JEXL evaluating conditions differently to Javascript

[johndewhurst]

Within an email notification script, there is a section for including variables associated to a request, within this section there is a conditional that filters out variables where either the label or the value is blank (or false)...

        gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text && gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value

This works, however when trying to port the equivalent logic in jelly (as a JEXL expression) it always resolves as false unless gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value is boolean value true this is what I have...

        <j2:if test="$[gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text &amp;&amp; gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value]">

This is my first UI so I expect this to be a basic error, have tried the following as well...

<j2:if test="$[gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text &amp;&amp; (gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value||(gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value.length>0))])">

and

<j2:if test="$[gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text &amp;&amp; (gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value||gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value.notNil())])">

So basically I need a JEXL expression that evaluates anything not Null, empty or false as true

[ChrisBurks]

I believe jelly interprets the variables differently than in the regular javascript environment. Jelly is basing the conditional as if it's an existing object and not necessarily whether there is a value held in that object. For instance if you were to just have your first conditional,

gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text, as the only condition in the jelly if statement it will always evaluate to true whether it has a value in it or not. This supports your statement that your original if statement only evaluates to true when the second conditional is true.

Examples:

if	condition1	&&	condition2	Result
Case one	true		false	false
Case two	false		false	false
Case three	false		true	false
Case four	true		true	true

So your jelly if statement is limited to cases one and two since it's interpreting the first conditional as always true since it's an existing object. It just doesn't have any value.

You might have to change your expression to something like:

<j2:if test="$[!gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text == '' &amp;&amp; gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value]">

In that example your first conditional will now have two possible outcomes where if it has a value it will evaluate to true and if it's the same as blank it will evaluate to false.

[johndewhurst]

Was looking for something along the lines of notNil() to catch null as well (don't think I need to worry about undefined really), tried that and that did not work either, is there any reason why that wouldn't or could there be another bug I've overlooked?

[ChrisBurks]

Where did you try the notNil()? I see in your original post you used it on the second condition. Did you try on the first as well? Or you might have to use it on both conditionals.

[johndewhurst]

Yeah I tried on both...

<j2:if test="$[gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.item_option_new.question_text.notNil() &amp;&amp; gr_sc_item_option_mtom.sc_item_option.value.notNil()]">