> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.graphext.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Steps

> Steps are functions used in the context of the recipe

Steps are functions that tell Graphext how to process your data, in
a pipeline sort of way. They live in the [recipe](/concepts/graphext-concepts/recipe),
as a sorted list of processes to perform on your data. Usually,
the output from one will go into the next, although this is not strictly
necessary.

Some steps output a new column, some just help you set metadata about a column,
some help you export your data, train a model and much more.

Steps are written in a *low code* language specific to Graphext recipes, that resembles
a bit of a mix between Javascript and Python. The recipe editor will help with auto-completion
of the steps, as well as auto-filling their inputs.

Here's an example of a recipe with only two steps:

```erlang theme={null}
extract_json_values(ds.products, {
    "path": "name",
    "type": "category"
  }) -> (ds.productName)

create_project(ds)
```

We can see the `extract_json_values` and the `create_project` steps. The `create_project` step is a special one whose only purpose
is to instantiate the dataset (ds) and make it available for other steps to process it.

We can see the step `extract_json_values` takes two inputs: `ds.products` and
a dictionary-like object as options. `ds.products` is a column on `ds`, made available
by `create_project`. This step will then create a new column on `ds` called `productName`, with the
results of the transformation in it.

This is a very powerful and relatively easy way of processing your data and having it
readily available. Sometimes, this can be quite a bit faster than booting up a classic
python/R notebook, while still providing with much the same functionality.

The complete list for all the possible steps lives in the [API Docs](/api-docs/steps), also at the top of this page.
Do not hesitate to [reach out](mailto:support@graphext.com) if you need any help!