Show Steps and Blocks Conditionally
Show a page, an agreement, or any block only to clients whose choices or answers match.
A Smart Flow can change as the client moves through it. Each step and each block on a page can have a Show only if… condition based on what the client chose on an earlier Services block or answered on an earlier Questionnaire. Clients only see what applies to them.
Common uses:
- The right agreement for the package. Put a flat-fee agreement and an hourly agreement on the same page, and show each one only when the matching package is chosen.
- Extra questions for an add-on. Show a "Second photographer" page only when the client adds a second photographer.
- Terms that only apply sometimes. Show a paragraph about bar service only when bar service is chosen.
- Different paths for different answers. Show a planning page only when the guest count is more than 100.
Add a condition to a step
- Open the Smart Flow in the builder and select the step.
- In Settings, find Show this step only if… and select Add a condition.
- Choose what to check:
- A Services block on an earlier page, then the service and whether it is chosen or isn't chosen.
- A Questionnaire on an earlier page, then the question, a comparison and the answer.
- Select Add another rule to combine rules, then choose All of these are true or Any of these is true.
The summary under the rules reads the condition back, for example "Only if Second photographer is chosen". The same summary appears on the step in the steps list.
The first step cannot have a condition, because there is nothing earlier to check.
Add a condition to a block
- Select the block on the page. The block settings open on the right.
- Under Show this block only if…, select Add a condition and set the rules the same way as for a step.
A block can check Services blocks and questionnaires on earlier pages, and ones placed above it on the same page. This works for any block: text, images, and action blocks such as a contract, proposal, questionnaire, scheduler or invoice.
Questionnaire comparisons
| Comparison | Use it for |
|---|---|
| is / isn't | A specific answer, such as "Outdoor" or "Yes" |
| includes | Part of a text answer, or one choice in a multi-select question |
| is more than / is less than | Numbers, such as guest count or budget |
| is answered | Any answer at all |
Answers are compared without regard to capitals or extra spaces. For yes/no questions, choose Yes or No.
What the client sees
- Hidden steps are left out of the step count, the overview, the progress bar and the list of steps.
- When the client changes a choice, the page updates as soon as the choice is saved. If the steps ahead change, a short note tells them how many steps are left.
- A hidden block is not shown and does not need to be completed before the client continues.
- Hidden pricing is never billed. If a hidden proposal or agreement has pricing, or a hidden Services block has selections, the invoice leaves them out.
- Agreements on hidden blocks are not sent for signature.
When conditions are checked
A step's condition is checked when the client reaches it. If the condition is false, the step is skipped, recorded in the sent Smart Flow's activity as "skipped because it doesn't apply to the client's choices", and left out of the client's progress.
If the client goes back and changes an earlier choice, the steps after it are checked again. A step that was skipped can then appear, and a step that applied before can be skipped. Back-navigation closes once a payment has been made, so choices are fixed from then on.
Preview conditional steps
The builder's Preview has an All paths option that shows every step and block, so you can review all of them. Conditional pages and blocks carry a note explaining who sees them. To see a real client path, use Send yourself a test and make the choices a client would.
Conditions decide what a client sees. To put a client's answers into a proposal or contract, such as their event date or venue, use the Client's answers merge fields instead. See Client answers fill in your documents.
Publish checks
Publishing is blocked, with a message pointing to the step, when a condition:
- Checks a Services block or questionnaire that comes later in the Smart Flow. Move the step after it, or change the condition.
- Checks a service that is no longer offered on that Services block, or a question that is no longer on the form.
- Compares an answer with a number that isn't a number, or with an empty answer.
- Has a rule that was never finished. Choose what it checks, or remove it.
Templates with conditions
Some templates include conditions you can learn from: Wedding Photography asks second-photographer questions only when one is booked, Web Design adds a copywriting brief only with copywriting, Legal Services shows the flat-fee or hourly engagement letter to match the engagement chosen, and Catering shows bar terms only with bar service.