Utility (File Operations)

The Utility node is a large toolbox of atomic, reusable actions that transform data and files in flight. You pick one operation per node and combine nodes to build document processing, data reshaping, and integration workflows. This page covers all 11 action groups and their constituent actions.

1. File Format Conversion

These eight actions convert files and content between formats. They are the building blocks for document automations — convert an attachment from its source format before handing it to a downstream step.

Convert to PDF

Converts Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), plain text files, and images to PDF. Office documents are rendered through an office engine; images are placed on a PDF page. The operation retries automatically on transient failure.

Output: The converted PDF file.

Convert HTML to PDF

Transforms HTML content into a PDF document while preserving structure and formatting. By default the action does not execute JavaScript, so a page whose content is built dynamically with JS may render blank or incomplete. Enable the headless-browser rendering option when you need JavaScript to run; this is slower but produces a fully rendered result. Enable the right-to-left option when processing RTL-language content to prevent text rendering issues.

Output: The resulting PDF file.

Convert to Markdown

Strips HTML tags and converts the remaining content to Markdown. Use this action when you need a lightweight, portable text representation from an HTML source such as an email body or a web page snippet.

Output: A Markdown-formatted string with HTML tags removed.

Convert HTML to Text

Removes all HTML tags from the input and returns plain text. Common uses include email processing, web scraping, and content extraction where you need raw readable text without markup.

Output: A plain-text string with all HTML markup removed.

Convert Document to DOCX

Converts a document from a legacy or alternative Office format to the modern DOCX format. Use this when downstream steps or systems require DOCX but the source document arrived in an older format.

Output: The converted DOCX file.

Convert PPT to PPTX

Upgrades a legacy PowerPoint PPT file to the modern PPTX format. This is useful when integrating with systems that require the Open XML format or when applying further PPTX-specific operations downstream.

Output: The converted PPTX file.

Convert File MIME Type

Changes the declared MIME type of a file. Use this when a file's MIME type metadata must match a specific value expected by a downstream system, without altering the file's binary content.

Output: The file with its MIME type updated to the specified value.

Convert JSON to TOON

Converts a JSON object or string into the TOON format. Use this action when a target system or integration requires TOON-formatted output from JSON source data.

Output: The TOON-formatted representation of the input data.

2. Encoding, Hashing & Security

These seven actions handle text encoding, file encoding and decoding, input sanitization, JWT decoding, and cryptographic hashing. They are the security and encoding utilities you reach for when normalizing data, verifying integrity, or protecting inputs from injection.

Change Text Encoding

Re-encodes a text string from one character encoding to another. Supported encodings include Base64, UTF-8, UTF-16, and ASCII. Use this when integrating with legacy systems that produce or require a specific encoding, or when normalizing international text data.

Output: The text string re-encoded in the target encoding.

Clean XSS

Sanitizes input text by removing potentially harmful scripts and cross-site scripting (XSS) payloads. Use this action before rendering user-supplied content in a web context to protect against injection attacks.

Output: The sanitized string with XSS payloads removed.

Encode File Content

Encodes a file's binary content as a Base64 string. The action streams the file in chunks, so it handles large files without loading everything into memory at once.

Output: A Base64-encoded string representing the file's binary content.

Decode File Content

Decodes a Base64-encoded string back into binary file content. Like the encode action, this streams in chunks to handle large inputs. The action auto-detects the file type from the decoded bytes, so you do not need to specify the format explicitly.

Output: The decoded file with its type auto-detected from the binary content.

Decode Base64 Text

Decodes a Base64-encoded text string into plain text. Use this when a payload or field arrives Base64-encoded and you need the human-readable string before passing it downstream.

Output: The decoded plain-text string.

Decode JWT Token

Base64-decodes a JWT's header and payload and returns them as structured objects.

Note: This action does not verify the JWT signature. It only decodes the token's contents. Anyone can craft a JWT with arbitrary claims, and this action will decode it without error. Never treat decoded JWT claims as authenticated; verify the signature through a dedicated auth layer before trusting any claim.

Output: An object containing the decoded header and payload from the JWT.

Perform Hashing

Generates a cryptographic or checksum hash of a string or file. Available algorithms are MD5, SHA-256, and CRC32. Use SHA-256 for data integrity; use MD5 and CRC32 for checksums where security is not a requirement.

Output: A hash string produced by the selected algorithm.

3. Identifiers & Sequences

These two actions generate unique identifiers and ordered numeric sequences for use as record keys, batch labels, or invoice numbers.

