Wait For Condition activity

  • Release version: Washingtondc
  • Updated February 1, 2024
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Wait For Condition activity

    The Wait For Condition activity pauses a playbook until specific field values of a record match defined conditions. This feature is essential for automating workflows where subsequent actions depend on the fulfillment of certain criteria.

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    Key Features

    • Roles and Availability: Available as a common activity, it can be added to a playbook by users with admin, pdadmin, or pdauthor roles.
    • Inputs Configuration: Users can configure multiple inputs, including:
      • Label: Title for the activity and playbook card.
      • Description: Information regarding activity usage or outcomes.
      • Run Condition: Conditions that must be met to execute the activity, which can utilize data from prior activities.
      • Start Rule: Determines when the activity starts, with options for immediate start or delay based on other activities or stages.
      • Start with Delay: Option to wait a specified duration before running.
      • Record Reference: Identifies the record that will pause the playbook until conditions are met.
      • Conditions Template Value: Criteria for the record to continue the playbook execution.
    • Advanced Inputs: Additional options include enabling timeouts and specifying durations for waiting before the activity is skipped.

    Key Outcomes

    By effectively utilizing the Wait For Condition activity, ServiceNow customers can ensure that their workflows only proceed when necessary conditions are met, thereby creating more reliable and efficient automated processes. This capability helps in managing dependencies within workflows, leading to better resource allocation and operational efficiency.

    Pause the playbook until a record has field values that match a set of conditions.

    Roles and availability

    • This activity is available as a common activity. Users with the admin, pd_admin, or pd_author role can add this activity to a playbook.

    Inputs

    Open the activity properties panel and configure your activity to add values for the following inputs. If the input value varies, use the pill-picker to show where to get the value. To learn more about the pill-picker, see Dot-walking examples.
    Input Type Description
    Label String Title to display as activity and playbook card.
    Description String Information to display about activity usage or outcome.
    Run condition Condition Builder Conditions that must be met to run an activity or stage. You can use data from prior activities to build conditions.
    Note:
    Show additional options to see this field.
    Start Rule Choice Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your stage should start running:
    • When process starts: Your stage starts running as soon as the playbook starts.
    • After specific stages: Your stage starts running after specified stage(s) have finished running.
    Under Schedule > Start Rule, select a start rule for when your activity should start running:
    • When stage starts: Your activity starts running as soon as its stage starts running. Your stage starts running when your playbook is triggered.
    • After specific activities: Your activity starts running after specified activities have finished running.
    Start with delay True/False Option to wait for a duration of time before running an activity or stage. When enabled, this input displays the Start with delay input properties.
    Note:
    Show additional options to see this field.
    Record Reference Reference to the record that pauses the playbook until conditions match.
    Table Table Name Table containing the record to update.
    Conditions Template Value Criteria that a record must meet for the playbook to continue.

    Advanced inputs

    After configuring the required inputs for your activity, you can also choose to configure additional inputs. In the side panel, select Show additional options to display these advanced inputs. For more information, see Activity experience.
    Input Type Description
    Enable timeout Choice Option to time out the Wait for Condition activity if the conditions aren't met after a specified Duration.
    Duration Date/Time Amount of time to wait before the activity times out and its state is set to Skipped. This input requires setting the Enable timeout input.
    Schedule Choice Schedule used to compute duration values. This input requires setting the Enable timeout input.

    Outputs

    The Wait for Condition activity has no outputs.