Conditional Workflow Tasks

Overview

Conditional Workflow Tasks provide branching logic within HPE Morpheus Software Workflows. A Conditional Workflow Task evaluates a JavaScript expression and, based on the result, executes one of two Operational Workflows — enabling dynamic, decision-based automation chains.

This task type is found in Library ‣ Automation (Library > Automation > Tasks) with the type Conditional Workflow.

How It Works

The Conditional Workflow Task operates on a simple if/else model:

  1. A JavaScript expression is evaluated

  2. If the expression resolves to true, the If Workflow is executed

  3. If the expression resolves to false, the Else Workflow is executed

  4. The parent Workflow continues after the conditional branch completes

Parent Workflow
├── Task 1
├── Conditional Workflow Task
│   ├── [true]  → If Operational Workflow
│   └── [false] → Else Operational Workflow
└── Task 3 (continues after conditional)

Creating a Conditional Workflow Task

  1. Navigate to Library ‣ Automation > Tasks

  2. Click + ADD

  3. Select Conditional Workflow as the Task Type

  4. Configure the Task:

    • NAME: Descriptive name for the conditional task

    • CODE: Unique code for API, CLI, and variable references

    • LABELS: Comma-separated labels for organization

    • CONDITIONAL (JS): JavaScript expression that evaluates to true or false

    • IF OPERATIONAL WORKFLOW: The Workflow to execute when the condition is true

    • ELSE OPERATIONAL WORKFLOW: The Workflow to execute when the condition is false

  5. Click SAVE CHANGES

JavaScript Conditional Syntax

The CONDITIONAL (JS) field accepts JavaScript expressions. The expression must resolve to a truthy or falsy value.

Simple Comparisons

// Check instance type
"<%= instance.instanceTypeName %>" === "nginx"

// Check cloud type
"<%= zone.zoneType.code %>" === "vmware"

// Numeric comparison
parseInt("<%= instance.maxMemory %>") > 1073741824

Variable References

HPE Morpheus Software variables can be injected into the JavaScript expression using <%= %> syntax:

// Check custom option value
"<%= customOptions.environment %>" === "production"

// Check instance status
"<%= instance.status %>" === "running"

// Check group membership
"<%= instance.group.name %>" === "Web Tier"

Using Task Results

Results from prior Tasks in the Workflow can be referenced:

// Check result from a previous task (by task code)
"<%= results.healthCheck %>" === "healthy"

// Boolean from prior task
"<%= results.validationTask %>" === "true"

// Check if result contains a value
"<%= results.checkStatus %>".indexOf("SUCCESS") >= 0

Complex Conditions

Multiple conditions can be combined:

// AND condition
"<%= customOptions.tier %>" === "web" && "<%= zone.name %>" === "Production"

// OR condition
"<%= instance.plan.name %>".indexOf("large") >= 0 || parseInt("<%= instance.maxCores %>") > 4

// Negation
"<%= instance.status %>" !== "suspended"

Result Propagation

When a Conditional Workflow Task executes a sub-workflow:

  • Task Results: Results from Tasks within the If/Else workflow are accessible to subsequent Tasks in the parent Workflow via results.taskCode

  • Error Handling: If a Task within the sub-workflow fails:

    • If Continue on Error is set on the conditional task, the parent Workflow continues

    • If not set, the parent Workflow fails

  • Output: The conditional task itself does not produce a result value; results come from the individual Tasks within the executed sub-workflow

Best Practices

  1. Keep conditions simple: Complex logic should be in a preceding Script Task that outputs a simple value for the conditional to evaluate

  2. Use task codes: Reference prior task results by code rather than name for stability

  3. Test both branches: Ensure both the If and Else workflows handle their scenarios completely

  4. Handle null values: Wrap variable references in null checks when values may not be present:

    ("<%= customOptions.skipDeploy %>" || "false") === "true"

  5. Use RESULT TYPE wisely: When chaining tasks before a conditional, set appropriate result types (Single Value, JSON) so values are accessible

Examples

Route deployment by environment:

"<%= customOptions.targetEnv %>" === "production"

  • If true → Production Deployment Workflow (with approvals, blue-green, etc.)

  • If false → Development Deployment Workflow (direct deploy)

Conditional backup before update:

"<%= customOptions.skipBackup %>" !== "true"

  • If true → Pre-Update Backup Workflow

  • If false → Skip backup (empty workflow or no-op)

Scale decision based on metrics:

parseInt("<%= results.checkMetrics %>") > 80

  • If true → Scale Out Workflow

  • If false → Normal Operation Workflow (no-op)