Field connection expressions

Learn how to use expressions to display content based on field values.

Expressions enhance the capabilities of conditional field connection shortcodes, allowing you to showcase content depending on the value retrieved from the field. For instance, you can create an expression where if the field’s value is less than 2, it will display the text “This field has a value less than 2”. If the value is greater than 2, it will show the text “This field has a value greater than 2”.

By utilizing expressions, you gain the ability to dynamically manage the content displayed, tailoring it based on the specific field values. This approach offers a more versatile and adaptable way to present your content, making it responsive to different scenarios.

Syntax

The syntax for expressions involves an Operator and a Comparison Value, both added as parameters to the conditional field connection shortcode. The exp= parameter is used to specify the operator, while the value= parameter is used to indicate the comparison value.

[wpbb-if some-field-connection exp='<operator>' value='<comparison value>']
    
  Display this text when the value test is True.

[wpbb-else]
  
  Display this text when the value test is False.

[/wpbb-if]

Operators

Expression operators offer the ability to execute logical operations on comparison values, enabling you to display content based on the field’s returned value.

When dealing with Strings (Text), you have the option to utilize the following operators:

• equals
• notequals
• contains

When working with Integers (Numbers), you have access to the following operators:

• equals
• notequals
• contains
• greater
• greaterequals
• less
• lessequals

Equals

The Equals operator (exp='equals') compares the exact text or number provided as the comparison value and verifies if it is identical to the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: Beaver Builder

[wpbb-if post:author_name type='display' link='no' exp='equals' value='Beaver Builder']

  TRUE: The author's name is Beaver Builder!

[wpbb-else]
      
  FALSE: The author's name is <strong>not</strong> Beaver Builder!
    
[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: The author’s name is Beaver Builder!

Not equals

The Not Equals operator (exp='notequals') compares the exact text or number provided as the comparison value and verifies if it is not equal to the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: Justin Busa

[wpbb-if post:author_name type='display' link='no' exp='notequals' value='Beaver Builder']

  TRUE: The author's name is not Beaver Builder!

[wpbb-else]
      
  FALSE: The author's name is not Beaver Builder!
    
[/wpbb-if]

Output:

FALSE: The author’s name is not Beaver Builder!

Contains

The Contains operator (exp='contains') verifies if the comparison value includes similar characters or numbers. For example, if a field has a value of Hello World and the comparison value you’re testing for is ello this will be TRUE.

Post Title: Hello World

[wpbb-if post:title exp='contains' value='ello']

  TRUE: The post title is Hello World.
    
[wpbb-else]

  FALSE: The post title is not Hello World.
    
[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: The post title is Hello World.

Greater

The Greater operator (exp='greater') verifies if the comparison value is greater than the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: 1001

[wpbb-if post:custom_field key='my-number-field' exp='greater' value='1000']
    
  TRUE: my-number-field is greater than comparison value "1000".

[wpbb-else]
  
  FALSE: my-number-field is not greater than comparison value "1000".

[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: my-number-field is greater than comparison value “1000”.

Greater equals

The Greater Equals operator (exp='greaterequals') verifies if the comparison value is greater than or equal to the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: 1000

[wpbb-if post:custom_field key='my-number-field' exp='greaterequals' value='1000']
    
  TRUE: my-number-field is greater than or equals comparison value "1000".

[wpbb-else]

  FALSE:  my-number-field isn't greater than or equals comparison value "1000".

[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: my-number-field is greater than or equals comparison value “1000”.

Less

The Less operator (exp='less') verifies if the comparison value is less than the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: 999

[wpbb-if post:custom_field key='my-number-field' exp='less' value='1000']
  
  TRUE: my-number-field is less than comparison value "1000".
  
[wpbb-else]

  FALSE: my-number-field is not less than comparison value "1000".

[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: my-number-field is less than comparison value “1000”.

Less equals

The Less Equals operator (exp='lessequals') verifies if the comparison value is less than or equal to the value obtained from the field.

Field Value: 1000

[wpbb-if post:custom_field key='my-number-field' exp='lessequals' value='1000']
  
  TRUE: my-number-field is less than or equals than test value "1000".
  
[wpbb-else]
  
  FALSE: isn't less than or equals test value "1000"

[/wpbb-if]

Output:

TRUE: my-number-field is less than or equals to the comparison value “1000”.

Comparison value

The comparison value represents the value you wish to test against the value of your field. It can be either a string (text) or an integer (number). The value="" parameter is used to specify this comparison value.

The value='' attribute is case-sensitive.

When performing a comparison value test, it is essential to ensure that the fields being evaluated contain a value. If a field is empty, the comparison value test will always yield a FALSE result.

For instance, if you are testing whether a field equals the string “abc” and the field happens to be empty, both an equals and a notequals test will produce a FALSE outcome. To guarantee that the field has a value, the most effective approach is to make it a required field.

Dates

You can perform a comparison value test for a date value as long as it is using the data format YYYYMMDD. This allows the value to be compared as an integer (number).

Numbers

When using operators such as greater, greaterequals, less, or lessequals, both the Number field value and the value specified in the comparison value parameter are converted to integers before comparison. However, for equals and notequals, the comparison is made using the exact strings as they are.

For instance, if you are testing whether 377.78 is lessequals 377.77, the result is TRUE because both values are converted to 377 before the comparison occurs, making them equal. Conversely, if you test whether 377.77 equals 377.78, the result is FALSE because the two strings are compared as they are without any conversions.

URLs

When conducting URL tests, any trailing slash is disregarded in both the field value and the comparison value. For instance, whether the URL is provided as https://my-website.com or https://my-website.com/, the result will be TRUE as the trailing slash is ignored in the comparison.