@@ -493,7 +493,7 @@ class Codelessly {
       // Initialize Firestore and FirebaseAuth instances.
       _firebaseFirestore = FirebaseFirestore.instanceFor(app: _firebaseApp!);
       _firebaseAuth = FirebaseAuth.instanceFor(app: _firebaseApp!);
-        _listenToAppUser();
+      _listenToAppUser();
 
       _didInitializeFirebase = true;
 
 
@@ -18,12 +18,19 @@ class ActionChain {
   /// The chain the running action belongs to, if any.
   static ActionChain? get current => Zone.current[_zoneKey] as ActionChain?;
 
-  /// Sets the current chain's result, when an action runs in a chain.
-  static void setResult(Object? result) => current?.result = result;
+  /// Sets the current chain's result, when an action runs in a chain. Map
+  /// results merge into a map result, so values an earlier action produced
+  /// (e.g. an upload's `url`) stay readable after a later one adds its own.
+  static void setResult(Object? result) {
+    final ActionChain? chain = current;
+    if (chain == null) return;
+    final Object? previous = chain.result;
+    chain.result = previous is Map && result is Map
+        ? {...previous, ...result}
+        : result;
+  }
 
   /// Runs [body] in a new chain whose `${result}` starts as [result].
-  static R run<R>(R Function() body, {Object? result}) => runZoned(
-    body,
-    zoneValues: {_zoneKey: ActionChain(result: result)},
-  );
+  static R run<R>(R Function() body, {Object? result}) =>
+      runZoned(body, zoneValues: {_zoneKey: ActionChain(result: result)});
 }
@@ -111,9 +111,10 @@ abstract final class AppAuth {
 
       // A different user needs the project's claim before it can read or
       // write the project's data.
-      if (action.operation case AuthOperation.signIn ||
-          AuthOperation.signUp ||
-          AuthOperation.signOut) {
+      if (action.operation
+          case AuthOperation.signIn ||
+              AuthOperation.signUp ||
+              AuthOperation.signOut) {
         await codelessly.authManager.reauthenticate();
       }
     } catch (error) {
 
@@ -1568,33 +1568,9 @@ ${response.body.contains('{') ? const JsonEncoder.withIndent('  ').convert(json.
 
       Map<String, dynamic> data = {};
       if (subAction.useRawValue) {
-        // Substitute variables in raw value.
-        final updatedValue = PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariables(
-          subAction.rawValue,
-          nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
-          scopedValues: scopedValues,
-        );
-        // Parse to JSON.
-        final parsed = tryJsonDecode(updatedValue);
-        data = switch (parsed) {
-          null => {},
-          Map map => Map<String, dynamic>.from(map),
-          _ => {'data': parsed},
-        };
+        data = _jsonFromTemplate(subAction.rawValue, scopedValues);
       } else {
-        // Substitute variables in value.
-        final updatedValue = PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariables(
-          subAction.newValue,
-          nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
-          scopedValues: scopedValues,
-        );
-        // Parse to JSON.
-        final parsed = tryJsonDecode(updatedValue);
-        data = switch (parsed) {
-          null => {},
-          Map map => Map<String, dynamic>.from(map),
-          _ => {'data': parsed},
-        };
+        data = _jsonFromTemplate(subAction.newValue, scopedValues);
       }
 
       // Pick the id here when generating one, so `${result.id}` can tell the
@@ -1607,8 +1583,7 @@ ${response.body.contains('{') ? const JsonEncoder.withIndent('  ').convert(json.
         value: data,
         documentId: documentId,
         skipCreationIfDocumentExists:
-            !subAction.autoGenerateId &&
-            subAction.skipCreationIfDocumentExists,
+            !subAction.autoGenerateId && subAction.skipCreationIfDocumentExists,
       );
       ActionChain.setResult({'id': documentId, 'path': evaluatedPath});
       return added;
@@ -1619,6 +1594,32 @@ ${response.body.contains('{') ? const JsonEncoder.withIndent('  ').convert(json.
     }
   }
 
