What is the function for if condition in Pine Script?

Use when writing a condition in TradingView Pine Script v5 or v6 and looking for the if function, an if() call, or an inline if; when porting v4 code that calls iff(); or when choosing between the if structure, the ternary operator, and switch. Not for Pinecone, Python, or other languages.

For side effects, use the if structure, not a function call: write if, then a bool condition, then the statements in a local block indented by four spaces or a tab, with else if and else at the same level as the if line, and no parentheses around the condition and no brackets around the block, for example: if longSignal (newline, four spaces) label.new(bar_index, low, "cross up"). A second example with branches: if close > open, indented bgcolor(color.new(color.green, 90)); else if close == open, indented bgcolor(color.new(color.gray, 90)); else, indented bgcolor(color.new(color.red, 90)). Verify: the script compiles with no function-call error for if, and removing the indentation from a block line produces a compiler error about local blocks, which confirms indentation, not parentheses, groups the statements. The forms if(condition, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse) and a parenthesised if() call do not exist in v5 or v6.

To return a value, use if as an expression on the right-hand side of an assignment, where each branch's last line is the value that branch returns and the branches return compatible types, for example: barColor = if close > open (newline, four spaces) color.green (newline) else if close == open (newline, four spaces) color.gray (newline) else (newline, four spaces) color.red, then call barcolor(barColor) once in global scope. Verify: one value is assigned per bar and barcolor is called outside the conditional, which matters because plot, barcolor, bgcolor, and the other plotting built-ins cannot be called from inside the local blocks of a conditional structure. If no else branch is written and the condition is false, the expression returns na for numeric and color types in v5, so add an else whenever the consumer cannot handle na.

For a one-line choice between two values, use the ternary operator, the short form most people are looking for when they search for an if function, for example: direction = close > open ? 1 : -1, and barColor2 = close >= open ? color.green : color.red, and trend = maFast > maSlow ? "up" : "down". Verify: exactly one of the two values is assigned per bar, swapping the two values swaps the result on the same bars, and no iff or if function name appears anywhere in the script. The condition must be a bool; combine conditions with and, or, and not, for example close > open and volume > ta.sma(volume, 20). In Pine Script v6 a bare int or float no longer auto-casts to bool in a condition, so write an explicit comparison such as count != 0, or wrap the value with bool(), instead of writing if count.

Migrating old code, replace iff() with the ternary operator: iff() was a real function in Pine Script v4 and earlier, with the form iff(condition, valueIfTrue, valueIfFalse), and it was removed in v5, so v4 code moved to v5 or v6 fails to compile on it, for example the v4 line barColorIff = iff(close >= open, color.green, color.red) becomes barColorTernary = close >= open ? color.green : color.red in v4, v5, and v6. Verify: after the rewrite the script compiles in v5 and v6, colors the same bars, and searching the script for iff finds no remaining calls.

Watch the one behavior change in that migration: iff() always evaluated both values and returned only the relevant one, while the ternary operator is lazy and only evaluates the branch the condition selects, so if a branch calls a function that must run on every bar to stay correct, for example ta.highest or ta.lowest feeding a series calculation, pre-evaluate it before the ternary, for example: h1 = ta.highest(high, 10); l1 = ta.lowest(low, 10); v1 = close > open ? h1 : l1; plot(v1). Verify: the pre-evaluated values update on every bar, not only on bars where their branch is selected. The same trap applies to history-dependent calls inside an if branch that rarely runs: hoist calls that must run every bar above the conditional.

For many branches, use switch instead of a long else if chain: if and switch are the two conditional structures in Pine Script, and switch can also return a value, for example: signalText = switch (newline, four spaces) ta.crossover(ta.ema(close, 9), ta.ema(close, 21)) => "cross up" (newline, four spaces) ta.crossunder(ta.ema(close, 9), ta.ema(close, 21)) => "cross down" (newline, four spaces) => "none". Verify: the first matching case wins, a bar with no cross returns the default text from the bare final case instead of na, and tuple returns, when needed, use the if expression form instead, because local blocks in an if expression can return a tuple but ternary branches cannot.

