--- title: "Using dates and date formats in ScriptBuilder" slug: "using-dates-and-date-formats-in-scriptbuilder" updated: 2026-08-12T10:57:24Z published: 2026-08-12T10:57:24Z canonical: "success.panaya.com/using-dates-and-date-formats-in-scriptbuilder" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://success.panaya.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Using dates and date formats in ScriptBuilder --- ## 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.**](https://success.panaya.com/docs/ai-prompt) --- > [!TIP] > **Guideline:** > > If something can be done using [ScriptBuilder functions](https://success.panaya.com/docs/automation-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](https://success.panaya.com/docs/scriptbuilder-settings#:~:text=Script%20Settings-,Date%20Format,-This%20date%20format) --- 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”* > [!WARNING] > **Good to Know!** > > ScriptBuilder functions are not supported directly in [AI prompts](/v1/docs/ai-prompt), 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 > [!TIP] > **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 > [!TIP] > **Best practice:** > > Deterministic logic (like dates) should always be handled with ScriptBuilder functions, not AI.