+  /// The document data a JSON [template] describes once its variables are
+  /// substituted. See [PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariablesInJson].
+  static Map<String, dynamic> _jsonFromTemplate(
+    String template,
+    ScopedValues scopedValues,
+  ) {
+    final Map<String, dynamic>? data =
+        PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariablesInJson(
+          template,
+          scopedValues: scopedValues,
+        );
+    if (data != null) return data;
+    final Object? parsed = tryJsonDecode(
+      PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariables(
+        template,
+        nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
+        scopedValues: scopedValues,
+      ),
+    );
+    return switch (parsed) {
+      null => {},
+      Map map => Map<String, dynamic>.from(map),
+      _ => {'data': parsed},
+    };
+  }
+
   static Future<bool> updateDocumentOnCloud(
     UpdateDocumentSubAction subAction,
     ScopedValues scopedValues,
@@ -1642,14 +1643,10 @@ ${response.body.contains('{') ? const JsonEncoder.withIndent('  ').convert(json.
     );
 
     if (subAction.useRawValue) {
-      // Substitute variables in raw value.
-      final updatedValue = PropertyValueDelegate.substituteVariables(
+      final Map<String, dynamic> data = _jsonFromTemplate(
         subAction.rawValue,
-        nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
-        scopedValues: scopedValues,
+        scopedValues,
       );
-      // Parse to JSON.
-      final Map<String, dynamic> data = jsonDecode(updatedValue);
 
       return await cloudDatabase.updateDocument(
         evaluatedPath,
 
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import 'package:flutter/services.dart';
 import 'package:provider/provider.dart';
 
 import '../../../codelessly_sdk.dart';
+import '../../functions/action_chain.dart';
 
 class PassiveCanvasTransformer extends NodeWidgetTransformer<CanvasNode> {
   static const String name = 'PassiveCanvasWidget';
@@ -475,7 +476,13 @@ class _PassiveCanvasWidgetState extends State<PassiveCanvasWidget> {
       'Performing actions on canvas load',
       name: PassiveCanvasTransformer.name,
     );
-    executeActionAt(0, onLoadActions);
+    // After the first frame, so actions that navigate or show dialogs (e.g.
+    // an if/else that redirects signed out users) don't run mid-build. The
+    // actions share one chain so `${result}` flows between them.
+    WidgetsBinding.instance.addPostFrameCallback((_) {
+      if (!mounted) return;
+      ActionChain.run(() => executeActionAt(0, onLoadActions));
+    });
   }
 
   void executeActionAt(int index, List<ActionModel> actions) {
 
@@ -181,8 +181,17 @@ class PassiveNodeTransformerManager extends WidgetNodeTransformerManager {
 
     // Traverse through all the multi-variables that the node properties are attached
     // to.
-    for (final String variablePath
-        in node.multipleVariables.values.expand((path) => path).toSet()) {
+    // Text written with inline `${...}` paths listens to them too, so text
+    // stays live whether or not its multipleVariables were filled in.
+    final Set<String> multiplePaths = {
+      ...node.multipleVariables.values.expand((path) => path),
+      if (node is TextNode)
+        ...variablePathRegex
+            .allMatches(node.characters)
+            .map((match) => match.namedGroup('value'))
+            .nonNulls,
+    };
+    for (final String variablePath in multiplePaths) {
       final match = VariableMatch.parse(variablePath.wrapWithVariableSyntax());
       if (match == null) continue;
 
 
@@ -59,6 +59,17 @@ class ConditionEvaluator<R extends Object>
 
   @override
   Object? visitVariablePart(VariablePart part) {
+    // A part that is exactly one path compares by its value as is, so lists
+    // and maps keep their type for operators like contains and isEmpty.
+    final String path = part.valueString.trim();
+    if (RegExp(r'^\$\{[^{}]+\}$').hasMatch(path)) {
+      final Object? raw =
+          PropertyValueDelegate.getVariableValueFromPath<Object>(
+            path,
+            scopedValues: scopedValues,
+          );
+      if (raw is List || raw is Map) return raw;
+    }
     final value = part.valueString.splitMapJoinRegex(
       variablePathRegex,
       onMatch: (match) {
 
