Word if statement example

Returns one value if a condition you specify evaluates to TRUE and another value if it evaluates to FALSE. Use IF to conduct conditional tests on values and formulas.

Syntax

IF(logical_test,value_if_true,value_if_false)

Logical_test     is any value or expression that can be evaluated to TRUE or FALSE. For example, [Quarter1]=100 is a logical expression; if the value in one row of the column, [Quarter1], is equal to 100, the expression evaluates to TRUE. Otherwise, the expression evaluates to FALSE. This argument can use any comparison calculation operator.

Value_if_true     is the value that is returned if logical_test is TRUE. For example, if this argument is the text string «Within budget» and the logical_test argument evaluates to TRUE, then the IF function displays the text «Within budget». If logical_test is TRUE and value_if_true is blank, this argument returns 0 (zero). To display the word TRUE, use the logical value TRUE for this argument. Value_if_true can be another formula.

Value_if_false     is the value that is returned if logical_test is FALSE. For example, if this argument is the text string «Over budget» and the logical_test argument evaluates to FALSE, then the IF function displays the text «Over budget». If logical_test is FALSE and value_if_false is omitted, (that is, after value_if_true, there is no comma), then the logical value FALSE is returned. If logical_test is FALSE and value_if_false is blank (that is, after value_if_true, there is a comma followed by the closing parenthesis), then the value 0 (zero) is returned. Value_if_false can be another formula.

Remarks

• Up to seven IF functions can be nested as value_if_true and value_if_false arguments to construct more elaborate tests. See the last of the following examples.

• When the value_if_true and value_if_false arguments are evaluated, IF returns the value returned by those statements.

• If any of the arguments to IF are arrays, every element of the array is evaluated when the IF statement is carried out.

Example set 1

C ol1	Col2	Col3	Expense	Formula	Description (Result)
			50	=IF([Expense]<=100,»Within budget»,»Over budget»)	If the number is less than or equal to 100, then the formula displays «Within budget». Otherwise, the function displays «Over budget». (Within budget)
23	45	89	50	=IF([Expense]=100,SUM([Col1],[Col2],[Col3]),»»)	If the number is 100, then the three values are added. Otherwise, empty text («») is returned. ()

Example set 2

ActualExpenses	PredictedExpenses	Formula	Description (Result)
1500	900	=IF([ActualExpenses]>[PredictedExpenses],»Over Budget»,»OK»)	Checks whether the first row is over budget (Over Budget)
500	900	=IF([ActualExpenses]>[PredictedExpenses],»Over Budget»,»OK»)	Checks whether the second row is over budget (OK)

Example set 3

Score	Formula	Description (Result)
45	=IF([Score]>89,»A»,IF([Score]>79,»B», IF([Score]>69,»C»,IF([Score]>59,»D»,»F»))))	Assigns a letter grade to the first score (F)
90	=IF([Score]>89,»A»,IF([Score]>79,»B», IF([Score]>69,»C»,IF([Score]>59,»D»,»F»))))	Assigns a letter grade to the second score (A)
78	=IF([Score]>89,»A»,IF([Score]>79,»B», IF([Score]>69,»C»,IF([Score]>59,»D»,»F»))))	Assigns a letter grade to the third score (C)

In the preceding example, the second IF statement is also the value_if_false argument to the first IF statement. Similarly, the third IF statement is the value_if_false argument to the second IF statement. For example, if the first logical_test ([Score]>89) is TRUE, «A» is returned. If the first logical_test is FALSE, the second IF statement is evaluated, and so on.

The letter grades are assigned to numbers using the following key (assuming use of integers only).

If Score is	Then return
Greater than 89	A
From 80 to 89	B
From 70 to 79	C
From 60 to 69	D
Less than 60	F

This is an advanced article for creating Document Automation templates that use conditional statements. It allows you to create a template which has information that changes based on the values of different merge fields.

For general assistance with Document Automation, see here:

• What is Document Automation?
• Document Automation: Creating a Template
• Document Automation: Uploading Templates and Generating Documents

Important Note: Due to the order in which MS Word updates fields, templates with conditional statements work best when generating PDF documents with Document Automation.  If you want to use your conditional templates to generate MS Word documents, please follow the troubleshooting steps HERE.

Contents

Understanding Conditional Statements
     What is a Conditional Statement
     Expressions
     Operator
     TrueText and FalseText
     Putting it all Together
Adding Conditional Fields to a Word Template
     Limitations and Syntax
Tips and Examples of Useful Conditional Statements
     Using Clio Checkboxes to Determine what is Displayed
     Using Clio Picklists to Determine what is Displayed
     Nesting Conditional Statements (Multiple Conditions)
     Adding Line Breaks to TrueText and FalseText
Troubleshooting Document Generation in MS Word

Understanding Conditional Statements in MS Word

What is a Conditional Statement?

