Dates, times and numbers
Use these filters for arithmetic, dates, time zones and numeric presentation. Test boundary cases around midnight, daylight-saving changes, month ends, blanks and values supplied as text.
Standard Liquid filters
These filters are provided as standard by the Liquid language. They are available anywhere Govforms accepts a Liquid template.
| Filter | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
abs(number) | Returns absolute value of number Converts negative numbers to positive. | {{ -5 | abs }} → 5 |
at_least(minimum) | Ensures value is at least minimum Returns input if >= minimum, otherwise returns minimum. | {{ 3 | at_least: 5 }} → 5 |
at_most(maximum) | Ensures value is at most maximum Returns input if <= maximum, otherwise returns maximum. | {{ 10 | at_most: 5 }} → 5 |
ceil() | Rounds number up to nearest integer Returns smallest integer >= input. | {{ 4.2 | ceil }} → 5 |
date(format) | Formats date string Formats date using strftime format codes. | {{ "now" | date: "%Y-%m-%d" }} → 2025-03-15 |
date_to_long_string(type, style) | Formats a date with the full month name Returns a date such as 25 December 2026. Use "ordinal" and optionally "US" for an ordinal date. | {{ "2026-12-25" | date_to_long_string }} → 25 December 2026 |
date_to_rfc822() | Formats a date as RFC 822 Returns a date and time suitable for feeds and email date headers. | {{ "2026-07-23T12:30:00Z" | date_to_rfc822 }} |
date_to_string(type, style) | Formats a date with an abbreviated month Returns a date such as 25 Dec 2026. Use "ordinal" and optionally "US" for an ordinal date. | {{ "2026-12-25" | date_to_string }} → 25 Dec 2026 |
date_to_xmlschema() | Formats a date as an XML Schema timestamp Returns an ISO-style date and time including its time zone offset. | {{ "2026-07-23T12:30:00Z" | date_to_xmlschema }} |
divided_by(divisor) | Divides number by divisor Performs division operation. | {{ 10 | divided_by: 3 }} → 3.3333333333333335 |
floor() | Rounds number down to nearest integer Returns largest integer <= input. | {{ 4.8 | floor }} → 4 |
minus(subtrahend) | Subtracts number from input Performs subtraction operation. | {{ 10 | minus: 3 }} → 7 |
modulo(divisor) | Returns remainder after division Performs modulo operation. | {{ 10 | modulo: 3 }} → 1 |
plus(addend) | Adds number to input Performs addition operation. | {{ 5 | plus: 3 }} → 8 |
round(decimal_places) | Rounds number to specified decimal places Rounds to nearest value with specified precision. | {{ 3.14159 | round: 2 }} → 3.14 |
times(multiplier) | Multiplies number by multiplier Performs multiplication operation. | {{ 3 | times: 4 }} → 12 |
Govforms filters
These filters are added by Govforms for service-building and data-handling tasks.