@@ -156,6 +156,55 @@ class PropertyValueDelegate {
   /// evaluates to null. See [NullSubstitutionMode] for more details.
   ///
   /// [scopedValues] is required to retrieve the data from various sources.
+  /// Substitutes variables in a JSON [template] value by value, so the
+  /// result stays valid JSON whatever the values contain: a string that is
+  /// exactly one `${path}` becomes the path's value as is (a list, a number,
+  /// null, ...), and other strings get their paths substituted as text.
+  ///
+  /// Returns null when [template] isn't JSON before substitution, e.g. when a
+  /// path stands unquoted for a number.
+  static Map<String, dynamic>? substituteVariablesInJson(
+    String template, {
+    required ScopedValues scopedValues,
+  }) {
+    final Object? parsed = tryJsonDecode(template.trim());
+    if (parsed is! Map) return null;
+    return Map<String, dynamic>.from(
+      _substituteJsonValue(parsed, scopedValues) as Map,
+    );
+  }
+
+  static Object? _substituteJsonValue(
+    Object? value,
+    ScopedValues scopedValues,
+  ) {
+    return switch (value) {
+      String() =>
+        RegExp(r'^\$\{[^{}]+\}$').hasMatch(value.trim())
+            ? _retrieveVariableValue(value.trim(), scopedValues: scopedValues)
+            : substituteVariables(
+                value,
+                scopedValues: scopedValues,
+                nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
+              ),
+      List() => [
+        for (final item in value) _substituteJsonValue(item, scopedValues),
+      ],
+      Map() => {
+        for (final MapEntry(:key, :value) in value.entries)
+          substituteVariables(
+            key.toString(),
+            scopedValues: scopedValues,
+            nullSubstitutionMode: NullSubstitutionMode.emptyString,
+          ): _substituteJsonValue(
+            value,
+            scopedValues,
+          ),
+      },
+      _ => value,
+    };
+  }
+
   static String substituteVariables(
     String text, {
     required ScopedValues scopedValues,
@@ -215,7 +264,9 @@ class PropertyValueDelegate {
 
     if (variable == null) return null;
 
-    VariableType accessorType = match.hasAccessor
+    // Predefined variables like item hold any type, so read accessors for
+    // the value they hold (an item can be a string, a map, ...).
+    VariableType accessorType = match.hasAccessor || match.isPredefinedVariable
         ? VariableType.fromObjectType(value)
         : variable.type;
     List<Accessor> accessors = variable.name.startsWith('api')
@@ -431,11 +482,37 @@ class PropertyValueDelegate {
     final JsonPath jsonPath = JsonPath(path);
     // Retrieve values from JSON that match the path.
     final values = jsonPath.read(data);
-    if (values.isEmpty) return (null, null);
+    if (values.isEmpty) return _substituteComputedProperty(text, data);
     // Return the first value.
     return (values.first.value, values.first.pointer);
   }
 