In the most basic language, a conditional statement says that: if some condition is applicable, then do something. 

Conditional statements follow the general format: IF this THEN that or ELSE some other thing. For example:

• IF the trust balance is 0, THEN display a message asking for another prepayment, ELSE display a thank you message
• IF custom_field_1 is true, THEN display custom_field_2, ELSE display custom_field_3

In MS Word, the conditional statement format looks like this:

IF Expression1 Operator Expression2 «TrueText» «FalseText«

Expressions

Expressions are something with a value. In the example of Document Automation, a merge field tag can be an expression. A conditional statement has 2 Expressions, or values, that are compared in order to determine what information is displayed.

Note that Expressions (or merge field tags) that have a value that is in plain text need to be surrounded by quotation marks; but Expressions that have a numeric value should not be surrounded by quotation marks.

To indicate that a value is empty (specifically for the second Expression), use 2 quotation marks with nothing between them «» in place of the second Expression. 

Examples of Merge Tags with a Text Value
(surround these with quotes)

<< Matter.Number >>
<< Matter.Description >>
<< Matter.ResponsibleAttorney >>
<< Matter.Client.Name >>

Examples of Merge Tags with a Numeric Value
(do not surround these with quotes)

<< Matter.TrustBalance >>
<< Matter.OperatingBalance >>
<< Matter.Client.TrustBalance >>
<< Matter.Client.OperatingBalance >>
<< Matter.Client.PaymentProfile.InterestRate >>
<< Matter.Client.PaymentProfile.GracePeriod >>

Operator 

The operator defines how the expressions relate to each other. For example, are they equal/the same, or not? 

TrueText and FalseText 

TrueText refers to the text that will be displayed if the condition (relationship between the expressions) is satisfied.

FalseText refers to the text that will be displayed if the condition is NOT satisfied (this is the ELSE part of the statement).

TrueText and FalseText statements should be surrounded by quotation marks. 

If you want either the TrueText or FalseText to be empty (to not display anything), just use empty quotation marks «».

You can also use Clio merge field tags in your TrueText and FalseText.

Putting it all Together

Putting together all of the elements detailed above, a conditional statement that will display a message asking for a prepayment funds if the client’s trust balance is zero can look something like this:

For more information on composing conditional statements for use in MS Word, click HERE.

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Adding Conditional Fields to a Word Template

To add a conditional field in MS Word, ensure that your text cursor is located in your document where you want the conditional text to display, then click on the «Insert» tab then click on the «Quick Parts» icon in the «Text» group (Newer versions of Word will not have the Quick Parts icon, but they will have the Field icon) . 

In the Quick Parts menu, click on the «Field» option. 

In the «Field» window, scroll through the «Field names» list and select «If». Enter your conditional statement into the «Field codes» text area then click «OK».

In your document, you will likely see the FalseText of your conditional statement. That is because the Word document doesn’t know the value of your Clio merge field tags before Document Automation takes place. To make fields in your document stand out more clearly, you can change how fields are displayed in your Word document. 

Open the Word Options window by pressing Alt+f+t on your keyboard. In the Options window, click «Advanced» from the side panel then scroll down to the section «Show document content». There are 2 options here to help you quickly identify fields in your document: «Show field codes instead of their values» and «Field shading: Always».

Limitations and Syntax

• The «Field codes» field has a character limit of 255 (including spaces), so the specific steps detailed above are only useful for displaying short pieces of information. To display longer text, you have a couple of options.

  1. Save the field to your document then paste in the longer text:

     Start by entering the outline of your conditional statement into the «Field» window without entering the long TrueText or FalseText, then click «OK» to add the field to your document.
     For example: 

     IF «<< Matter.Status >>» = «Open» «» «»

     If the field code is not already visible in your document (if you are seeing the field’s Expression or FalseText instead), right click on the field and select «Toggle Field Codes». With the field code visible, click into the TrueText or FalseText quotes (where the long piece of text applies) then start typing in the text or paste it from another source.

  2. Use Clio Custom Fields containing the long text that you want to pull in to your document. 
     For example:

     IF «<< Matter.Status >>» = «Open» «<< Matter.CustomField.1 >>» «<< Matter.CustomField.2 >>» 

• Conditional statements do not support special characters or quotation marks in the text that you use for your TrueText or FalseText.
  For example, the following statement will not work properly:

IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Pleading >>» = «guilty» «The defendant pleads «guilty».» «The defendant pleads «not guilty».»

To display text that contains quotation marks or special characters, you will have to add that information to Clio Custom Fields then use those merge fields for your TrueText and FalseText.   

