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smaller
Learn how to use the Boolean "smaller" (<) operator in Notion formulas.
The smaller (<) operator returns true if its left operand is less than its right operand. It accepts numeric, date, and Boolean operands.
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number < number
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Boolean < Boolean
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date < date
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​
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smaller(number, number)
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smaller(Boolean, Boolean)
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smaller(date, date)
You can also use the function version, smaller().
Example Formulas
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2 < 1 // Output: false
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​
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42 < 50 // Output: true
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​
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// Boolean values equate to 1 (true) and 0 (false).
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false < true // Output: true
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​
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true < true // Output: false
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​
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// For dates, "less than" equates to "before".
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now() < dateAdd(now(), 1, "months") // Output: true
Good to know: When comparing dates, "larger" = "later".
Good to know: The smaller (<) operator cannot be chained in a Notion formula. A formula like 1 < 2 < 3 won't work. Use the and operator to get around this - e.g. 1 < 2 and 2 < 3.
Example Database
The example database below tracks votes amongst a pirate crew. For each issue, a quorum must be reached; at least 3 members must vote. Once a quorum is reached, only proposals that receive more Yays than Nays will be passed and enacted.
The Result formula displays the status of each proposal.
View and Duplicate Database
smaller
College Info Geek on Notion
“Result” Property Formula
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// Compressed
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(+((not empty(prop("Luffy"))) ? true : false) + +((not empty(prop("Nami"))) ? true : false) + +((not empty(prop("Sanji"))) ? true : false) + +((not empty(prop("Zoro"))) ? true : false) < 3) ? "✋ Quorum Not Reached!" : ((+replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Luffy"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Nami"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Sanji"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Zoro"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") < 1) ? "👎 Rejected" : "👍 Passed")
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​
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// Expanded
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(
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    +((not empty(prop("Luffy"))) ? true : false) + 
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    +((not empty(prop("Nami"))) ? true : false) + 
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    +((not empty(prop("Sanji"))) ? true : false) + 
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    +((not empty(prop("Zoro"))) ? true : false) < 3
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    ) ? 
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    "✋ Quorum Not Reached!" : 
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    (
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        (+replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Luffy"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + 
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        +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Nami"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + 
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        +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Sanji"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") + 
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        +replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Zoro"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1") < 1) ? 
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        "👎 Rejected" : 
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        "👍 Passed"
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)
This vote tracker works by giving each group member their own Yay/Nay property. A Select property is used because there are actually three potential states for each crew member’s vote:
1.Yay
2.Nay
3.Abstained/didn’t vote
Therefore, a Boolean/Checkbox property won’t work here.
The formula first checks that each member’s vote is not empty, using the empty function and the not operator. “Not empty” returns a value of true, which is converted to a score of 1 using unaryPlus. Similarly, an empty property will return a false value, which is converted to 0.
The scores are added up, and if they total less than three (< 3), the formula outputs “✋ Quorum Not Reached!”
If they total 3 or higher, we move to the “then” clause, which is a nested if-then statement.
Here, we use a pair of nested replaceAll functions to convert each member’s vote into a score: (+replaceAll(replaceAll(prop("Luffy"), "Nay", "-1"), "Yay", "1").
replaceAll() is a function that searches a string for a pattern, then replaces all instances of that pattern with another pattern:
The first replaceAll() searches the voter’s property (e.g. prop("Luffy")) for “Nay”. If found, “Nay” is converted to “-1” (which is a string value at this point).
The second (outer) replaceAll() searches the result of the inner replaceAll() (which will either contain “Yay” or “-1” at this point) for “Yay”. If found, “Yay” is converted to “1”.
Now the vote’s text has been turned either to “-1” or “1”.
Next, the + (unaryPlus) operator converts this numeric string to an actual number. This is done for each voter’s property, and finally all the scores are added up.
If the score is less than 1 (<1), then the formula outputs, "👎 Rejected". If it is 1 or greater, it outputs, "👍 Passed".
Other formula components used in this example:
unaryPlus
if
replaceAll
not
empty
About the Author
​
 My name is Thomas Frank, and I'm a Notion-certified writer, YouTuber, and template creator. I've been using Notion since 2018 to organize my personal life and to run my business and YouTube channel. In addition to this formula reference, I've created a free Notion course for beginners and several productivity-focused Notion templates. If you'd like to connect, follow me on Twitter.
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Example Formulas
Example Database
View and Duplicate Database
“Result” Property Formula