Switch

Add selection control to your workflows. Learn what is a Switch action, how it works, and how to configure it to add selection control mechanism to your workflows with the help of an example.

The Switch action lets you define multiple conditions and their corresponding execution paths for your workflow. Whenever a condition is met, the associated path is executed while the remaining execution paths are discarded automatically.

How to set up Switch cases

The execution paths are defined using Cases. Each case specifies the condition(s) to be met along with the next action to be executed if the condition is met.

Note
  1. Cases are evaluated sequentially, starting from Case 1. As soon as a case succeeds, the next action associated with it is executed, while the rest of the cases are discarded.
  2. You can optionally specify a Default Case, which is executed if none of the other cases succeed.
  3. You can also assign same case number (e.g., Case 2) for two different execution paths with different conditions. In such a scenario, both the cases will be evaluated simultaneously, but only the case with matched condition (if any) will be executed. If both the cases fail, the next case will be evaluated.

We will now understand how to set up Switch cases with the help of an example.

Let’s say your organization has a support request form on its website where users can raise requests for different departments. You want to create a workflow that will execute each time a new support request is raised, will check the department (IT, Operations, Content) for which the request was raised, and will then send the details of the request to the specified department through a specific channel. To achieve this, follow the instructions given below

  1. Add and configure trigger
    First, we will setup a trigger that will fire off each time a new request is submitted through the request form. Select ‘Formstack - New Submission’ trigger and configure it as shown below:

    Next, add Switch action to canvas, followed by the Asana, Intercom, and Cisco Webex Teams connectors.

  2. Configure Switch cases
    Connect Switch with all connectors on canvas, as shown below:

    You will notice that case numbers are assigned by default at the time of connecting Switch with connectors. You can change these case numbers as per your requirements.

    As per our example, we have to set the following conditions:

    • If the department is IT, create a new task in Asana

    • If the department is Operations, create a new note in Intercom

    • If the department is Content, post a new message on Cisco Webex Teams space

    We will now define these conditions:

    Start off by clicking on the line connecting the Switch action and Asana connector icon and click the Settings icon. The Condition window will appear on screen.

    Here, you can see the Select Case drop down from where you can add cases and the Condition block from where you can set specific conditions.

    Select Case: Click on the drop down arrow to see the list of available cases and select the case you want to assign to this execution path.

    Note
    Cases are evaluated in sequential order.

    Since we have connected three connectors with Switch, you will see Case 1, Case 2, Case 3, and Default Case in the drop down list.

    Condition: Click on the Add Condition button and then click Add Filter. In the condition block that appears, specify the condition you want to set.

    For this example, we will configure the condition block as below:

    Input: Add the key name of which value you want to check, from the Trigger data. Here, we will add the Department key.

    Condition: Select Exactly Matches condition from the drop down list.

    Expected: Enter the value you want to compare against the form value. Here, we will enter IT

    Once you have entered these details, click Done. This will take you back to canvas.

    Repeat this procedure for:

    • Case 2 (Switch and Intercom, where expected value in condition is Operations

    • Case 3 (Switch and Cisco Webex Teams, where expected value in condition is Content

3.Configure all actions using the added connectors
We will now configure the actions to retrieve and send form data if the condition they are associated with is met. Configure Asana - Create Task, Intercom - New Note, and Cisco Webex Teams - Post new Message actions by selecting relevant accounts. In the Body (or other such relevant) field of each action add Trigger Data given on the left-side of the configuration window and click Next.

After this, test the configured action, and click Done.
Now when any user submits the request form, the Formstack - New Submission trigger will fire off this workflow. The Switch action will then traverse through cases one-by-one to check for which department the request was raised and depending on that, will execute the relevant action, which will in turn send form data to the specified department.