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Tips and Examples of Useful Conditional Statements

Using Clio Checkboxes to Determine what is Displayed

Using Clio Custom Fields, you can add custom checkboxes to your Contacts and Matters that can be used to determine what is displayed in your generated document. To reference a Clio checkbox, use the merge field tag in the place of the first Expression. The second Expression will be either «true» or «false» — «true» if the box is checked, «false» if the box is not checked. 

For example:

IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Checkbox >>» = «true» «This box is checked.» «This box is not checked.»

Using Clio Picklists to Determine what is Displayed 

Using Clio Custom Fields, you can add custom picklists to your Contacts and Matters that can be used to determine what is displayed in your generated document. To reference a Clio picklist, use the merge field tag in the place of the first Expression. The second Expression will match the custom option that should be selected.

For example:

IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Picklist >>» = «option1» «You selected option 1.» «You did not select option 1.»

To accommodate picklists with more than 2 options, see the section below, «Nesting Conditional Statements».

Nesting Conditional Statements (Multiple Conditions)

You can create conditional statements that consider multiple scenarios/conditions. «Nesting» a condition within another condition requires a few extra steps and specific syntax to work properly.

For example, to write a conditional statement that looks for all possible responses from a picklist with 4 options, follow these steps.  

1. Click in your document where you want the condition to go, then press Ctrl+F9 (on a Windows computer) on your keyboard to insert a blank field (2 curly brackets ). If you have a Mac, click the Insert tab > Field, under Field names choose «If», then click OK. If it says «Error! Missing test condition.», highlight that phrase, right-click your mouse and choose Toggle Field Codes.
2. Within the brackets (the «* MERGEFORMAT» part of «{ IF * MERGEFORMAT}» syntax can be removed), type a space then begin typing the outline of the conditional statement (note that it is always important to have a space between all curly brackets and any other characters in your statement).

   The basic outline of this conditional statement should look like this:
   

3. Click between the FalseText quotation marks then press Ctrl+F9 on your keyboard (on a Mac, click the Insert tab > Field, under Field names choose «If», then click OK. If it says «Error! Missing test condition.», highlight that phrase, right-click your mouse and choose Toggle Field Codes) to insert another blank field. This blank field is where you will type in another conditional statement that will look for the second option in the list.
4. Within the brackets of the second/nested field, type in the outline of the conditional statement to look for option 2.

   Your nested conditional statement should now look like this:
   

5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 but his time click between the FalseText quotation marks for the second condition before pressing Ctrl+F9 on your keyboard (on a Mac, click the Insert tab > Field, under Field names choose «If», then click OK. If it says «Error! Missing test condition.», highlight that phrase, right-click your mouse and choose Toggle Field Codes). 
6. Continue adding new conditional statements to the FalseText of each option condition until you have added the last option. In the FalseText for the last option, just enter the text or field that you would like to display if none of the conditions are satisfied. 

   The complete statement should look something like this:
   

   Or, for clearer visibility, the nested conditions can be colour coded as such:
   { IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Picklist >>» = «option1» «You selected option 1.» «
   { IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Picklist >>» = «option2» «You selected option 2.» «
   { IF «<< Matter.CustomField.Picklist >>» = «option3» «You selected option 3.» «You selected option 4.» }» }» }

Adding Line Breaks to TrueText and FalseText

If you need to break up the text that you are using for your TrueText or FalseText, you can add line breaks by directly modifying the field codes in your document. 

If the field code is not already visible in your document (if you are seeing the field’s Expression or FalseText instead), right click on the field and select «Toggle Field Codes».

You will now see the entire field code and be able to edit the text and add line breaks.

Click into the text where you want the line breaks to go then press Shift+Enter to add a soft break.  

Troubleshooting Document Generation in MS Word

Due to limitations in how MS Word updates fields, you may not see your conditional fields updated appropriately after generating a document through Clio. In most cases, you will have to open the newly generated Word document and manually update all fields in order to see the appropriate values of your conditional statements. To do so, select all content in your document (using Ctrl+a) then hit F9 on Windows (or fn+F9 on a Mac) on your keyboard to update all fields in your document. You will then have to save the document and re-upload it to Clio, unless you are editing the document using Clio Launcher.

If updating the fields in your generated Word document does not fix the problem, then you will need to determine if the conditional field has any errors. To do that, use your template to generate a PDF in Clio, then view the PDF. If the field appears correctly on the PDF, then you can be assured that your conditional field is working properly. If the field is not appearing correctly in the PDF, then you will need to go back to your template and look for problems in the field construction and syntax.

If Statements / If Fields / Comparison Statements

IF statements (also called IF fields) allow you to compare two values and display document content based on the result of the comparison. When used in a Word template, IF statements are especially useful for comparing the values of Composer merge fields and then displaying the appropriate content.

Example use cases:

• If an Account’s billing country is not in the United States, display information about international shipping terms. Otherwise, show domestic shipping terms.
• If a Contact’s mailing address is blank, show the billing address from his related Account. If it’s not blank, show the Contact’s mailing address.
• If an Opportunity’s amount is greater than $10,000, show information about a complimentary service package. If not, show nothing.

