### Conditional Branch Node Properties

In a message flow, use a conditional branch node to specify that message processing is to proceed along exactly one of several possible paths, based on a result returned by an XPath condition.

Conditional branching is driven by a lookup table with each branch tagged with a simple, but unique, string value. A variable in the message context is designated as the lookup variable for that node, and at run time, its value is used to determine which branch to follow. If no branch matches the value of the lookup variable, the default branch is followed. You should design the proxy service in such a way that the value of the lookup variable is set before reaching the branch node.

In the Message Flow Editor, click a conditional branch node to display its properties in the Properties view. Use these properties pages to configure the selected conditional branch node. The pages are:

- Flow
- Conditional Branch

The Flow page has the following options:

Option | Description
--- | ---
Name | Enter a name for the conditional branch node.
Description | Enter a description for the conditional branch node.

The Conditional Branch page has the following options:

Option | Description
--- | ---
XPath | The XPath expression that defines the condition to be evaluated for determining the branch to follow. To create or edit the XPath expression, click <XPath> (or the XPath_fragment, if one is already defined) to display the XPath Expression Editor.
Variable | Enter a context variable.

A conditional branch node also always contains one or more branches, which are configured as part of the node.

Click a Branch icon in a conditional branch node to display the Branch properties page in the Properties view. Use these properties pages to configure the selected branch node in a message flow. This page has the following options.

Option | Description
--- | ---
Label | A label for the branch. This label appears as the label for the branch in the Message Flow Editor.
Operator | Select an operator from the list to be used with the value in the next field, for creating the condition on which the branch is based.
Value | Enter a value to be used with the operator in the previous field, for creating the condition