🎓 Learn Workflow Logic with Merge, IF & Switch Operations

How it works

Ever wonder how to make your workflows smarter? How to handle different types of data in different ways? This template is a hands-on tutorial that teaches you the three most fundamental nodes for controlling the flow of your automations: Merge, IF, and Switch.

To make it easy to understand, we use a simple package sorting center analogy: Data Items** are packages on a conveyor belt. The Merge Node is where multiple conveyor belts combine into one. The IF Node is a simple sorting gate with two paths (e.g., "Fragile" or "Not Fragile"). The Switch Node is an advanced sorting machine that routes packages to many different destinations.

This workflow takes you on a step-by-step journey through the sorting center:

Creating Packages: Three different "packages" (two letters and one parcel) are created using Set nodes. Merging: The first Merge node combines all three packages onto a single conveyor belt so they can be processed together. Simple Sorting: An IF node checks if a package is fragile. If true, it's sent down one path; if false, it's sent down another. Re-Grouping: After being processed separately, another Merge node brings the packages back together. This "Split > Process > Merge" pattern is a critical concept in n8n! Advanced Sorting: A Switch node inspects each package's destination and routes it to the correct output (London, New York, Tokyo, or a Default bin).

By the end, you'll see how all packages have been correctly sorted, and you'll have a solid understanding of how to build intelligent, branching logic in your own workflows.

Set up steps

Setup time: 0 minutes!

This template is a self-contained tutorial and requires zero setup.

There are no credentials or external services to configure. Simply click the "Execute Workflow" button. Follow the flow from left to right, clicking on each node to see its output and reading the detailed sticky notes to understand what's happening at each stage.