Watch this video on How to Add IF Statements to Templates.

Create IF Statements in a Word Template

Syntax

{IF "Expression 1" Operator "Expression 2" "TrueValue" "FalseValue"}

Below is a very basic example using Word merge fields as Expressions. The single braces ({ }) on either end of the IF statement indicate the beginning and end of a Word merge field when the field codes have been toggled open.

{IF "{{Opportunity_Amount}}" > "100000 "Big Deal Opptye" "Normal Oppty"}

Components of an IF Field

Expression1 & Expression2:

• Both Expression1 and Expression2 represent fields and values that you want to compare.
• Expressions are usually Word or text-based merge fields, text strings, or numbers. Expression1 and Expression2 should be surrounded with quotation marks («»).

Operator

• A comparison operator. There is always a space before and after the operator.
• Supported operators:

  

TrueValue & FalseValue

• Content that is shown when the comparison is true (TrueValue) or false (FalseValue). Each must be surrounded with quotation marks.

Creating an IF Field — Conga Best Practices

It is important to follow best practices to ensure the stability and sustainability of your IF statements. In the example below, we will show in detail the best practice method for creating IF statements.  We will also show the syntax for both Word merge field and text-based merge fields.

Example scenario: If the Opportunity Amount is greater than $10,000, show information about a complimentary service package. If it’s not, do not show anything.

We recommend the following approach:

Our finished IF field looks like this:

Word
{IF “«OPPORTUNITY_AMOUNT»” > “10000” “«OPPORTUNITY_SERVICE_PACKAGE»” “”}

Text-based
{IF “{{OPPORTUNITY_AMOUNT}}” > “10000” “{{OPPORTUNITY_SERVICE_PACKAGE}}”  “”}

When we toggle the field codes closed, the IF statement will revert to the Word merge field with the placeholder name:

«IF_Amount > 10000»

Using the IF statement we just created, let’s consider an example:

The Merge Nation Opportunity has an amount of $25,000. Once we merge the Composer template that uses our IF statement, our merged document will look like this:

We are showing the value of the OPPORTUNITY_SERVICE_PACKAGE field since that is our TrueValue.

Now let’s say we use a different Opportunity called Merge Republic, which only has an amount of $8,000. Our merged document will show nothing («»), since that is our FalseValue.

Warnings

• Checkbox fields: Although the Composer View Data Workbook and the Template Builder show the values of checkbox fields as TRUE and FALSE, those values do not work in an IF statement. Change your value from TRUE to True.
  Example: {IF "<<Checkbox_MergeField>>" = "True" "Yes" "No"}
• Tables: IF statements placed inside a table row cannot hide the table row when the statement evaluates to show nothing.  You will instead have a blank table row. Word IF statements cannot be used to hide rows within a table.
• IF statements do not work in a Conga Email template.

For example, this can be useful if you’d like a question label to be omitted from the document, if the associated question isn’t answered. 

or

In either case, if an answer to {{fields.Name}}  is not present, the section My name is {{fields.Name}}. will not be added to the document.

Available Functions and Operators:

Note on null: You can also use null to check if a question is blank.

Notes: 

Other useful examples:

Tables

You can also use if statements across table rows. To do this you just put the start of the if statement in the first column cell and the {% endif %} in the last cell.

e.g. If you had a row of data about our ship that was checked — to hide the whole row if the data is missing you would put {% if fields.ShipChecked %} in the first cell of the row and then the {% endif %} in the last cell of the row.

If {{fields.ShipChecked}} doesn’t have a value, the entire row will not be placed in the document.

Images

Just like text and tables, you can also use if statements to conditionally show images.
For example, after selecting the name of a client, the associated client’s logo can be shown.
In the example template below are 2 potential client logos. 

Blank Spaces

If your template has many if statements, you may see unwanted blank space in your report when some if statements are not active.

Placing the previous {% endif %} and next ‘if statement start’ right next to each other will eliminate unwanted space in your report, as the new line spaces are also considered conditional data inside the if statement.

Repeat Groups:

To conditionally show an entire Repeat Group, use fields. and your Repeat Group name in the if statement.

To conditionally show individual Repeat Group items using an IF statement

(Case sensitive)

{%for products_used_item in fields.Products_Used%}

{% if products_used_item.Product == «Red» %} «Paint House Red» {% endif %}

{% if products_used_item.Product == «Blue» %} «Paint House Blue» {% endif %}

{%endfor%}

Custom Destination Email Subject & Body:

If you would like your Email destination to reflect information from your form, you can use IF statements in the Custom Subject and Custom Body fields within your destination.

Destination Fields:

Email Output (PDF):