Working with dates inside an array

[Michael10]

What is your goal?

I get an array of dates, and I want to check which date in the array is the most recently updated.

What is the problem & what have you tried?

I am unable to create a formula that can determine the most recent date in an array.

Error messages or input/output bundles

[
{
“start_date”: “2025-04-01”
},
{
“start_date”: “2025-07-01”
},
{
“start_date”: “2025-07-01”
}
]

Create public scenario page

https://us2.make.com/public/shared-scenario/upodbT01Fa9/maxio-hubspot-integration-for-invoice

[Karmic]

You can add a Tools (Set Variable) module after your array iterator/aggregator with this expression:

{{max(map({{1.bundles}}; “start_date”))}}

This will extracts all start_date values into an array ["2025-04-01", "2025-07-01", "2025-07-01"], then returns the maximum (“2025-07-01”).

[Michael10]

Hi Karmic,

Thanks for the solution, i’ve already tried it and it doesnt work.
I get nothing in the output.

[samliew]

Welcome to the Make community!

To do this, you can use these built-in functions:

• map
  map(complex array; key; [filter by key]; [csv-values for filtering])

• sort
  sort(array; [order]; [key])

• last
  last(array)

These functions may have also been covered in the Make Academy tutorials — refer to the Make Academy Course Overview to learn more.

Here’s an example of how you can use these functions together:

{{ last(sort(map(1.array; "start_date"))) }}
_{(Make Input Markup: Copy-paste the above into the field, including start/end curly brackets for it to import as intended)}

e.g.:

Hope this helps! If you are still having trouble, please provide more details.

— @samliew

[samliew]

@Karmic

You can add a Tools (Set Variable) module after your array iterator/aggregator with this expression:

{{max(map({{1.bundles}}; “start_date”))}}

This will extracts all start_date values into an array ["2025-04-01", "2025-07-01", "2025-07-01"], then returns the maximum (“2025-07-01”).

Unfortunately, this wouldn’t work.

The built-in max function only works on numbers, not strings, which is clearly indicated in the variables panel:

I would suggest completing the Make Academy before assisting others.

Here are some useful links and guides you can use to learn more on how to use the Make platform, apps, and app modules. I found these useful when I was learning Make, and hope they might benefit you too —

Learn Make

• Help Centre | Tutorials – Make’s “manual” - search for help here first
• Make Academy – Basics 101: Learn Make properly to get your money’s worth
• Mapping – What is mapping? What can I map?
• Mapping with arrays – How to map items in an array
• Date Format: tokens for parseDate | tokens for formatDate
• HTTP modules – Make a request, Get (download) a file
• Webhooks – Error Handling, Responding to webhooks

How-Tos

• Router Magic Formula - YouTube
• Error Handlers in Make - YouTube playlist
• Aggregate an array for mapping complex fields
• Getting started with OpenAI - How to setup and use OpenAI in Make
• Text Parser module - Use pattern matching to extract the text you want
• Webhooks – Make Academy - tutorial on how to use Webhooks

Useful to Know

• How to schedule scenario for first Monday next month (recurring)
• How to schedule scenario for the last day next month (recurring)
• How to Extract URL Query Parameters Into Variables
• Overview of Different Web Scraping Techniques in Make
• [Free] Use Groq AI to filter spam emails and form submissions!
• Automate Follow-Up of Email Leads a Week After
• How to group bundles in X amount of bundles (Chunking Arrays)

My Custom App — Absolutely Free!

Save development time and operation credits with these utility modules: Chunk Text; Chunk Array; Chunk Words; Multiple Find & Replace; Collection to Array/String List; Execute JavaScript; Estimate Tokens; Calculate Difference Between Two Dates; Get Next Business Day (with holidays); List Upcoming Dates of Day of Week; and more!

— @samliew