Converting Data Types

Learn how to convert data to another type in a Notion formula.

Notion formulas can only return data of a single type. For reference, Notion formulas work with four distinct data types:

Additionally, you can only compare data that share the same type when you use comparison operators such as equal, and, or larger (and some require a specific data type).

Therefore, you’ll often need to convert data from one type to another in order to get your formula to work.

Here are all the methods you can use to convert data to another type.

To numbers:

Function/Method Example
toNumber toNumber("42")
unaryPlus (+) +"42"

To Booleans:

Function/Method Example
if if(prop("Text") == "true", true, false)

Good to know: You can’t truly convert strings, numbers, or dates to Boolean values. What you can do is write a simple statement that outputs a Boolean true/false value using your starting piece of data as criteria.

To strings:

Function/Method Example
format format(42)

To Booleans:

Function/Method Example
if if(prop("Num") == 42, true, false)

To dates:

Function/Method Example
fromTimestamp fromTimestamp(prop("Num"))

Note: fromTimestamp only works if its argument is a valid Unix timestamp.

Good to know: replace, replaceAll, and test are able to automatically convert numbers and Booleans (but not dates) to strings. Manual type conversion is not needed.

To strings:

Function/Method Example
format format(true)

To numbers:

Function/Method Example
toNumber toNumber(true)
unaryPlus (+) +true

To strings:

Function/Method Example
format format(now())
formatDate formatDate(now(), "MMM DD YYYY")

To numbers:

Function/Method Example
timestamp timestamp(now())
toNumber toNumber(now())
minute minute(now())
hour hour(now())
day day(now())
date date(now())
month month(now())
year year(now())

Good to know: the toNumber function converts dates to their Unix timestamp, just like the timestamp function.

To Booleans:

Function/Method Example
if if(prop("Date") == now(), true, false)
About the Author

My name is Thomas Frank, and I'm a Notion-certified writer, YouTuber, and template creator. I've been using Notion since 2018 to organize my personal life and to run my business and YouTube channel. In addition to this formula reference, I've created a free Notion course for beginners and several productivity-focused Notion templates. If you'd like to connect, follow me on Twitter.

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Fill out the form below and I’ll answer as soon as I can! ~Thomas