Wait for condition workflow activity

  • Release version: Yokohama
  • Updated January 30, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
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    Summary of Wait for condition workflow activity

    The Wait for condition workflow activity in ServiceNow pauses a workflow until a specified condition on the current record is met. This activity continuously evaluates the condition each time the record is updated, allowing the workflow to wait indefinitely for an external event, such as a record update. It is designed to pause workflows based on record changes and should not be used to wait on changes set internally by the workflow itself.

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    Key Features

    • Condition-Based Waiting: The workflow halts at this activity until all specified conditions or scripts evaluate to true against the current record.
    • Timeout Capability: Optionally, you can enable a timeout to limit how long the workflow waits before continuing. This prevents indefinite waiting if the condition is never met. The timeout duration can be set with hours, minutes, and seconds, and can be aligned with specific work schedules.
    • Result Assignment: Within the activity’s script field, you can assign a result value to control when the activity transitions based on the result being true.
    • State Management: The activity manages states such as Executing, Waiting, Finished, Cancelled, and Error to define its lifecycle within the workflow engine.

    Practical Considerations for ServiceNow Customers

    • Use this activity to pause workflows waiting on external record updates, not for changes triggered by the workflow itself. For waiting on workflow-set values, consider using a short timer instead.
    • Configure the condition or script carefully to ensure the workflow resumes only when the intended record state is reached.
    • Enable and configure timeout options to avoid workflows hanging indefinitely if the condition isn’t met.
    • Monitor workflow logs for any JavaScript errors related to the activity to troubleshoot issues effectively.

    Expected Outcomes

    When implemented correctly, the Wait for condition activity enables workflows to efficiently pause and resume based on dynamic record changes, improving automation accuracy and responsiveness to external events. Timeouts ensure workflows progress even when expected conditions do not occur, maintaining operational flow without manual intervention.

    The Wait for condition activity causes the workflow to wait at this activity until the current record matches the specified condition.

    The workflow evaluates the Wait for condition activity each time the current record is updated. Use this activity to pause a workflow indefinitely until a particular criteria is met by a record update. To pause a workflow for a timed duration see Timer workflow activities.

    For workflow to consider the condition met, all conditions specified – whether in the builder or in a script – must be true.
    Note:
    A Wait for condition activity should only be used to wait for an external event such as a record update, and not one from a workflow setting a value. If you have a workflow setting a value and want to wait for that same field to be seen as 'changed,' try inserting a one-second timer.

    Results

    The workflow designer can assign a result value using activity.result from within a script field of the activity. The activity transitions when the result value is true.

    Input variables

    The following variables determine the behavior of the activity.
    Note:
    Condition activities run as the user whose actions match the conditions the workflow was waiting for and advances the workflow.
    Table 1. Wait for condition activity input variables
    Field Description
    Condition The workflow is paused at this activity until this condition matches the current record.
    Condition script If specified, the workflow is paused at this activity until this script sets the answer variable to true.
    Enable Timeout Option to limit the amount of time that the workflow waits for the activity to be completed before continuing.
    Note:
    Use the Enable timeout option to prevent this activity from continuing to run. If the condition to continue is never met, a timeout value specifies when the system skips the Wait for Condition activity and goes to the next item in the workflow. You must set a Duration value to enable a timeout. You can also select a Schedule if you want to compute the duration end date based on a specific work schedule.
    Duration Amount of time that the workflow waits before continuing when the Enable timeout option is selected. Enter the time to wait in hours, minutes, and seconds. If you leave this field empty, the workflow does not wait.

    States

    The activity state tells the workflow engine what to do with the activity.
    Table 2. Wait for condition activity states
    State Description
    Executing The workflow engine knows to start the onExecute function of the activity.
    Waiting The workflow engine ignores the activity until a specific event to restart the activity is fired.
    Finished The activity finished running. See the result value for the outcome of the activity.
    Cancelled This activity, or the workflow that contains this activty, was canceled.
    Error A JavaScript error occurred. Review the logs for error details.