> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.retoneai.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # If/Else Stage > Branch conversations based on conditions The **If/Else** stage routes conversations based on variable values and conditions. Create branching logic to handle different scenarios. ## Overview If/Else nodes evaluate conditions against collected data and route to different paths: ``` ┌─────────────┐ │ If/Else │ └──────┬──────┘ ┌──────────┼──────────┐ │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ [Condition A] [Condition B] [Default] ``` If/Else nodes are colored **yellow** on the canvas. ## Configuration ### Conditions Each condition evaluates a variable against a value: | Property | Description | | ------------ | ------------------------ | | **Variable** | The variable to check | | **Operator** | Comparison operator | | **Value** | Value to compare against | | **Target** | Node to route to if true | ### Operators | Operator | Description | Example | | -------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------- | | `==` | Equals | `status == "active"` | | `!=` | Not equals | `plan != "free"` | | `<` | Less than | `age < 18` | | `>` | Greater than | `total > 100` | | `<=` | Less than or equal | `quantity <= 10` | | `>=` | Greater than or equal | `score >= 80` | | `exists` | Variable is set | `order_number exists` | | `is_empty` | Variable not set | `email is_empty` | | `contains` | Contains substring | `issue contains "refund"` | | `not_contains` | Doesn't contain | `notes not_contains "urgent"` | | `in` | Value in list | `department in ["sales", "support"]` | | `not_in` | Value not in list | `status not_in ["cancelled", "expired"]` | | `regex` | Matches pattern | `order_number regex "^[A-Z]{2}[0-9]{6}$"` | ### Default Target The fallback route when no conditions match. **Always set a default** to handle unexpected cases. ## Evaluation Order Conditions are evaluated **in order** from top to bottom. The first matching condition wins. ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: 1. issue_type == "billing" → Billing Team 2. issue_type == "technical" → Tech Support 3. priority == "high" → Urgent Queue 4. Default → General Support ``` If `issue_type` is "billing", the caller goes to Billing Team even if `priority` is also "high". ## Example Configurations ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: department operator: == value: "sales" target: Sales Conversation - variable: department operator: == value: "support" target: Support Conversation - variable: department operator: == value: "billing" target: Billing Conversation Default: General Conversation ``` ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: customer_tier operator: == value: "enterprise" target: VIP Support - variable: wait_time operator: > value: "10" target: Priority Queue - variable: issue_severity operator: == value: "critical" target: Urgent Handler Default: Standard Queue ``` ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: order_status operator: == value: "shipped" target: Tracking Info - variable: order_status operator: == value: "processing" target: Processing Update - variable: order_status operator: == value: "cancelled" target: Cancellation Handling - variable: order_status operator: is_empty target: Order Lookup Default: Order Support ``` ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: language operator: == value: "spanish" target: Spanish Agent - variable: return_customer operator: == value: "true" target: Loyalty Program - variable: cart_value operator: > value: "500" target: Premium Sales Default: Standard Flow ``` ## Common Patterns ### Validate Required Data Check if required information was collected: ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: customer_email operator: exists target: Proceed with Email - variable: customer_phone operator: exists target: Proceed with Phone Default: Collect Contact Info ``` ### Business Hours Routing Route based on time-related variables: ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: is_business_hours operator: == value: "true" target: Live Support Default: After Hours Message ``` ### Sentiment-Based Routing Route frustrated customers differently: ```yaml theme={null} Conditions: - variable: sentiment operator: == value: "angry" target: De-escalation Handler - variable: sentiment operator: == value: "frustrated" target: Priority Support Default: Standard Support ``` ## Flow Examples ### Simple Branch ``` ┌─────────────────┐ │ Data Extraction │ │ - issue_type │ └────────┬────────┘ │ ┌────▼────┐ │ If/Else │ └────┬────┘ ┌────┴────┬────────┐ │ │ │ ▼ ▼ ▼ [Returns] [Exchange] [Default] ``` ### Nested Conditions ``` ┌─────────────────┐ │ Data Extraction │ └────────┬────────┘ │ ┌────▼────┐ │ If/Else │ (Department) └────┬────┘ │ ┌────▼────┐ │ If/Else │ (Priority) └────┬────┘ │ ┌────▼────┐ │ Handler │ └─────────┘ ``` ## Best Practices Every If/Else needs a default path. Unhandled cases break flows. Put most specific conditions first. More general conditions go later. Verify each condition branch works as expected with test data. Avoid deeply nested If/Else chains. Consider restructuring complex logic. ## Related Collect the variables to evaluate Alternative routing with conversation transitions Handle each branch with conversation nodes