I’m working on a Zapier workflow where I need to conditionally stop execution based on certain criteria. My goal is straightforward - when specific conditions are satisfied, I want to pass data to the following step. However, when those conditions aren’t met, I want to halt the entire process. Based on Zapier’s documentation, returning an empty array should prevent downstream actions from running. The docs state that if your Code action returns [], it essentially tells Zapier to skip all subsequent steps. Unfortunately, this approach isn’t working as expected. Even when I return an empty array, the next action still executes and fails because it lacks the required data. Here’s my current implementation: javascript if (userDatabase[formData.userEmail]) { return { fullName: formData.fullName, productTitle: formData.productTitle, cost: formData.cost / 100, subscription: formData.subscription, userEmail: userDatabase[formData.userEmail], }; } return []; What am I missing here? Why does the subsequent action continue to trigger despite returning an empty array?
You’re hitting a common Zapier gotcha - empty arrays don’t actually stop execution like you’d expect. They just pass empty data to the next step, which then crashes trying to work with missing values. Been there myself. Here’s what works: Don’t return empty arrays from your Code action. Instead, always return something with a status flag like processRecord: false when you want to stop. Then add a Filter step right after that only continues when processRecord is true. You could also use Zapier’s Path functionality, but the filter approach is cleaner IMO. Bottom line - empty arrays won’t halt execution despite what the docs might suggest.
Yeah, Zapier’s docs are misleading about the empty array thing. Don’t return - throw an error instead when you want to stop execution. Use throw new Error('stopping execution') in your else block. This actually halts the zap instead of passing empty data downstream and making the next step fail anyway.
It seems you’re encountering a common misunderstanding with Zapier’s behavior regarding Code actions. When you return an empty array, it may not halt the process as intended. The solution is to implement a Filter step in your Zap. In your Code action, create a boolean field, such as shouldContinue, that indicates whether to proceed based on your conditions. Set it to true when the criteria are met and false otherwise. Then configure your Filter step to check for the shouldContinue value, allowing you to manage the flow effectively. This approach is essential, as Filters are specifically designed for controlling the execution of actions downstream.