, 30, 40) returns 25
sumInArray(matrix, column, condition)
Sum of a matrix column, with an optional filter
sumInArray({matrix}, 'total', {categoryId} = 1)
minInArray(matrix, column, condition)
Smallest value in a matrix column, with an optional filter
minInArray({matrix}, 'quantity', {quantity} > 0)
maxInArray(matrix, column, condition)
Largest value in a matrix column, with an optional filter
maxInArray({matrix}, 'quantity', {quantity} < 100)
avgInArray(matrix, column, condition)
Average of a matrix column, with an optional filter
avgInArray({matrix}, 'quantity', {quantity} > 0)
countInArray(matrix, column, condition)
Count of non-empty cells in a matrix column, with an optional filter
countInArray({matrix}, 'quantity', {quantity} > 0)
What to do next
Put expressions to work in Form branching logic to show, hide, skip, or complete a form based on what respondents answer.
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