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Conditional visibility

Understanding conditional visibility in Tallyfy

You can show or hide tasks in Tallyfy based on what users select in form fields - this is conditional visibility. It creates dynamic workflows where only relevant tasks appear. Simple.

Key concept: Conditional visibility in Tallyfy works at the task level - you can show or hide entire tasks, but not individual fields within a form.

How conditional visibility works

The basics

Here’s what happens: someone fills out a form field, Tallyfy checks your IF-THEN rules, and tasks appear (or stay hidden). You can combine multiple conditions with AND/OR logic.

One catch - once a task appears, it stays visible unless someone manually hides it.

Important limitations

  • No field-level conditions: You can’t show/hide individual form fields within a task (just whole tasks)
  • Tasks only: Conditions apply to complete tasks, not sections or fields
  • One-way visibility: Tasks shown by conditions won’t automatically hide if conditions change - they stick around
  • Hidden steps cannot be completed: Hidden steps remain incomplete indefinitely and can’t trigger completion-based automations

Setting up conditional visibility

Prerequisites

Basic setup steps

  1. Create your form fields: Set up fields in your kick-off form or early tasks that will trigger conditions

  2. Add tasks to show/hide: Create all tasks that might be needed in your workflow

  3. Configure visibility rules:

    • Click on the task you want to conditionally show
    • Go to Automations > Add Rule
    • Select Show/Hide Task
    • Set your IF conditions
    • Choose THEN Show this task

  4. Test thoroughly: Launch test processes to verify all condition paths work correctly

Practical examples with solutions

Example 1: Simple Yes/No branching

Scenario: You need to show additional documentation tasks only if someone selects “International Shipping”

Setup:

Kick-off form field: "Shipping Type" (Dropdown)
- Options: Domestic, International


Conditional task: "Customs Documentation"
Rule: IF "Shipping Type" equals "International" THEN show this task

Example 1a: Agency vs. Principal delivery model

Scenario: Service company delivers projects either as principal contractor or agency

Setup:

Kick-off form field: "Delivery Model" (Dropdown)
- Options: Agency, Principal


Conditional tasks for Principal:
- "Obtain contractor licenses"
- "Set up project insurance"
- "Manage subcontractor payments"


Conditional tasks for Agency:
- "Coordinate with client's contractors"
- "Submit agency reports"
- "Process agency fees"


Rules:
- IF "Delivery Model" equals "Principal" THEN show principal tasks
- IF "Delivery Model" equals "Agency" THEN show agency tasks

Example 2: Multiple AND conditions

Scenario: You want manager approval only for purchases over $5,000 from new vendors

Setup:

Form fields:
- "Purchase Amount" (Number)
- "Vendor Status" (Dropdown: New, Existing)


Conditional task: "Manager Approval Required"
Rule: IF "Purchase Amount" is greater than 5000
      AND "Vendor Status" equals "New"
      THEN show this task

Common mistake: People often set up separate rules instead of using AND. Don’t do that!

  • Wrong: Two separate rules (one for amount, one for vendor)
  • Right: One rule with both conditions connected by AND

Example 3: Complex OR conditions

Scenario: Show legal review for contracts, NDA, or partnership agreements

Setup:

Form field: "Document Type" (Dropdown)
- Options: Contract, NDA, Partnership Agreement, Invoice, Purchase Order


Conditional task: "Legal Review"
Rule: IF "Document Type" equals "Contract"
      OR "Document Type" equals "NDA"
      OR "Document Type" equals "Partnership Agreement"
      THEN show this task

Troubleshooting common issues

Issue 1: Multiple conditional paths appearing

Problem: User selects “Corporation”, sees corporate tasks, then changes to “LLC” but corporate tasks remain visible.

Why it happens: Tallyfy doesn’t automatically hide previously shown tasks when conditions change. I know, this can be frustrating.

Solutions:

  1. Design approach: Use “Previous task complete” as an additional condition

    Rule: IF "Business Type" equals "Corporation"
          AND "Select Business Type" is complete
          THEN show corporate tasks

  2. Manual approach: Train users to manually hide tasks that are no longer relevant

  3. Process design: Consider using separate templates for significantly different paths

Issue 2: Conditions not triggering

Problem: Tasks don’t appear even when conditions are met.

Common causes and fixes:

  • Timing: Make sure the form field is completed before the conditional task’s position in the workflow
  • Field references: Double-check you’re referencing the correct field name (case matters!)
  • Logic errors: Check AND vs OR usage - remember, AND requires all conditions to be true
  • Data types: Number comparisons need number fields, not text fields

Issue 3: Hidden steps and completion conditions

Problem: Automation rules checking “if step is complete” never trigger for hidden steps.

Why it happens: Here’s the thing - hidden steps can’t be seen or completed by users. That means any automation waiting for them to be complete will wait forever.

