Use String Functions in Report Studio

Report Studio offers a wide range of string functions to help you manipulate and format text-based data. These functions are especially useful when creating custom attributes or calculated metrics.

Below is a reference guide for each available string function, including examples to help you get started.

Quick Links:
String Construction & Formatting
Trimming & Cleanup
Length & Positioning
Case Conversion
Search & Pattern Matching
Conversions
Tips for Using String Functions

Quick Reference: Common String Functions

String Construction & Formatting

Concat(Text1, Text2, ...)

Combines multiple text values into one continuous string. All values are included—even if blank.

Example:
Concat([First Name], " ", [Last Name])
Returns: "Alex Smith"

ConcatBlank(Text1, Text2, ...)

Same as Concat, but skips over empty or null values to avoid extra spaces or characters.

Example:
ConcatBlank([First Name], " ", [Middle Name], " ", [Last Name])
Returns: "Alex Smith" if middle name is blank (no double space)

RepeatStr(Text, Number)

Repeats the given string a specified number of times.

Example:
RepeatStr("-", 3)
Returns: "---"

Replace(Text, Old, New)

Replaces all instances of a substring within a string.

Example:
Replace([Task Name], "_", " ")
Changes "Client_Onboarding" to "Client Onboarding"

Split(Text, Delimiter)

Splits a string into parts based on the delimiter. Typically used within a larger expression.

Note: Report Studio will extract the first element by default.

Example:
Split([Email], "@")
Returns the part before the "@"

Trimming & Cleanup

Trim(Text)

Removes both leading and trailing spaces.

LTrim(Text)

Removes spaces at the beginning only.

RTrim(Text)

Removes spaces at the end only.

Example for all:
Trim(" Project A ")
Returns: "Project A"

Length & Positioning

Length(Text)

Returns the total number of characters in the string.

Example:
Length([Client Name])

LeftStr(Text, Number)

Returns the first n characters from the left.

Example:
LeftStr([Project Code], 3)
Returns: "ABC" from "ABC-123"

RightStr(Text, Number)

Returns the last n characters from the right.

Example:
RightStr([Project Code], 3)
Returns: "123" from "ABC-123"

SubStr(Text, Start, Length)

Extracts a substring from the string starting at a given position.

Example:
SubStr([Code], 2, 3)
If value = "A12345", returns: "123"

Position(Subtext, Text)

Returns the index of the first match of Subtext in Text. Returns 0 if not found.

Example:
Position("Urgent", [Project Name]) > 0

LastPosition(Subtext, Text)

Returns the index of the last occurrence of Subtext.

Example:
LastPosition("-", [Project Code])
Useful if project codes contain multiple dashes.

Case Conversion

Lower(Text)

Converts the string to lowercase.

Upper(Text)

Converts the string to uppercase.

InitCap(Text)

Capitalizes the first letter of each word, rest lowercase.

Example:
InitCap("quick BROWN fox")
Returns: "Quick Brown Fox"

TitleCap(Text)

Capitalizes only the first letter of the entire string, leaving the rest unchanged.

Example:
TitleCap("monthly hours report")
Returns: "Monthly hours report"

Note: This differs from InitCap(), which capitalizes the first letter of each word.

Search & Pattern Matching

BeginsWith(Text, Subtext)

Returns True if Text starts with Subtext.

Example:
BeginsWith([Project Name], "Client")

EndsWith(Text, Subtext)

Returns True if Text ends with Subtext.

Example:
EndsWith([Task Name], "QA")

Match(Text, Pattern)

Returns True if Text matches a specific pattern. (Basic regex-style match)

Example:
Match([Email], "@")
Returns True if the email contains @

Conversions

ToString(Value)

Converts a number or date to text.

Example:
ToString([Total Hours])

ToNumber(Text)

Converts a text string into a numeric value, if possible.

Example:
ToNumber("123.45")

Tips for Using String Functions

• You can combine multiple string functions in one formula
  Example: Upper(Trim([Task Name]))
• Always use square brackets [] around attribute names
• Text values like spaces or dashes must be enclosed in quotes " "

Exploring Further:

ClickTime's Report Studio may offer additional string functions beyond those listed above. We recommend exploring the function list in the Formula Editor to view all available options. Each function includes a description to help guide your usage and ensure your formulas work as expected.

Whether you're building dynamic labels, cleaning up inconsistent data, or constructing readable codes, these string functions give you powerful tools to work with text in meaningful ways.