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NOTICEXanoScript is in beta and it is strongly recommended that you do not use it in production at this time.While there should be significant parity between the visual builder and XanoScript, we are still fine-tuning and adjusting XanoScript, and breaking changes may be introduced.

Introduction

Key Concepts

XanoScript - Database

XanoScript - Functions and APIs

XanoScript - Background Tasks

XanoScript Function Reference

XanoScript Filter Reference

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Core Data Types

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Numbers

IntegersWhole numbers like 1, 2, 3, and -5
-5

3

2

1
DecimalsNumbers with fractional parts like 1.23, 0.5, -10.7
-10.7

0.5

1.23

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Text

Simple TextText must be wrapped in double or single quotes.
"Hello"

'Hello'
Alternative text syntax if you need a line with the triple double quotes
var $x1 {
  value = '''
    here is some text
    """
    here is another line of text
      here is text indented
    here is more text
    '''
}
Escaping QuotesEscape characters are required when using single or double quotes inside of a text string.
'This has a \'quoted\' word inside it'

"This has a \"quoted\" word inside it"
Complex Data Types (JSON)XanoScript automatically chooses the most readable quote style for your text. It uses double quotes by default, but switches to single quotes when your text contains double quotes (like JSON data). This makes JSON strings much cleaner and easier to read in your code.This is problematic and hard to read.
"{\"name\":\"John\",\"age\":30}"
This is how XanoScript handles it.
'{"name":"John","age":30}'
Multiline TextXanoScript supports multiline text using triple quotes ("""). This allows you to write text across multiple lines without needing escape characters for line breaks.The indentation of the closing """ determines the common whitespace that is removed from each line of the text. This is similar to multiline string handling in YAML, and it allows you to maintain the text block’s position within your code without needing to left-align every line.
var $x1 {
    value = """
        here is some text
        here is another line of text
            here is text indented
        here is more text
    """
}
Important: Multiline text defined using """ cannot be used directly with filters or transformations. If you need to apply filters or transformations to multiline text, you must use escaped line break characters () instead."Dear John,\nYour order will arrive by Friday.\nRegards,\nCustomer Service"|to_upper

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Boolean (true/false) Values

True / FalseBooleans are special values that, while presented as text, do not require quotes.
false

true

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Date & Time

Standard Date & Time FormatXanoScript uses a standardized format for timestamps: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS+ZZZZ. This format includes the date, time, and timezone offset.
2024-12-09 17:37:42+0000
This represents December 09, 2024 at 5:37.42 PM in UTC time.It’s important to note that XanoScript does not plainly support the Unix EPOCH format that you might be used to when working in Xano. XanoScript can’t tell the difference between a timestamp and a regular integer.

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Complex Data Types

ObjectsObjects can be written in XanoScript using ` characters.
`{"name":"John", "age":30, "car":null}`
Standard JavaScript syntax works perfectly.
{
  "name": "John",
  "age": 30,
  "city": "New York"
}
Commas are not required, but XanoScript also supports trailing commas.
{
  "name": "John",
  "age": 30,
  "city": "New York",
}
ArraysArrays can be written in XanoScript using ` characters.
`[1,2,3,4,5]`
Standard JavaScript syntax works perfectly.
["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
Commas are not required, and XanoScript also supports trailing commas.
[
  "apple",
  "banana",
  "cherry",
]

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Expressions

Xano’s Expression data type is fully supported in XanoScript. Expressions should be wrapped in ` characters. 
{a:1, b:2}

123|add:1
We also have support for multiline expressions using triple ticks ``` 
var $x1 {
  value = ```
    ($input.end_point.data.lat|sub:$input.start_point.data.lat)
    |multiply:0.017453292519943
    |sin
    |pow:2
    ```
}

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Type Casting

Type casting is the optional process of preceding a value with its intended type, such as one from the list below.
Data TypeCast
Number!int
Text!text
Boolean!boolean
Decimal!decimal
null!null
Array!array
Object!object
Expression!expr
Timestamp!timestamp
Because XanoScript can infer types from the data that exists, you typically will not have to work with type casting, but it can serve as an additional layer of certainty around data integrity. Using type casting limits some of your available options for writing XanoScript.
  • Casted values do not support multi-line text. You will want to use line break characters.
  • All casted values only operate on text strings, so each value must be wrapped inside quotes.

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Valid Type Casting

value = !int "123"

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Invalid Type Casting

value = !int 123

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Variables

All variable references must start with a $.

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Getting Started

Now that you understand the basic concepts of XanoScript, you can move forward to learning about the intricacies of using XanoScript in your function stacks or in the database.

XanoScript for the Database

 

XanoScript for Function Stacks