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Node Functions

The Luau scripting integration provides access to all specialty node functionality as callable functions. This allows you to use node capabilities either through visual nodes in the flow editor or through function calls in Luau scripts, giving you flexibility to choose the best approach for your workflow.

Overview​

All node functions are automatically registered and organized by category. Functions are available in the global namespace using the pattern:

Category.functionName(...)

For example:

  • Math.add(5, 3) - Adds two numbers
  • String.concat("Hello", " World") - Concatenates two strings
  • Git.clone(url, path) - Clones a git repository

Function Organization​

Functions are organized by node category:

Parameter Passing​

Functions support two parameter passing styles:

Positional Parameters​

local result = Math.add(5, 3)

Named Parameters (via table)​

local result = Math.add({A = 5, B = 3})

Return Values​

  • Single output: Returns the value directly

    local sum = Math.add(5, 3)  -- Returns 8

  • Multiple outputs: Returns a table with named keys

    local result = Git.clone(url, path)
    -- result.Success = true/false
    -- result.RepositoryPath = "/path/to/repo"

Type Conversion​

The system automatically converts between Lua types and node pin types:

  • Lua string → node string pin
  • Lua number → node number/integer/float pin (auto-detected)
  • Lua boolean → node boolean pin
  • Lua table → JSON string for complex types

Outputs are converted back to appropriate Lua types:

  • boolean pins → Lua boolean
  • number/integer/float pins → Lua number
  • string pins → Lua string

Error Handling​

Functions use Lua's standard error handling. If a function fails, it will raise an error that can be caught with pcall:

local success, result = pcall(function()
    return Math.add(5, 3)
end)

if not success then
    print("Error: " .. result)
end

Nodes Not Available as Functions​

The following node types are not exposed as functions (they are flow control mechanisms):

  • Event nodes: ButtonEvent, CronEvent, MCPTriggered, OpenAITriggered
  • Control flow nodes: Branch, Sequence, Foreach, DoN
  • Flow terminators: Success, Failed
  • Workflow trigger: TriggerFlow (use triggerWorkflow() function instead)

Examples​

Math Operations​

local sum = Math.add(10, 20)
local product = Math.mul(5, 6)
local power = Math.pow(2, 8)

String Operations​

local combined = String.concat("Hello", " World")
local left = String.left("Hello World", 5)  -- Returns "Hello"
local right = String.right("Hello World", 5)  -- Returns "World"

File Operations​

if File.exists("config.json") then
    local content = File.loadText("config.json")
    print(content)
end

Git Operations​

local result = Git.clone("https://github.com/user/repo.git", "./repo")
if result.Success then
    print("Cloned to: " .. result.RepositoryPath)
end

Compatibility with Existing APIs​

Some functionality is available through both node functions and existing Luau APIs:

  • File operations: FlowFile.read/write/exists/list vs File.* functions
  • YAML: parseYamlString/parseYamlFile vs YAML.* functions
  • JSON: parseJsonString/parseJsonFile vs JSON.* functions
  • CSV: parseCsvString/parseCsvFile vs CSV.* functions
  • INI: parseIniString/parseIniFile vs INI.* functions

Both APIs are maintained for backward compatibility. Node functions are recommended for consistency with the visual node system.

See Also​