---
title: "Conditional Email Content with [if]"
description: "Show or hide parts of a WooCommerce email with the [if] shortcode, for example a line only for large orders. Syntax and operators."
url: "https://wpfactory.com/docs/conditional-email-content-if/"
updated: "2026-10-05"
category: How to
---

# Conditional Email Content with [if]

[Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/custom-emails-for-woocommerce/) ships an `[if]` shortcode that shows or hides a block of email content based on a comparison. Use it to add a line only for large orders, greet customers who paid with a specific gateway, or drop a note when a piece of order metadata matches a value, all inside a single email instead of maintaining several.

`[if]` is a general shortcode: it works in the Subject, Email heading, and Email content fields of any custom email, configured under **WooCommerce > Settings > Emails**.

### The syntax

```
[if value1="A" operator="equal" value2="B"]Shown only when A equals B[/if]
```

All three attributes are required, and the enclosed content must not be empty; if any is missing, the shortcode outputs nothing. When the comparison is true, the enclosed content is rendered (and its own shortcodes are processed); when false, it produces an empty string.

### Operators

| Operator | True when |
| --- | --- |
| `equal` | value1 equals value2 |
| `not_equal` | value1 does not equal value2 |
| `less` | value1 is less than value2 |
| `less_or_equal` | value1 is less than or equal to value2 |
| `greater` | value1 is greater than value2 |
| `greater_or_equal` | value1 is greater than or equal to value2 |
| `in` | value1 is one item in the comma-separated list value2 |
| `not_in` | value1 is not in the comma-separated list value2 |
| `find` | value1 appears somewhere inside value2 |
| `not_find` | value1 does not appear inside value2 |

The `less`, `less_or_equal`, `greater`, and `greater_or_equal` comparisons follow PHP's loose comparison rules, so two numeric strings are compared as numbers. That is what you want for order totals and quantities.

### Using shortcodes inside the comparison

You will usually want to compare a live value from the order, not a fixed string. Because `value1` and `value2` are attribute values, you cannot put square-bracket shortcodes directly inside them (the nested brackets would break the outer shortcode). Instead, write the inner shortcode with **curly braces**, and the plugin converts `{ }` to `[ ]` and runs it before comparing:

```
[if value1="{order_total}" operator="greater" value2="100"]
Thanks for your large order! Here is a gift for you.
[/if]
```

Here `{order_total}` is evaluated to the order's total, then compared against `100`. Any shortcode from the plugin's set can be used this way, for example `{order_payment_method_id}` or `{order_meta key="_some_key"}`.

### Case-insensitive matching

Add `case_insensitive="true"` to compare text without regard to letter case. Both sides are lowercased before the operator runs:

```
[if value1="{order_payment_method_title}" operator="find" value2="paypal" case_insensitive="true"]
You paid with PayPal.
[/if]
```

### More examples

**Show a block only for specific payment gateways:**

```
[if value1="{order_payment_method_id}" operator="in" value2="bacs,cheque"]
Please complete your bank transfer or send your cheque to finish the order.
[/if]
```

**Add a note when a metadata flag is set:**

```
[if value1="{order_meta key='_is_gift'}" operator="equal" value2="yes"]
Your order will be gift-wrapped.
[/if]
```

Note the single quotes around the inner attribute value: use single quotes inside a curly-brace shortcode so they do not clash with the double quotes of the outer `value1` attribute.

### Notes and limits

- All of `value1`, `operator`, and `value2` must be present, and the content between the tags must not be empty, or the shortcode renders nothing.
- The rendered content is filtered with WordPress's post-safe filter, so standard HTML survives but disallowed markup is stripped.
- `[if]` can be nested: because the true branch is run through the shortcode processor again, you can place another `[if]` inside it.
- When an order value is empty (for example an order shortcode used in a non-order email), the comparison still runs against the empty string. Account for that when using `equal` or `find`.

### Build smarter emails

Conditional content keeps your template count down. Combine `[if]` with the full shortcode set in [Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce](https://wpfactory.com/item/custom-emails-for-woocommerce/) to tailor a single email to every order. [Get the plugin](https://wpfactory.com/item/custom-emails-for-woocommerce/) to start building.

Related articles

- [Crafting Custom Email Content: Subject, Type, and Body](https://wpfactory.com/docs/crafting-email-content/)
- [Custom Email Preview Shows the Wrong or Old Content](https://wpfactory.com/docs/custom-email-preview-wrong-content/)
- [How to Send Delayed and Scheduled Emails](https://wpfactory.com/docs/send-delayed-scheduled-emails/)
- [Send a Custom Email from the Order Screen](https://wpfactory.com/docs/send-custom-email-from-order-screen/)
- [Override a Default WooCommerce Email](https://wpfactory.com/docs/override-default-woocommerce-email/)