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Contains checks whether the answer includes what you specify — a substring in text, or a selected option in a multi-choice field. Use it for keyword triggers (“urgent” in notes), add-on detection, and tag-style membership without requiring an exact full set.

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When to choose this

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Exact behavior

  • Text fields: case-insensitive substring search (mb_strtolower on both sides). "URGENT ticket" contains "urgent".
  • Multi-choice / tags: checks whether any selected option equals your value (same flexible matching as Equals).
  • Single-choice fields support Contains — behaves like Equals for one value.
  • Your comparison value must be non-empty, or the clause never matches.
  • Null or non-string text answers fail the check; empty string "" does not contain a non-empty snippet.
  • Empty multi-select [] does not contain any option.

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Which field types

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Blank / unanswered answers

  • Unanswered text (null, non-string): does not match.
  • Empty text (""): does not contain a non-empty snippet.
  • Empty multi-select ([]): does not contain any option.
  • Use Is empty for “nothing selected / no notes”.

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Configure in Studio

1

Open a rule

Logic → Rules, or Branch / Add condition on a field.
2

Pick text or choice field

Email, textarea, tags, checkbox list, etc.
3

Choose Contains

Operator appears for text and choice families.
4

Enter snippet or pick option chip

Non-empty value required — "urgent", Priority support, etc.
5

Add Then actions

Require answer, Show blocks.
6

Test case variants on Fill

Upper/lowercase text, partial selections, empty field.

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Worked examples

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Urgent keyword in notes

When Notes contains urgent → Then Require answer Phone
URGENT, Urgent, and urgent all match — case-insensitive.

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Add-on selected

When Add-ons contains Priority support → Then Show blocks SLA disclaimer
Other add-ons may also be selected.

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Tag membership

When Tags contains Enterprise → Then Show blocks Account manager field
Works like “includes this tag among many”.

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Email domain hint (text)

When Work email contains @acme.com → Then Show blocks Employee ID
Substring match — not full email validation.

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Test on fill

1

Type text with snippet

Rule fires; remove snippet — rule off.
2

Try different casing

Should still match for text.
3

Select option on multi-choice

Fire; deselect — off.
4

Leave field empty

Off — use Is empty if you need blank handling.

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Common mistakes

  • Using Contains for exact multi-select with no extras — use Equals set.
  • Expecting Contains on numbers or dates — operator unavailable.
  • Duplicating rules for VIP and vip — matching is case-insensitive for text.
  • Empty comparison snippet — clause never matches.

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Troubleshooting

Field may be null/non-string, or snippet not actually present. Check for extra spaces — substring must appear contiguously.
Verify stored option value matches chip in rule, not just label shown on Fill.
Use Does not contain — requires non-blank answer on source field.
Use Any group with several Contains clauses, or Is any of on choice fields.
Last modified on September 7, 2026