Help with using if-else nodes for workflow pathing

[samhbarton]

Overview video: Error Handling Help

Context: I’ve built a complex-ish workflow that has a number of inputs but don’t have a good way to handle errors yet. (Workflow link: https://www.gumloop.com/pipeline?workbook_id=9pcicMzZ9QqctM2xmYtTFZ)

I want to set up the flow so that it runs if certain conditions are met, and if there are errors, send a different error message depending on the issue.

There are 1-2 inputs which are necessary for the flow to run. If the input is empty, I want to terminate the run.

There are other input nodes that feed a URL to a Google Doc reader that aren’t crucial but might have issues due being passed empty text etc. If that’s the case, I want to send an error report via email that mentions what the issue is to help with debugging.

I’m trying to configure these error flows in a separate workbook but I’m having issues getting it to work (workbook link: https://www.gumloop.com/pipeline?workbook_id=fViXtL78RLs1YxgaMbdztv&tab=2)

Thanks!

[Gumloop_Bot]

Hey @samhbarton! If you’re reporting an issue with a flow or an error in a run, please include the run link and make sure it’s shareable so we can take a look.

1. Find your run link on the history page. Format: https://www.gumloop.com/pipeline?run_id={{your_run_id}}&workbook_id={{workbook_id}}

2. Make it shareable by clicking “Share” → ‘Anyone with the link can view’ in the top-left corner of the flow screen.
   

3. Provide details about the issue—more context helps us troubleshoot faster.

You can find your run history here: https://www.gumloop.com/history

[Wasay-Gumloop]

Hey @samhbarton! Appreciate the context and the video (supercut is really sleek btw).

I recorded a Loom to walk through everything: https://www.loom.com/share/692590668a7c4f089ea7d974f2d2b0f1?sid=5a474c49-ee85-4715-bfc6-676aafe9d707

Let me know if that clears things up and if anything is confusing at all. Happy to collaborate on this and get it across the finish line—definitely one of the trickier parts of setting up a workflow.

Also flagged your workflow internally to help resolve the lag issue. We’re actively working on speeding up the platform.

[samhbarton]

Hi @Wasay-Gumloop,

Thanks for that. I watched it a few times but I’m afraid I’m still not sure how to achieve what I’m looking for.

This is rough overview of what I’m looking to implement.

The ‘Workshop notes’ input is crucial. If there’s an error OR if it’s empty, I want to terminate the run.

The other two inputs, ‘Debrief transcript’ and ‘Workshop transcript’ are optional. I want to proceed even if they are empty (which would throw an error with the Gdoc reader which I want to catch).

This is the flow with all of the nodes im testing in: https://www.gumloop.com/pipeline?workbook_id=fViXtL78RLs1YxgaMbdztv

This is a subflow from the same workbook i’ve been using to try to build this from scratch: https://www.gumloop.com/pipeline?workbook_id=fViXtL78RLs1YxgaMbdztv&tab=2&run_id=niq7fKjW4qaUn4ZcKpH97b

Hopefully this clarifies things! Appreciate your help

[Wasay-Gumloop]

@samhbarton really appreciate the diagram. This is actually super simple to implement—I think you were really close in your original approach.

Here’s a quick Loom walking through it.

And here’s the updated pipeline if you want to take a look.

Let me know if this makes sense and works for you.

The key here is that the rest of the automation will only work if all inputs are present, otherwise the “Else” branch which is sending you an email would be triggered.