JSON functions in calculations

Expert

Build, navigate, and transform JSON data entirely within FileMaker calculations using the JSON* function family.

What you'll learn

How to build a JSON object with multiple nested keys
How to extract a deeply nested value with a key path
How to transform an array of JSON objects into a value list

FileMaker's native JSON functions — JSONSetElement, JSONGetElement, JSONDeleteElement, JSONListKeys, JSONListValues, and JSONFormatElements — let you work with structured data directly in calculation fields without scripts. This is essential for parsing API responses, building request bodies, and storing structured values in a single text field.

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Building a JSON object

JSONSetElement takes an existing JSON string (or "{}") and adds or updates one or more key-value pairs. The last argument specifies the JSON type.

FileMaker Script

JSONSetElement ( "{}" ;
  [ "id"        ; Contacts::id          ; JSONNumber ] ;
  [ "name"      ; Contacts::FullName    ; JSONString ] ;
  [ "active"    ; 1                     ; JSONBoolean ] ;
  [ "tags"      ; "[]"                  ; JSONArray  ]
)

ExecuteSQL in calculations Date arithmetic and calendar calculations