+  /// Resolves a path that ends in a computed property of a nested value, like
+  /// `${item.memberIds.length}` or `${item.createdAt.timeAgo}`, which plain
+  /// JSON paths can't read: the rest of the path is resolved first, then the
+  /// property is read from [getVariableProperties] of that value.
+  static (Object?, JsonPointer?) _substituteComputedProperty(
+    String text,
+    Map<String, dynamic> data,
+  ) {
+    final String path = text.substring(2, text.length - 1);
+    final int dot = path.lastIndexOf('.');
+    if (dot <= 0) return (null, null);
+    final String property = path.substring(dot + 1);
+    if (!RegExp(r'^[a-zA-Z]+$').hasMatch(property)) return (null, null);
+    final (Object? parent, _) = substituteJsonPath(
+      path.substring(0, dot),
+      data,
+    );
+    if (parent == null) return (null, null);
+    final Map<String, dynamic> properties = getVariableProperties(
+      parent,
+      VariableType.fromObjectType(parent),
+    );
+    if (!properties.containsKey(property)) return (null, null);
+    return (properties[property], null);
+  }
+
   static void putValueInJsonPath(
     String path,
     Object? value,
@@ -501,6 +578,13 @@ class PropertyValueDelegate {
         'upcase': value.toUpperCase(),
         'downcase': value.toLowerCase(),
         'capitalize': value.capitalized,
+        'initial': value.trim().isEmpty
+            ? ''
+            : value.trim().characters.first.toUpperCase(),
+        if (DateTime.tryParse(value) case final DateTime date) ...{
+          'timeAgo': formatTimeAgo(date),
+          'date': formatDate(date),
+        },
       },
       int() => {
         'isEven': value.isEven,
@@ -576,7 +660,7 @@ List<Accessor> getAccessorsForType(VariableType type) {
         Accessor(
           name: 'downcase',
           type: VariableType.text,
-          getValue: (value) => value?.toString().toUpperCase(),
+          getValue: (value) => value?.toString().toLowerCase(),
         ),
         Accessor(
           name: 'capitalize',
@@ -598,6 +682,30 @@ List<Accessor> getAccessorsForType(VariableType type) {
           type: VariableType.boolean,
           getValue: (value) => value?.toString().trim().isEmpty,
         ),
+        Accessor(
+          name: 'initial',
+          type: VariableType.text,
+          getValue: (value) {
+            final String text = value?.toString().trim() ?? '';
+            return text.isEmpty ? '' : text.characters.first.toUpperCase();
+          },
+        ),
+        Accessor(
+          name: 'timeAgo',
+          type: VariableType.text,
+          getValue: (value) => switch (DateTime.tryParse('${value ?? ''}')) {
+            final DateTime date => formatTimeAgo(date),
+            null => null,
+          },
+        ),
+        Accessor(
+          name: 'date',
+          type: VariableType.text,
+          getValue: (value) => switch (DateTime.tryParse('${value ?? ''}')) {
+            final DateTime date => formatDate(date),
+            null => null,
+          },
+        ),
       ];
     case VariableType.integer:
       return [
@@ -911,3 +1019,29 @@ List<Accessor> getCloudDataVariableAccessorsForType(VariableType dataType) => [
     getValue: (value) => value.toMap()?['error'],
   ),
 ];
+
+const List<String> _monthNames = [
+  'Jan', 'Feb', 'Mar', 'Apr', 'May', 'Jun', //
+  'Jul', 'Aug', 'Sep', 'Oct', 'Nov', 'Dec',
+];
+
+/// Formats [date] like `Oct 14, 2026`, in local time.
+String formatDate(DateTime date) {
+  final DateTime local = date.toLocal();
+  return '${_monthNames[local.month - 1]} ${local.day}, ${local.year}';
+}
+
+/// Formats [date] relative to now: `Just now`, `5 min ago`, `2 hours ago`,
+/// `3 days ago`, then [formatDate] after a week.
+String formatTimeAgo(DateTime date, {DateTime? now}) {
+  final Duration diff = (now ?? DateTime.now()).difference(date);
+  if (diff.inMinutes < 1) return 'Just now';
+  if (diff.inHours < 1) return '${diff.inMinutes} min ago';
+  if (diff.inDays < 1) {
+    return '${diff.inHours} ${diff.inHours == 1 ? 'hour' : 'hours'} ago';
+  }
+  if (diff.inDays < 7) {
+    return '${diff.inDays} ${diff.inDays == 1 ? 'day' : 'days'} ago';
+  }
+  return formatDate(date);
+}