Using dates and date formats in ScriptBuilder

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Overview

Sometimes you need to use a date in ScriptBuilder — for example, when setting parameters or passing a date to another step. A common question is how to format that date, for example to MM.DD.YYYY.

This article explains the simplest and most reliable way to do this, and also clarifies when you should (and should not) use AI prompts.

Guideline:

If something can be done using ScriptBuilder functions, you should always use those functions instead of AI prompts.

Recommended Approach

Use ScriptBuilder’s built-in date functions.

Step 1: Get tomorrow’s date

Use the today() function and add 1:

today() + 1

This reliably returns tomorrow’s date.

Note

The date format that will be used is defined in the Script Settings

If ScriptBuilder does not support the required date format you can use the following method:

Step 2: Format the date as MM.DD.YYYY

Use the following formula to format the date:

= month_of({x}) + '.' + day_of({x}) + '.' + year_of({x})

Where {x} is the date value (for example, the result of today() + 1).

Example

If today is 12/09/2025(December 9th, 2025), the formula will return:

12.10.2025

This approach is accurate, predictable and independent of AI.

Alternative Approach

You can combine ScriptBuilder and AI, but this is less reliable.

How it works:

  1. Use ScriptBuilder to calculate tomorrow’s date:

    today() + 1

  2. Pass that date into an AI prompt with a request like:

    “Change the date format of {x} to MM.DD.YYYY”

Good to Know!

ScriptBuilder functions are not supported directly in AI prompts, but parameters are - two separate instructions need to be used, one for getting the date into a parameter (using the function), and another one for passing the parameter (date) into the AI prompt.

Why this is not ideal:

  • AI is unnecessary for simple formatting

  • Adds complexity

  • Can lead to inconsistent results

Recommendation: Use this only if formatting cannot be achieved with functions.

Why AI is not the right tool for dates

If you try to use an AI prompt like “give me tomorrow’s date”, you may get an incorrect result (for example, a date from 2023).

That’s because:

  • AI does not necessarily know what today’s/tomorrow’s date is

  • AI is not reliable for date calculations

  • Dates are deterministic and should be handled by functions

Summary

  • Do not use AI to calculate a date like today’s or tomorrow’s date

  • Use today() and other date functions in ScriptBuilder

  • Format dates using concatenation and the day_of(), month_of(), and year_of() functions

Best practice:

Deterministic logic (like dates) should always be handled with ScriptBuilder functions, not AI.