Value from "Set multiple variables" works in its own output, but fails when referenced in a later module's Filter or Range field

Questions
1

:bullseye: What is your goal?

Reliably use a value computed by a “Set multiple variables” module (Tools) inside a later module’s Filter condition or Range field, so I can look up a matching row in a Google Sheet based on a calculated value (day of the week, derived from a timestamp).

:thinking: What is the problem & what have you tried?

I have a scenario: Google Sheets (Search Rows) → Tools (Set multiple variables) → Google Sheets (Search Rows, with a filter).

The Tools module computes a variable using formatDate(parseDate({{2.SomeTimestampField}}); “dddd”). Checking that module’s own Output panel directly, it correctly returns “Wednesday” (or the right day name for the given date) — confirmed, no issue there.

The problem: when I reference that same variable ({{3.dayName}}) in a later module’s Filter condition (Search Rows, “Equal to” or “Contains” operator against a plain text column), it returns 0 matching rows — even though the exact same filter, with the variable replaced by a hardcoded literal of the identical text (“Wednesday”), correctly returns the matching row.

I also tried typing the same formatDate(parseDate(…)) formula directly inline inside the filter’s value field (bypassing the Tools module, referencing the timestamp module directly) — this failed differently, with an error showing the date value and the “dddd” format string concatenated into a single string, as if the semicolon inside the formula wasn’t being treated as an argument separator in that field, even though the identical formula with the identical semicolon syntax works perfectly inside the Tools module’s own Variable value field.

Questions:

  1. Is there a known difference in how Filter/Range fields parse formulas compared to a Tools module’s Variable value field (e.g. semicolons not treated as argument separators)?

  2. Is there a known issue with referencing a Tools-module-computed variable (as opposed to a value coming directly from another app module like Google Sheets) inside a Filter condition?

  3. Is switch() a real supported function in Make’s formula language? (Used it first, got no visible error, but silently wrong output — wondering if it’s simply not a recognized function name.)

Related thread I found (different specific issue, but same general shape — a “Set/Get” variables module not properly passing values downstream): I managed to get variables from a previous step but they don't go into the output - #2 by ManishMandot — that one was fixed by switching from “Get multiple variables” to “Set multiple variables”. I’m already using “Set multiple variables”, so wondering if there’s an equivalent fix for referencing a Set-variables output specifically inside a later Filter/Range field.

3

Hey there,

can you share some screenshots of the setup you have?

the most common mistake that happens is that these two are two completely different things:

image

so make sure you are using the correct one.
To answer your questions:

  1. a formula is a formula, no matter where you use it
  2. there is no issue
  3. yes, there is both the switch function and a switch module that does the same thing.
6

After spending 1.5 hours last night, and then forcing myself to go to bed and rest without a solution, you are right.
I don’t understand how “;” sometimes cannot be registered by Make’s editor as an actual function-syntax token, the editor now renders it as that grey pill suddenly.

This helped, thank you.

7

Yeah, most of the time when you are copy/pasting formulas from somewhere external, it wont work.

They need to be specifically in the format Make expects.