Key points:

  • Hidden steps remain incomplete indefinitely
  • Users can’t see or complete hidden steps
  • Conditions like “IF Step X is complete” will never trigger if Step X is hidden
  • The only exception? If Step X has another rule that makes it visible first

Solutions:

  1. Avoid dependencies on hidden step completion - Design your workflow so completion checks only apply to visible steps
  2. Use visibility rules first - Make steps visible before any completion-based automations depend on them
  3. Alternative conditions - Check the original condition that would have shown the step, not its completion

Issue 4: Too many conditions to manage

Problem: Workflow has 20+ conditional paths making it hard to maintain.

Solution approaches:

  1. Simplify with groups: Instead of individual conditions, group related tasks
  2. Use sub-processes: Launch separate processes for complex branches
  3. Redesign the flow: Sometimes multiple simple templates work better than one complex template

Best practices for conditional workflows

1. Plan before building

Map out all possible paths on paper first. Seriously - grab a pen. Then identify which tasks are always needed versus conditional ones, and group related conditional tasks together.

2. Name strategically

Your task names should hint at their conditional nature. Instead of “Corporate Filing”, try “Corporate Filing Tasks (if Corporation selected)”. Add notes in task descriptions about when they appear - your future self will thank you.

3. Test comprehensively

Create test scenarios for every possible path. All of them. Then verify tasks appear in the correct order and check that parallel conditions don’t conflict.

4. Document for users

Add instructions in your kick-off form about how selections affect the workflow. Include notes in conditional tasks explaining why they appeared. And don’t forget - train users on manually hiding irrelevant tasks if needed.

5. Maintain simplicity

Here’s my rule: limit condition depth (avoid conditions on conditional tasks). Use clear, binary choices when possible. Sometimes multiple simple templates work better than one complex monster.

Advanced patterns

Sequential conditional tasks

Want conditional tasks to appear one at a time instead of all at once? Here’s how:

Task A: "Select Option"
Task B: Shows if Option = X AND Task A is complete
Task C: Shows if Task B is complete AND [additional condition]

This keeps your workflow tidy - tasks only appear when they’re actually needed.

Conditional task groups

Group related tasks that share the same condition:

If "Department" = "HR" then show:
- Task 1: Collect employee information
- Task 2: Background check
- Task 3: Equipment requisition
- Task 4: IT account setup

Set the same condition on all related tasks for consistency.

Enterprise playbook filtering

Scenario: You’re running a global services company and need to filter playbooks based on multiple criteria:

  • Delivery model (agency vs. principal)
  • Service type (fleet, workplace, on-the-go)
  • Geographic requirements (North America, Europe, Asia)

Challenge: Managing 12-14 variations without creating separate templates. Yes, it gets complex fast.

Solution approach:

  1. Create master template with all possible variations included

  2. Add comprehensive kick-off form with filtering dropdowns:

    • Delivery Model: Agency/Principal
    • Service Type: Fleet/Workplace/On-the-go
    • Region: NA/EU/APAC

  3. Set up task groups with clear naming conventions:

    • “[Principal] Fleet Operations - North America”
    • “[Agency] Workplace Setup - Europe”
    • “[Principal] On-the-go Installation - Asia”

  4. Configure visibility rules for each group:

    IF Delivery Model = "Principal"
    AND Service Type = "Fleet"
    AND Region = "North America"
    THEN show: Principal Fleet NA task group

  5. Test all combinations systematically

Managing complexity with 12+ variations:

  • Use consistent naming patterns for easy identification
  • Group related tasks under section headers
  • Create a visibility matrix document for reference
  • Consider using snippets for content that appears in multiple variations
  • Train users on the filtering logic - they need to understand what’s happening

Default paths

Always include a default path for when no conditions are met. Trust me on this one.

If Type = A: Show Task Set A
If Type = B: Show Task Set B
If Type = anything else: Show Task Set C (default)

When to avoid conditional visibility

Sometimes conditional visibility isn’t the answer. Consider alternatives when:

  • You have more than 5-6 major conditional branches
  • Conditions depend on multiple previous selections
  • Users frequently change their initial selections
  • Different teams handle different branches

What works better? Try these instead:

  • Multiple specialized templates (cleaner, easier to maintain)
  • Using the API to launch appropriate sub-processes
  • Webhook integrations to external routing logic

Future enhancement - Slides with conditional logic

Actions > Automate hiding or showing tasks

Visibility actions in Tallyfy automatically show or hide process steps based on specific conditions to ensure complete process integrity while displaying only relevant steps when needed preventing missed requirements and maintaining workflow efficiency.

Tutorials > Create an automation

Tallyfy automates processes through intelligent if-this-then-that conditional logic that dynamically adapts workflows based on specific conditions like form field values task completions and approval decisions eliminating manual adjustments and reducing administrative overhead.

Tasks > Manually show or hide tasks

Learn how to manually show or hide tasks in running processes to handle conditional workflows when selections change or to temporarily remove tasks that are no longer needed while maintaining workflow flexibility.

Examples > Combined visibility and deadline rules

Combining visibility rules with deadline rules in Tallyfy creates smart context-aware workflows where steps appear only when relevant and automatically receive appropriate deadlines based on specific conditions like shipment types contract categories or priority levels.
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