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Live Preview (Formula Designer)

The Live Preview lets you see the calculated results of your formula in real time. It also surfaces validation messages if the workspace is not properly configured. The Live Preview panel is on the right side of the UI.


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Tabs

You can switch between the Preview and Code tabs:

  • Preview – Allows you run a simulation of the current formula.

  • Code – View the code generated by the formula (for development/debugging; most business users can ignore this).

Live Preview

The Preview panel is divided into two main parts: Inputs and Results.

Calculate with latest versions of snippets & lookups?: By default, an active formula calculates based on the snippets and lookups that were in place when it was activated. However, if you've already created a draft for a new version of a snippet or a lookup, you may want to preview the formula with that version instead. To do this, simply click the toggle to switch to the latest versions.
This makes it possible to test how your formula behaves with draft updates, without activating them or creating a new formula version.

note In the Live Preview, values entered in custom inputs are preserved when you switch the Formula Type or when you toggle Calculate with latest versions of snippets & lookups?. This helps you iterate without re-entering data during simulation and validation.

Inputs

This section contains the inputs required to run the simulation. Some inputs are generated only if the formula requires them.

Calculate with latest versions of snippets & lookups?: This option lets you decide whether the Live Preview should use the active or the latest (draft) versions of referenced snippets and lookups.

  • Customer: Choose the customer for the simulation.

  • Product: Choose the product for the simulation.

  • Inputs

    • Formula Parameters (Additional Parameters): Formula parameters defined in the Formula Type appear input fields. Users enter values according to their type (number, string, or boolean). For example, Product Id, Currency, Unit of Measure.

    • Formula Inputs: Inputs declared/used in the formula.

    • Broadcasted Inputs: Inputs broadcasted from other contexts and consumed by the formula.

  • Custom Inputs: If a Custom Input defines a label parameter, it’s used as the field label. Otherwise the default label (as defined in the Custom Inputs logic MetaUtils) is used.

  • Target Date: Pick the date the formula should use for time-dependent logic; defaults to today if not set.

For Snippet Live Preview, each Snippet Argument will generate one input here.

Conditionally generated inputs (only if such blocks exist in the workspace) – the following inputs are only generated if certain blocks are present in the workspace:

  • Simulated price from the current list – Required when the Get price from the current list block is in the workspace. Because this block triggers a second-pass calculation, it cannot be simulated easily. The value from this input will be used for the simulation of this block’s value.

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  • Simulated kit price – Required if the Calculate kit price block is in the workspace. Calculating the kit price also requires a second-pass calculation so we simulate it instead in the live preview.

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To calculate the formula, click the Calculate button. The button will be enabled only if all the required inputs are filled. Once filled, the formula will be automatically recalculated when the workspace changes.

Result

The first table always shows the calculated result price of the formula. The price is always rounded to two decimal digits. Hover your mouse over the price to see the non-rounded price.

Underneath the price, there is a total calculation time (ms).

Intermediate Results

All the tables below show calculated results of each meaningful block in the workspace, such as variables, product attributes, and data lookups. This gives you the possibility to debug your formula in real-time.

Price Calculation Breakdown (Steps)

To help with debugging and transparency, a Price Calculation Breakdown is now available.
This breakdown reveals the exact steps and logic blocks used to calculate the final result. It is especially helpful in complex formulas where conditions, lookups, and formulas interact.

How to open

Click the small arrow next to the calculated result Price to expand the breakdown view. This view is collapsed by default and intended primarily for power users.

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What you’ll see

  • A step-by-step list of executed logic steps, from top to bottom.

  • Skipped blocks (e.g., from untriggered conditions) are not listed.

  • Each step includes:

    • Label: Describes the operation (e.g., “Multiply Margin and Cost”). May consist of clickable values – clicking a value highlights the source block, where the value has been calculated, with a thin blue line.

    • Value: The actual calculated output

    • Time: Time needed for calculation (in milliseconds)

    • Target: Highlights the corresponding block in the Formula workspace

    • Arrow down: Reveals the full execution path up to that step.

This helps you understand the exact logic used to calculate a result, making it easier to debug and verify your formula.

Validation

If the workspace is not properly configured, the Live Preview panel will show validation errors instead of results. In such a case, you will not be able to see the simulated price or the code until you fix the errors.

You can click the target icon to highlight the offending block in the workspace.

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