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Run a column only when a condition is true

Add a run condition so a column runs only on the rows that meet it, and see which rows will run before you add the column.

Written by Umer Ishaq

A run condition makes a column skip rows that do not meet a test. Tools such as Normalize Domain and HTTP (POST/GET) show it under Run Settings. The Run Regex edit panel has no Run Settings, so it has no run condition.

In the video, the run condition starts at 0:46.

How do I add one?

  1. Open a tool's panel, for example Normalize Domain.

  2. Scroll to Run Settings.

  3. Tick Add run condition ("Only run if this formula resolves to true.").

  4. Describe the condition in plain words in Describe your run condition and click Generate formula, or write it yourself in Filter Condition (JS). The hint shows isPresent(@{email}) && @{category} === 'b2b'.

  5. Type @ or / and pick a column from the list.

The Run Settings section of a column panel. The Auto-run switch is off, Add run condition is ticked with the text Only run if this formula resolves to true, and below it are a Describe your run condition box with a Generate formula button and a Filter Condition (JS) box with an example in it. The Add run condition tick box is outlined in red.

A badge reading Only run if appears next to Run Settings. The panel then says: "Every row in this column now shows what the condition does. Wrong on a row? Open it and say what you expected."

What do I see before I add the column?

The preview column shows Will run for rows that meet the condition and Will not run for the others.

A table of companies beside the Normalize Domain panel. In the panel, Add run condition is ticked and the Filter Condition (JS) box holds the Company Name column tag followed by === and the text Stripe. In the table, the Normalize Domain preview column, outlined in red, reads Will run on the Stripe row and Will not run on the other rows.

Can an AI column or an HTTP column have a run condition?

Yes. The HTTP (POST/GET) panel has a Run Settings section with an Auto-run switch and a tick box, Add run condition ("Only run if this formula resolves to true."). A Use AI column linked to a saved Loopgent has the same two in its Edit column panel.

Example

With the condition @Input === "acme.example" on a Normalize Domain column set to Isolate domain, after Add column and run 3 rows:

  • the acme.example row showed acme.example;

  • the other two rows showed "Run condition not met" in grey italics.

Does the Run column dialog price only the rows that meet the condition?

No. The price in the Run column dialog ignores the run condition. For example, with a run condition that only 2 of 5 rows met, the dialog said "Run all 5 empty rows" and showed a Maximum cost for all 5 rows, not just the 2 that met the condition. In our tests, the 3 skipped cells were not charged: Usage history had a line for only the 2 rows that ran.

After the run, the dialog lists Run 3 rows with no result. Skipped rows are counted there, not as empty. See What each button in the Run column dialog does.

Good to know

  • A skipped row is not an error. The cell says "Run condition not met".

  • Auto-run is also listed under Run Settings. Its text says "Table Auto-run is off. This column will only run manually until table Auto-run is enabled."

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