> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.mediarithmics.io/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/flow-control.md).

# Flow control

Wait, If and Split, and the exit conditions that can remove a user from anywhere in the flow.

## What flow control is

**Flow control** components alter the natural flow of an automation. They are in the Automation Components drawer on the right of the builder: drag the one you want into the path of your automation, then configure it. Click a component later to edit its configuration or remove it.

## The three components

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th width="130">Component</th><th>What it does</th><th width="230">Configuration</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Wait</strong></td><td>Halts the flow for a specified interval of time.</td><td>The interval, plus optional opening hours and days</td></tr><tr><td><strong>If</strong></td><td>Creates a condition check point, with a true path and a false path.</td><td>A query, in the Advanced Segment Builder interface</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Split</strong></td><td>Divides the flow into several branches in equal proportions.</td><td>The number of branches</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Wait

The Wait component halts the flow for the interval you specify.

You can also configure "opening" hours and days, so the flow is held until a reasonable time is reached - which is how you avoid sending text messages in the middle of the night.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Two things a wait interacts with, both documented elsewhere and both easy to forget:

* A user sitting in a wait node **cannot re-enter the scenario**. See [Re-entry](/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/triggers.md#re-entry).
* Wait nodes are the subject of two [usage limits](/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference.md#usage-limits) - 20 wait nodes across active scenarios, and an indicative 50,000 users awoken per wait node per hour.
  {% endhint %}

## If

The If component creates a condition check point. If the condition is verified the user proceeds to the **If Condition True** path; if not, to the **If Condition False** path.

It uses the same interface as the [Advanced Segment Builder](/audience-and-activation/build-your-audiences/segment-reference/segment-builders/advanced-segment-builder.md), which is why the objects, field conditions and frequency options available to you are the ones documented there rather than a separate set.

{% hint style="info" %}
**Worked through.** Configure the If node with a query for at least one `$basket_view` event, and the logic becomes:

* The user arriving at this node **has had** at least one `$basket_view` event in the past: move on to **If Condition True**.
* The user has not: move on to **If Condition False**.
  {% endhint %}

## Split

The Split component divides the automation flow into several branches, in **equal** proportions.

{% hint style="info" %}
Split into 2 branches and 1 user out of 2 goes down branch A, the other down branch B. There is no weighting - the flow is always divided equally between the branches you configure.
{% endhint %}

{% hint style="danger" %}
A Split component **cannot be edited after the scenario is created**. Decide the number of branches before you save.
{% endhint %}

## Exit conditions

An **exit condition** is a condition that, if verified at any moment during the automation, makes the user exit the automation **regardless of their current position in it**.

Add one with the **Add Exit condition** button in the bottom right corner of the builder. The node configuration lets you choose which events cause the user to exit.

{% hint style="info" %}
Exit conditions are the counterpart to the [re-entry rule](/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/triggers.md#re-entry). A user who leaves through an exit condition becomes eligible to enter the scenario again; a user still travelling through it does not. In a cart-abandonment scenario, the exit condition on a confirmed transaction does two jobs at once: it stops the reminder, and it releases the user for next time.
{% endhint %}

## Related pages

<table data-view="cards" data-search="false"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Cart abandonment automation</strong></td><td>Wait plus exit condition, worked end to end.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/cart-abandonment-automation.md">Cart abandonment automation</a></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Lifecycle, testing &#x26; analytics</strong></td><td>Reading the per-node counters, including on exit conditions.</td><td><a href="/audience-and-activation/automate/automations-reference/lifecycle-testing-and-analytics.md">Lifecycle, testing &amp; analytics</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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