Formatter (Zapier)

Formatter is a built-in Zapier tool that transforms data as it moves between steps in a Zap. Raw data from a trigger often doesn't match what the next action expects — a date in the wrong format, a name that needs capitalizing, an amount that arrives in cents. Formatter reshapes those values in place. It does not consume a task.

What Formatter can do

Formatter groups its transformations by data type:

• Date / time — reformat, add or subtract time, change time zones.
• Text — capitalize, trim, split, find and replace, extract patterns.
• Numbers — round, do arithmetic, format as currency, convert cents to dollars.
• Utilities — look up values, pick from a list, format line items.

Each Formatter step takes an input from an earlier step and outputs the cleaned value for later steps to use.

Where it fits in a Zap

Formatter usually sits between the trigger and an action, so the action receives data in exactly the shape it needs. For example, a Stripe payment arrives with an amount in cents like 2400; a Formatter number step converts it to $24.00 before a Slack message posts it. Because Formatter and filter steps are free, they're the cheap glue that makes actions work without adding to task usage.

Why it matters

Without Formatter, integrations pass along raw, machine-shaped fields — cents, ISO timestamps, unpunctuated strings — that read poorly and break downstream apps. Formatter is what turns raw payload data into something human-readable.

ChargeBell does this formatting for you on Stripe alerts: amounts show as dollars net of fees, subscription events carry MRR impact, and the customer name appears when Stripe provides it — no Formatter steps to wire up.