Generate UUID of Different Versions

Produces a Universally Unique Identifier (UUID) in one of several supported versions. Choose the version that matches the uniqueness guarantees required by your system or target API.

Output: A UUID string in the specified version format.

Sequence Generator

Creates an ordered series of values. You configure the starting point, increment, and format to produce sequences suitable for invoice numbering, batch identifiers, or any context that requires a predictable, ordered series.

Output: The next value in the configured sequence.

4. UnifyApps File Management

These six actions manage files within the UnifyApps storage layer — importing, organizing, deleting, and sharing stored files. Use them to keep automation-generated files accessible and well-organized.

Create UnifyApps Asset from File

Registers an existing file as a UnifyApps asset, making it available for use in other automations and applications within the platform.

Output: The UnifyApps asset reference for the registered file.

Create UnifyApps File from URL

Imports a file directly from a specified URL into UnifyApps storage. This eliminates the need to download the file manually and re-upload it. Common uses include file organization, temporary file management, and batch processing of remote resources.

Output: A UnifyApps file object referencing the imported file.

Create UnifyApps Path for File

Generates a structured storage path for a file within UnifyApps. Use this action before uploading or organizing files to ensure consistent naming conventions and predictable path structures across your automation.

Output: The generated file path string within UnifyApps storage.

Delete UnifyApps File

Permanently removes a specified file from UnifyApps storage. Use this action as part of cleanup routines after a file has been processed or is no longer needed.

Note: Deletion is permanent. Confirm that you no longer need the file before running this action — there is no recovery step.

Output: A confirmation that the file was deleted.

Generate Public File URL

Issues a signed, time-limited public link to a file stored in UnifyApps. The link expires after approximately one hour by default. Use this action to share a file with an external system or user for a short period without granting permanent access.

Output: A signed, time-limited public URL string for the file.

Upload Base64 Content

Converts Base64-encoded content into a file and uploads it to UnifyApps storage. Use this when an API response or upstream step returns file data as a Base64 string rather than as a binary file object.

Output: A UnifyApps file object for the uploaded file.

5. Date & Time

These three actions handle date arithmetic and conversions between human-readable dates and epoch timestamps. All operations work in UTC — convert to your local timezone separately if you need wall-clock time.

Date Difference Calculator

Computes the difference between two dates and returns the gap in a selected unit. If you pass a blank date, the action uses the current time. Year-based differences are approximate.

Output: A numeric value representing the difference between the two dates in the selected unit.

Date to Epoch

Converts a date and time value into an epoch timestamp. All conversions are in UTC. Choosing the wrong unit is the most common cause of dates appearing in 1970 or the far future — confirm the unit your downstream system expects before configuring this action.

Output: The epoch timestamp as a numeric value in the specified unit.

Epoch to Date

Converts an epoch timestamp back into a human-readable date and time. All output is in UTC. Select the unit that matches how your epoch value was produced to avoid incorrect results.

Output: A UTC date-time string corresponding to the input epoch value.

6. Document Extraction & Editing

These seven actions extract content from documents or read and write structured data within them. They are the core of document automation workflows where you need to read, inspect, or modify document content programmatically.

Extract Text from DOCX

Reads and returns the text content of a DOCX file. Use this when you need the plain text of a Word document for downstream processing such as analysis, comparison, or routing.

Output: A string containing the extracted text content of the DOCX file.

Extract Text from DOC/PPT

Reads and returns the text content from a legacy DOC or PPT file. Use this when source documents arrive in older Office formats and you need their text before converting or processing them further.

Output: A string containing the extracted text content of the document.

Extract Thumbnail from PDF

Generates a thumbnail image from the first page of a PDF file. Use this for document previews, visual indexes, or anywhere a small representative image of the document is needed.

Output: An image file (thumbnail) generated from the PDF's first page.

Get PDF Dimensions

Returns the page dimensions of a PDF file. Use this when you need to know the width and height of PDF pages — for example, before placing content precisely or validating document format compliance.

Output: The width and height dimensions of the PDF pages.

Retrieve Text from File

Reads the embedded text layer from a file and returns its content. The action auto-detects the file format and works across PDF, Word, and other Office formats, extracting page by page for PDFs.

Note: This action reads the embedded text layer — it does not perform OCR. Scanned or image-only documents have no text layer and return little or nothing. Encrypted or password-protected files return an error rather than garbled text. Output is capped at approximately 250,000 characters; content beyond that limit is truncated or written to disk automatically. Very large files may take longer as the action spills to disk to avoid exhausting memory.

