Today, we're rolling out a patch release, 1.55.2b, to bring some major improvements to the expression type and the Xano Transform engine!
🔢 Range Operator
We've added a new range operator when working with arrays using the expression data type. You can use range to quickly reference a range of items inside of an array.
➖ Negative Indexes in Expressions
We now support negative indexes when working in arrays. Just like using 0, 1, 2, etc... to reference items in the array from top-down, you can now use -1, -2, etc... to reference items from the bottom-up.
💲 Updates to the $$ Variable
We've updated the $$ variable to better support multiple references inside of an expression. Previously, $$ would only be able to refer to the parent object. Now, you can pair it with a number, such as $1, $2, etc... This allows you to more easily reference higher-level items in your object than just the immediate parent.
🛠️ New and Improved Filters
as
The 'as' filter introduces the concept of named anchors in your expressions. You can use 'as' to assign a specific name to a piece of data to quickly target what you need later in the expression.
transform
The 'transform' filter is similar to the map filter, except that it can bind to all data, not just an array. It's a universal way to transform data, working with arrays, objects, and scalar values.
to_expr
The 'to_expr' filter introduces the possibility of dynamic programming, allowing you to convert text into an expression. You can use user-generated data to build expressions on the fly in your function stack, and execute them after conversion with the 'to_expr' filter.
Higher Order Filters
We've made some updates to our higher order filters when using them inside expressions. They have their own simplified syntax, and high performance implementation. Using context variables ($$, $index, $parent) allows you to quickly reference specific pieces of data being processed when using the higher order filters.
We hope you love these updates to the Xano Transform engine! Let us know how you're using Xano Transform in your applications. Stay tuned for more awesome new features coming to Xano very soon!