Is there a way to fix the issue of values from Textareas with multiple lines not getting parsed correctly in Webflow Logic when posting to an external API?
TL;DR
- Use Webflow Logic’s Replace Text utility to convert
\nline breaks in textarea inputs into appropriate formats like<br>or\\nbefore sending. - Insert the transformed value into the JSON payload with proper quoting, and use middleware like Make or Netlify Functions if additional processing is required.
Textarea values in Webflow Logic can sometimes break formatting or fail to send correctly when posting multiline input to an external API. This typically happens due to line breaks or carriage returns not being handled properly in the payload.
1. Understand the Problem with Line Breaks
- Textareas allow
\n(line breaks) which can interfere with how JSON payloads are parsed. - Some APIs may expect newlines to be escaped or handled differently (
\\n,<br>, etc.). - Webflow Logic currently does not parse multiline textareas cleanly when inserting data into a JSON body via the standard "Send HTTP Request" block.
2. Convert Line Breaks Using Logic Expressions
- Before sending the textarea value, transform the string using a Logic expression to replace line breaks.
- Use the "Replace Text" utility inside Logic to substitute
\nwith another character or string like: \\nfor escaped newline (if the API expects it)<br>for HTML-compatible line breaks- A single space or custom delimiter if newlines are not supported
- Example:
- Set Input: Replace
\nin textarea with<br>→ Output:transformed-textarea - Use
transformed-textareain the API payload instead of the raw textarea
3. Ensure JSON Formatting is Clean
- When using custom JSON body in your HTTP request:
- Wrap the transformed textarea value in quotes to avoid parsing errors.
- Using the interpolation syntax:
"message": "{{transformed-textarea}}"
4. Use a Webhook Middleware (If Necessary)
- If Webflow lacks enough string manipulation power, use a middleware like:
- Make (Integromat) or Zapier to sanitize and forward the value
- A lightweight serverless function (e.g., Cloudflare Workers or Netlify Functions) that:
- Accepts the raw Webflow payload
- Processes/cleans multiline textarea
- Forwards it to the external API
Summary
Multiline textareas in Webflow Logic can misbehave due to raw line breaks. Use Logic’s Replace Text utility to normalize \n characters before sending data to an external API. If further processing is needed, consider routing the request through middleware or a custom function.