Format conversion modules
- Last UpdatedJun 29, 2026
- 1 minute read
Flow data may arrive in JSON or XML format or require that data output is sent in one of these formats. Oftentimes, data must be converted from one internal data format to another external data format. Conversion modules are used to convert data to and from different data types.
Messages sent between modules use a custom .NET data type (FlowMessage) that supports dynamic structures with hierarchies of objects and arrays, which also may contain basic .NET data types.
Sometimes, messages may appear as Javascript objects (JSON) in the debug window but this is only for presentation purposes. JSON is never used internally.
The following table describes the modules used to format data for conversion.
|
Name |
Description |
|---|---|
|
JSON |
Converts to and from JSON strings. If the input is a string, it is interpreted as JSON and the output is a FlowMessage. If the input is a FlowMessage, it is converted into a JSON string. This module operates on a selected property of the incoming message and the result can be assigned to a new property. |
|
XML |
Same as the JSON module but working with XML text. |
|
Time Stamp |
Converts DateTime values into another format. Predefined formats are ISO8601 and Unix timestamp in seconds or milliseconds. Custom output formats can also be defined. If no input is specified, the module adds the current system time on the output. |
|
Base64 Encode |
Converts a binary array or a string into a base64-encoded string. For string inputs, the output can be set to base64url format in order to create URL-safe strings. |
|
Base64 Decode |
Decodes a base64-encoded string into a byte array or string. |