How to Use the Date/Time Formatter Workflow Action in Sparkforge

By Sparkforge Support Team ·Last reviewed May 3, 2026

The Date/Time Formatter workflow action reformats dates, reformats date-times, or returns the difference in days between two dates. Outputs are stored as workflow variables you can reuse in later steps.

The Date/Time Formatter action handles three jobs: reformat a date, reformat a date and time, or calculate the days between two dates. Whatever it produces is stored as a workflow variable you can drop into emails, SMS, CRM updates, or conditional branches.

What it does

  • Format Date — convert a date from one format to another (e.g. 2024-12-09 to December 9, 2024).
  • Format Date-Time — convert a date-time value (e.g. 2024-12-09 15:48) to a different format.
  • Compare Dates — calculate the difference in days between two dates.

How to add the action

  1. Go to Automation > Create Workflow > Start from Scratch, or open an existing workflow.
  2. Click the + icon and pick Date/Time Formatter from the action list.
  3. Choose the action type: Format Date, Format Date-Time, or Compare Dates.

Format Date

Convert a date field from one structure to another.

Field selection

Pick the source date. Options include Specific Date, Current Date, contact date fields, custom date fields, appointment start/end dates, custom values, or an inbound webhook trigger. Note: contact custom fields don't currently support date-time values.

From Format

If you pick a system field, Sparkforge auto-detects the format. If you pick a Custom Value or inbound webhook value, select the format manually so it knows what to parse.

To Format

Pick the output format from the list of supported formats.

Format Date-Time

Same flow as Format Date but for values that include both date and time.

Field selection

Choose from Specific Date and Time, Current Date and Time, appointment start/end date-time, custom values, or an inbound webhook trigger.

From Format and To Format

Auto-detected for system fields. Manual selection required for Custom Values and inbound webhooks.

Compare Dates

Returns the difference in days between a start date and an end date.

Start Date and End Date selection

Both dates can come from Specific Date, Current Date, contact date fields, custom date fields, appointment start/end dates, custom values, or an inbound webhook trigger.

Format selection

System fields auto-detect. Custom values and webhook values need a manual format selection on each side.

Using the output downstream

After the action runs, the formatted date or comparison result is available as a workflow variable. Drop it into:

  • SMS or email body
  • Internal notifications
  • If/Else conditions to branch the workflow
  • CRM field updates
  • Webhook payloads

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I compare a contact's birthday to today's date?
Yes. Use Compare Dates with the contact's date field as the start date and Current Date as the end date. The result returns the difference in days, which you can use in If/Else logic for birthday workflows.
Why does the From Format dropdown show up only sometimes?
Sparkforge auto-detects the format when the source is a system field (Specific Date, Current Date, contact date fields, appointment dates). For Custom Values and inbound webhook values, you have to set the format manually.
Can the formatter handle time zones?
The action handles formatting and comparison. Time zone shifts are handled separately by the source field — make sure the value going into the formatter is already in the time zone you want to display or compare in.
Where does the output go?
Each Date/Time Formatter step stores its output as a workflow variable. Reference it from any later step using the custom value picker.

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