Branch by stage

The Branch by stage action A tool for building the processes, logic, and direction within workflows. Actions are the steps the workflow performs to complete a process. divides the workflow or agentflow into stages.

Not all workflows or agentflows are linear from beginning to end. You can redirect workflows or agentflows back and forth between stages by using both the Branch by stage and Change stage action.  

What are stages?

Stages structure your workflow or agentflow into repeatable paths that you can switch between at any point, creating back-and-forth interaction, rather than a strictly linear progression. Rules within the workflow or agentflow determine when to switch from one stage to another, allowing workflows or agentflows to return to earlier stages, repeat them or skip them altogether.

How do the Branch by stage and Change stage actions work together?

When you are designing a workflow or agentflow:

  • The Branch by stage action creates the stages of the workflow or agentflow.
  • The Change stage action controls when one stage changes to another.
Note: 

  • When there are multiple Change stage actions in a branch, only the last one is executed.

  • If a branch doesn’t return to another stage, add an Exit stage action to end the path. This ensures the workflow or agentflow completes as expected.

Note: This video was recorded using the classic navigation. If you're using the new navigation, you may notice differences in layout and menus. While the overall functionality remains the same, navigation steps may vary slightly.

Before you begin: 

  • Understand Variables

  • Understand container actions. You can add actions to create branches such as Branch by stage or to contain other actions such as Action Set that can be collapsed down into a single action high-level view.

Jump to:

Add and configure the Branch by stage action

See the Branch by stage fields, buttons, and settings table for all the configuration fields.

After you add the Branch by stage action to your design, two branches and stages are created by default: Branch 1 and Branch 2.

In the Designer page:

  1. Add the action to the designer canvas and open the action configuration panel. For more information, see Add an action to the workflow.

  2. Select an Initial stage.
  3. Type the names of the Branches.
  4. To add another branch, click Add branch.

Note: The maximum number of branches you can add is 100.

Field

Description

Initial stage

The first stage used when directing the workflow or agentflow. Select from defined branches in the drop-down list or select a text variable.

Branches

Names of stages (branches) for directing the workflow or agentflow. Default values: Branch 1, Branch 2.

Type to change a branch name.

The workflow or agentflow ignores case when comparing variable values from the Initial stage to branch names. For example, if the next stage is determined by a variable and the value of that variable is "yes," then the workflow or agentflow detects the "Yes" branch as a match.

Note: The character limit for branch names is 150.

Add new branch

Click to create a new branch.

Note: The maximum number of branches you can add is 100.

(Remove)

Click to delete branch.