| Filter | What it does | Example |
|---|---|---|
as_number(string) | Converts string to number, removing currency symbols Parses numeric value from string, removing £, $, €, and commas. | {{ "£1,234.56" | as_number }} → 1234.56 |
date_to_gfdate(date, time_zone) | Converts JavaScript Date to Govforms date object Transforms Date to {day, month, year} object format. Optionally extracts the date in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ my_date | date_to_gfdate: "Europe/London" }} |
day_end(date, offset, time_zone) | Gets end of day (23:59:59) Returns date at end of day, optionally offset by days. Optionally uses the supplied IANA time zone for the day boundary. | {{ submittedDate | day_end: 0, "Europe/London" }} → end of that London date |
day_offset(date, offset, time_zone) | Adds days to date Returns new date with specified number of days added. Optionally applies the offset in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ "now" | day_offset: 7, "Europe/London" }} → date 7 days from now |
day_start(date, offset, time_zone) | Gets start of day (00:00:00) Returns date at beginning of day, optionally offset by days. Optionally uses the supplied IANA time zone for the day boundary. | {{ submittedDate | day_start: 0, "Europe/London" }} → midnight at the start of that London date |
excel_date(serial_date, offset, time_zone) | Converts Excel serial date to Date Converts Excel numeric date format to JavaScript Date. Optionally interprets the Excel date at midnight in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ 44927 | excel_date: 0, "Europe/London" }} → converts Excel date number |
format_currency(number, include_pence, round_even, locale, currency) | Formats number as currency Formats number as currency with locale and rounding options. | {{ 1234.56 | format_currency: true, false, "en-GB", "GBP" }} |
format_date(date, format, time_zone) | Formats date using specified format string Uses date-fns formatting with custom format patterns. Optionally formats in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ submittedDate | format_date: "dd/MM/yyyy HH:mm zzz", "Europe/London" }} |
format_number(number, min_digits, max_digits) | Formats number with specified decimal places Formats number using en-GB locale with decimal control. | {{ 1234.5 | format_number: 2, 2 }} → 1,234.50 |
gfdate(gf_date_object, time_zone) | Converts Govforms date object to JavaScript Date Transforms {day, month, year} object to Date instance. Optionally interprets the date at midnight in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ my_gf_date | gfdate: "Europe/London" }} |
gfdate_to_date(gf_date_object, time_zone) | Converts Govforms date to JavaScript Date Same as gfdate filter - converts {day, month, year} to Date. Optionally interprets the date at midnight in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ my_gf_date | gfdate_to_date: "Europe/London" }} |
gfdate_to_string(gf_date_object, separator) | Converts Govforms date to formatted string Formats {day, month, year} as string with custom separator (default: "-"). | {{ my_gf_date | gfdate_to_string: "/" }} |
gftime_to_string(gf_time_object) | Converts Govforms time object to string Formats time object to HH:mm string format. | {{ my_gf_time | gftime_to_string }} |
is_decimal(value) | Checks if value is decimal number Returns true if value is numeric and not an integer. | {{ 123.45 | is_decimal }} → true |
is_number(value) | Checks if value is numeric Returns true if value can be parsed as a number. | {{ "123.45" | is_number }} → true |
math(expression, ...variables) | Evaluates mathematical expressions with variable substitution Uses MathJS to evaluate expressions. Variables are mapped to a-z based on order. | {{ "((a-b) * 2 + 3) / c" | math: 5, myVar1, myVar2 }} |
month_offset(date, offset, time_zone) | Adds months to date Returns new date with specified number of months added. Optionally applies the offset in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ "now" | month_offset: 3, "Europe/London" }} → date 3 months from now |
number(value) | Converts value to number Parses numeric value, returns empty string if not numeric. | {{ "123.45" | number }} → 123.45 |
parse_date(date_string, format, time_zone) | Parses date string using specified format Uses date-fns to parse date with custom format string. If an IANA time zone is supplied and the format does not include an offset/time zone token, the parsed local time is interpreted in that time zone. | {{ "2023-12-25 09:30" | parse_date: "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm", "Europe/London" }} |
random(min, max) | Generates random integer in range Returns random integer between min and max (inclusive). | {{ 1 | random: 10 }} → random number 1-10 |
round_fixed(value, decimal_places) | Rounds number to fixed decimal places Returns string representation with exact number of decimal places. | {{ 123.456 | round_fixed: 2 }} → "123.46" |
timestamp(date, offset, time_zone) | Gets timestamp from date Returns Unix timestamp (milliseconds). Use "now" for current time. Optionally interprets date-only values in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ my_gf_date | timestamp: 0, "Europe/London" }} |
to_iso_string(date, time_zone) | Converts date to ISO 8601 string (UTC) Returns a UTC ISO 8601 string (e.g. 2025-07-02T21:01:31.000Z). Accepts "now", a Govforms date object {day,month,year}, or a JavaScript Date. Optionally interprets date-only values in the supplied IANA time zone. | {{ my_gf_date | to_iso_string: "Europe/London" }} → 2025-07-01T23:00:00.000Z |