Builder Functions

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Functions let you build powerful backend logic by turning your words into code. They handle
powerful operations while keeping your UI clean and focused.

This information is for a legacy version of Create. Function creation will soon be natively
handled by the AI builder using simple instruction during your project editing.

Why Use Functions

Functions offer several key benefits:

Turn words into logic - Describe what you want in plain language and Create generates
the code
Separate UI from Logic - Keep pages focused on presentation while Functions handle
powerful operations
Test in Isolation - Debug and perfect logic independently from your UI
Reuseable - Use Functions across pages and components once they’re working
External APIs - Functions can connect securely to thousands of APIs using Secrets
Composeable - Build powerful features by combining Functions with Integrations,
Databases, and other Functions

For example, imagine building an app that analyzes documents with AI:

Without Functions, you would need to handle everything in one place:

 Upload interface for PDFs
Code to display the document
AI analysis of images
AI text summarization
Error messages
Loading screens

With Functions, you can split this into simpler parts:

Page:

A clean upload interface

Document display
A button that calls your analysis Function

Function:

AI image analysis
AI text summarization
Error handling

This separation makes your app easier to build, test, and maintain.

Creating Functions
Create Functions in several ways:

Logo Menu > New Function

Press option-F (or alt-F on Windows)
Type / in chat > Create Function
 Creating a new Function

Describe what you want the Function to do:

What inputs it needs

What logic it should perform
What outputs it should return

Create generates:

A flow diagram showing the Function’s logic

The underlying serverless code (viewable in the “Code” tab)
Input/output interfaces

Making Functions that Work

When building Functions:

For external APIs, find their documentation first. You can paste API endpoint URLs
directly into the Function chat - Create will analyze the screenshot and write the code.
 If you get test errors, paste the error message back into your Function definition. Create
often knows how to fix the specific issue.

Using Integrations, Databases, and Other Functions

Make your Functions more powerful by combining them with:

Integrations - Add AI capabilities and other features

Databases - Store and retrieve data
Other Functions - Chain multiple Functions together

To use these in your Function:

1. Type / or open the Add-ons menu

2. Select the Integration, Database, or Function
3. Describe how you want to use it

Using an integration in a Function

For example, you could build a Function that:

Uses ChatGPT to analyze text

Stores results in a database
Calls another Function to notify users

Create handles connecting everything together based on your description. If you need
specific behavior, add more details to your prompt about how you want the pieces to
interact.

Testing Functions
Every Function has a full test runner available by clicking on the three dot menu to the far
right of the function page itself and selecting Run Test.
Sample Inputs - Enter test data as Form or JSON
Run Tests - Execute the Function with your inputs
View Results - See outputs or error messages
Debug - Use error descriptions to fix issues. You can often just paste the error
description into your prompt to fix it.
 Functions have a 5-minute timeout. Chain Functions together for longer operations.

Using Functions
Add Functions to pages, components, or other Functions:

Type / in chat
Select your Function
Describe how you want to use it

Using a Function

Create handles:

Connecting inputs/outputs
Error states
Loading indicators
UI integration
Updating Functions
After changing a Function:

1. Find where you integrated it

2. Click “Update” next to the integration
3. Create will refresh with latest changes

Changes to Functions don’t automatically update everywhere they’re used. This prevents
unwanted changes from breaking your app.

External APIs and Secrets

Functions can connect to any external API. To use an API:

1. Store authentication details (API keys, tokens) as Secrets

2. Tell Create which API to use - it will handle the integration
3. Test carefully since calls hit live APIs

Popular APIs and where to find credentials:

Stripe: How to get your API Key

GitHub: How to get your Personal Access Token
Exa: How to get your API Key
Twilio: How to get your API Key
Sendgrid: How to get your API Key
MailGun: How to get your API Key
HubSpot: How to get your API key

Here is an in-depth YouTube video tutorial on how to connect to an external API, using the
Exa AI Search API:

Create Tutorial: Connecting to External APIs

 Create

Watch on

You can also use Zapier, Make, and other platforms that connect to APIs by using their
“webhook” triggers. Here’s a YouTube video with the steps:

How to make a tool that uses Zapier in Create

Create

Watch on

Secrets
Secrets securely store sensitive data like API keys and passwords. They’re available to all
Functions in your project.

To add a Secret:

1. Open the “Secrets” panel from the 3-dot menu at the top of chat in any Function
2. Click ”+ Add a new secret”
3. Name it clearly (e.g. “Stripe API Key”)
4. Enter the secret value

Create automatically uses well-named secrets when generating Function code. For example,
if you have a “Stripe API Key” secret and mention Stripe in your prompt, Create will use that
key securely.

When using popular APIs like Stripe or Twilio, Create will often ask for specific secret names in
chat (e.g. “Stripe Secret Key”). Use these as hints for what credentials you need.

Supported secret types:

API Keys
Access Tokens
Basic Auth Credentials
Bearer Tokens

OAuth tokens aren’t supported since they require refresh flows.

Publishing
When ready to launch:

1. Click Publish in top right

2. Choose Functions to publish
 3. Set routes if needed (all Function routes start with /api)
4. Enable/disable as needed

Published Functions are locked versions your published app uses. Continue development
without breaking live features.

Need help? Join our Discord and post in #help-me-build

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