Output: The extracted text content, up to approximately 250,000 characters. Very large documents are handled asynchronously and output may be written to a file rather than returned inline.

Read Changes to DOCX File

Reads tracked changes or revision marks within a DOCX file. Use this when you need to inspect what edits have been made to a document — for example, in review and approval workflows.

Output: The tracked changes or revision data present in the DOCX file.

Write Data to DOCX File

Writes structured data into a DOCX file. Use this to programmatically populate a document template or inject content into an existing Word document as part of a document generation workflow.

Output: The updated DOCX file with the new data written in.

7. List & Data Utilities

These five actions operate on in-automation lists and data collections. They are small, composable steps — reach for them instead of a Code node when one will do the job.

Filter List of Data

Applies a condition to each item in a list and returns only the records that match. You can express complex filtering logic to refine a list before passing it to a downstream step.

Output: A filtered list containing only the items that matched the condition.

Get Value at Index from List

Returns the item at a specific position in a list. Positions are 1-based — position 1 returns the first item. You can also count from the end of the list when you need the last or second-to-last item.

Output: The item at the specified position in the list.

Sort List of Objects

Sorts a list of objects by one or more fields. Specify the field name and sort direction for each sort key; multiple sort keys are applied in order to handle ties.

Output: The sorted list of objects.

Evaluate Filter

Evaluates a filter condition against a single object or value and returns a boolean result. Use this to test whether a particular item meets a condition before deciding how to route it in the workflow.

Output: A boolean value — true if the input matches the condition, false otherwise.

Run SQL Query on List

Executes a SQL query against in-automation list data. You can query a single list or join across multiple lists. The engine is DuckDB — use DuckDB SQL syntax, not your warehouse's dialect. This is the cleanest way to aggregate, join, or filter list data without writing manual loops.

Note: The SQL engine is DuckDB. Use DuckDB syntax. This action is designed for moderate datasets and ad-hoc shaping; it is not intended for querying large production tables directly.

Output: A list of result rows returned by the SQL query.

8. XML/JSON Serialization

These five actions parse, serialize, and normalize structured data in XML and JSON formats, plus SQL-based querying of structured files. They are the connective tissue between steps when data arrives or departs in a format that differs from what the next step expects.

Deserialise XML String to JSON Object

Parses an XML-formatted string and converts it into a JSON object. Use this when an upstream system or API returns XML but downstream steps work with JSON.

Output: A JSON object representing the structure of the input XML.

Generate Canonical XML

Transforms an XML string or object into Canonical XML (C14N) form — a standardized representation that normalizes whitespace, attribute order, and namespace declarations. Use this before digitally signing XML or when exchanging XML with systems that require canonical form.

Output: The Canonical XML (C14N) string representation of the input.

Deserialise String to JSON Object

Parses a JSON-formatted string into a JSON object. The action includes validation and error handling, so it surfaces malformed JSON rather than silently producing an incorrect result.

Output: The parsed JSON object, or an error if the input string is not valid JSON.

Serialise Object to JSON String

Converts a JSON object into a JSON-formatted string. Use this when a downstream system or API expects a string representation of a JSON payload rather than a native object.

Output: A JSON-formatted string representation of the input object.

Run SQL Query on File

Executes a DuckDB SQL query against a structured file — CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use this for ad-hoc reporting, data filtering, or file-based data analysis within your workflow, without loading the file into a separate database.

Note: The engine is DuckDB. Use DuckDB SQL syntax. For large files, the query may run asynchronously — the workflow continues once results are ready.

Output: A list of result rows returned by the SQL query.

9. Media, Compression & Export

These eight actions transform, compress, archive, and export files and application content. They cover visual watermarking, media size reduction, ZIP archiving, barcode generation, and exporting UnifyApps pages and data sources.

Add Watermark to File

Stamps a diagonal text watermark on every page of a PDF file. You control the font, color, opacity, and rotation angle of the mark.

Note: Watermarking currently supports PDF files only. Passing any other file type returns an error.

Output: The watermarked PDF file with the mark applied to every page.

Compress Media Content

Reduces the file size of media content. Controls vary by media type — image quality for images, bitrate for video, image quality and DPI for PDF, and document-specific options for DOCX. For large files the compression can run asynchronously.

Output: The compressed media file.

Generate Barcode

Creates a barcode image in a common symbology from the input data. Use this for inventory labels, shipping labels, or any workflow that requires machine-readable barcode output.

Output: A barcode image file containing the encoded data.

