Switch — Input & Output

Dynamic ports: Unlike most nodes with fixed output ports, the Switch node creates output ports dynamically based on the port names defined in your cases dictionary and the optional default_port. Each unique port name in your configuration becomes an available connection point in the workflow designer.

Output Ports

Port	When Triggered	Description
case port name (e.g., `pending`)	Expression result matches the corresponding case key	Each case in the `cases` dictionary produces a named port. Exactly one case port fires per execution. The full execution context is forwarded unchanged to downstream nodes on this port.
default_port name (if configured)	Expression result does not match any configured case key	The fallback port fires when no case key matches. Receives the same execution context as any case port, plus the `switch_result` metadata field indicating the unmatched value.

Output Data

The Switch node appends two metadata fields to the execution context, available to all downstream nodes regardless of which port fires:

Field	Type	Description
`switch_expression_value`	string	The resolved string value of the expression after evaluation. Useful for logging and debugging — tells you exactly what value was used for case matching.
`switch_matched_port`	string	The name of the port that was fired (matched case port name or default port name). Allows downstream nodes to know which routing decision was made without re-evaluating the expression.
All input fields	as received	All incoming execution context data is passed through unchanged to every output port.

Data Flow Example

// === Incoming Execution Context ===
{
  "variables": {
    "orderStatus": "approved",
    "orderId": "ORD-2024-009"
  },
  "input": {
    "customer_id": "C-442",
    "total": 875.00
  }
}

// === Switch Node Configuration ===
{
  "expression": "$var.orderStatus",
  "cases": {
    "pending":  "pendingPath",
    "approved": "approvedPath",
    "rejected": "rejectedPath",
    "shipped":  "shippedPath"
  },
  "default_port": "unknownStatusPath"
}

// === Evaluation ===
// $var.orderStatus resolves to "approved"
// Lookup "approved" in cases → found → port "approvedPath"

// === Output on "approvedPath" port ===
{
  "variables": {
    "orderStatus": "approved",
    "orderId": "ORD-2024-009"
  },
  "input": {
    "customer_id": "C-442",
    "total": 875.00
  },
  "switch_expression_value": "approved",
  "switch_matched_port": "approvedPath"
}

// === All other ports ===
// pendingPath, rejectedPath, shippedPath, unknownStatusPath
// → none fired for this execution pass

Port Naming Conventions

Port names can be any valid identifier string. Recommended conventions:

Use camelCase or snake_case consistently within a workflow
Use descriptive names that reflect the business meaning, not just the value (e.g., highPriorityPath rather than port1)
Prefix with the category when cases are part of a larger grouping (e.g., region_uk, region_eu)
Name the default port fallback or unhandled to make its purpose immediately clear