Unzip File

Extracts the contents of a compressed archive into individual files. Supports ZIP, TAR.GZ, and GZ formats — note that GZ extracts a single file only. Duplicate filenames within an archive are auto-renamed to prevent collisions. Mac system files such as .DS_Store are skipped automatically.

Output: A list of extracted files from the archive.

Zip List of Files

Compresses a list of files into a single ZIP archive. Use this to bundle output files before delivering them to a downstream system or making them available for download.

Output: A ZIP file containing all the input files.

Export UnifyApps Pages to PDF

Converts one or more UnifyApps application pages into a PDF document. You can customize layout options to control how the pages are rendered in the output. Common uses include report generation, document archiving, and print preparation.

Output: A PDF file containing the exported application pages.

Export UnifyApps Pages to PNG

Renders one or more UnifyApps application pages as PNG image files. Use this when you need a visual snapshot of an application page — for example, for dashboards, reports, or sharing a view externally as an image.

Output: One or more PNG image files of the exported application pages.

Export Application Datasource

Extracts data from a specified UnifyApps application datasource and exports it as a structured file. Supports CSV, XLS, and XLSX output formats. Use this for data backup, migration, or reporting workflows.

Output: A data file in the selected format containing the exported datasource records.

10. Download & Network

These four actions retrieve files and data from external sources over the network, and send messages to MQTT brokers. They are the right tools when data or files must be pulled into the automation from outside the platform.

Download File as String

Fetches a file's content and returns it as a text or Base64-encoded string. The action supports UTF-8 and Base64 encoding types.

Note: This action is capped at approximately 10 MB. Files larger than this limit return an error — do not use it to ingest large files into a variable. For large file downloads, use a file-based action instead.

Output: The file's content as a string in the selected encoding, up to approximately 10 MB.

Download File via Playwright

Fetches a file from a URL using a real headless browser that executes JavaScript. Use this for downloads behind bot-protection, JavaScript-gated pages, or sites that a plain HTTP request cannot reach. You can optionally route the browser through a proxy.

Output: The downloaded file as a UnifyApps file object.

Download Multiple Files from List of URLs

Downloads files from a list of URLs and returns them as UnifyApps file objects. Use this for bulk file collection from external sources in a single action rather than looping through URLs manually.

Output: A list of UnifyApps file objects, one per successfully downloaded URL.

Send MQTT Request

Publishes a message to an MQTT broker. Use this action when your automation needs to communicate with IoT devices, messaging systems, or other services that subscribe to MQTT topics.

Output: A confirmation that the message was published to the MQTT broker.

11. Text & Messaging Utilities

These five actions parse, resolve, compare, and transform text and messaging data. They are general-purpose helpers for working with emails, dynamic values, templates, multilingual content, and text comparisons.

Parse Email

Extracts the MIME content of a raw email into a structured object, giving you easy programmatic access to the sender, subject, body, and attachments. Use this at the start of email-driven workflows to split an email into its constituent parts before routing or processing them.

Output: A structured object containing the parsed email fields: sender, subject, body, and attachments.

Resolve Output Value

Evaluates a dynamic or formula-based input expression and returns the resolved final value. Use this when an upstream step produces a value that contains a formula, reference, or expression that needs to be computed before it can be used downstream.

Output: The resolved final value after evaluating the input expression.

Template Resolver

Resolves a nested field path (for example, a.b.c) against a context object and returns the value at that path. Use this for dynamic field referencing and nested data extraction without writing code.

Output: The value found at the specified path within the context object.

Text Difference Checker

Computes the difference between two text strings and returns the changes. You choose the granularity of comparison: character, word, or line. Use this in review workflows, audit trails, or anywhere you need to surface what changed between two versions of a text.

Output: A diff result showing the additions, deletions, and unchanged segments between the two texts at the selected granularity.

Translate Text

Translates a text string from one language to another using the platform's built-in translation capability. Use this for multilingual workflows, content localization, or automated language normalization when processing text from multiple sources.

Output: The translated text string in the target language.

Notes

Keep the following in mind when using Utility action groups:

• Each action group is a separate operation on the Utility node; add a new node for each distinct operation rather than chaining multiple operations on one node.

• For file format conversions, verify the input format matches what the action expects before mapping data; passing an unsupported format causes a runtime failure.

• Date and Time actions interpret timestamps in UTC by default; apply timezone offsets explicitly when downstream systems expect local time.

• Prefer the built-in encoding, hashing, and security utilities over inline code for standard transforms like Base64 or SHA — they require no code and produce consistent output.

• When chaining multiple Utility steps, use intermediate Variables nodes to store results so each Utility action receives a clean, validated input.