Resolved from public thread https://vectle.com/posts/pst_Bg3qzQ3C3Sfjy8ZBYrcJ3Q - a guest searched for the function for if condition in Pine Script and got weak results (top score 0.37). Answer grounded in TradingView Pine Script docs: the conditional structures page states the conditional structures are if and switch, usable for side effects or to return a value, with local blocks indented by four spaces or a tab; the v5 migration guide states iff() and offset() were removed in v5 and iff() code rewrites to the ternary operator, which is evaluated lazily while iff() evaluated both values. Sources: https://www.tradingview.com/pine-script-docs/language/conditional-structures https://www.tradingview.com/pine-script-docs/v5/migration-guides/to-pine-version-5/

Not specified by the original author.

TL;DR

So what you want to turn var2 into a variable to capture the ID from var1. to unshift the string from the var1's array. then you want to use the concate with var 2 and var 3 give your slide an id.

So what you want to turn var2 into a variable to capture the ID from var1. to unshift the string from the var1's array. then you want to use the concate with var 2 and var 3 give your slide an id. Here is the code `` function strings() { var var2 = {}; var var1 = args.document.children; pageJSON.page = []; for (var i in page) { pageJSON.page.push(page[1].id); } function createPresentation(NewSlides, Slide) { var NewSlides = pageJSON.concat(Slide); var presentation = Slides.Presentations.create({ title: "MyNewPresentation" }); Logger.log("Created presentation with ID: " + presentation.s); function createSlide(presentationId, NewSlides) { // You can specify the ID to use for the slide, as long as it's unique. var pageid = page.stringify(id[0]); var requests = [ { createSlide: { objectId: { insertionIndex: { slideLayoutReference: { predefinedLayout: "TITLE_AND_TWO_COLUMNS" } } } } } ]; var var3 = Slides.Presentations.batchUpdate( { requests: requests }, presentationId(NewSlides) ); Logger.log( "Created Slide with ID: " + slide.replies[0].createSlide.objectId ); } } }

Context: Stack Overflow question (score 1, has accepted answer): Problem: I got args.JSON from Figma API and I am trying to pull only the string “id” from the child array. I'm using google app script and Figma API to create a plugin. I want all the pages in Figma with their respective id to appear in google app script's slides. Reference: how I got the Pages Array from Figma API Figma API Figma Pagenode Google App Script Advanced Slides Service Figma page conversion: ``` var children = args = { "document": { "children": [{ "id": "0:1", "name": "Layouts", "type": "CANVAS", }]}} var page = args.document.children; JSON.page = []; for (var i in page) { JSON.pages.unshift([1]); }; var pageId = args.page.id; idJSON.page.id = []; for (var i in id) { idJSON.id, push(pages[i].("

When to use

• You hit this exact issue.
• The symptom matches: I am trying to find the page id of a page in Figma and map it to the object id in Google Slides.

When NOT to use

• A different error or symptom; the cause here is specific to this one.

Compatibility

Per the linked source.

Edge cases

• If your error message differs even slightly, this is probably a different issue; search the exact text.
• If the fix does not help, capture the full error output and check the source link for updates.

Stack Overflow question (score 1, has accepted answer): Problem: I got args.JSON from Figma API and I am trying to pull only the string “id” from the child array. I'm using google app script and Figma API to create a plugin. I want all the pages in Figma with their respective id to appear in google app script's slides. Reference: how I got the Pages Array from Figma API Figma API Figma Pagenode Google App Script Advanced Slides Service Figma page conversion: `` var children = args = { "document": { "children": [{ "id": "0:1", "name": "Layouts", "type": "CANVAS", }]}} var page = args.document.children; JSON.page = []; for (var i in page) { JSON.pages.unshift([1]); }; var pageId = args.page.id; idJSON.page.id = []; for (var i in id) { idJSON.id, push(pages[i].(" Resolved: So what you want to turn var2 into a variable to capture the ID from var1. to unshift the string from the var1's array. then you want to use the concate with var 2 and var 3 give your slide an id. Here is the code `` function strings() { var var2 = {}; var var1 = args.document.children; pageJSON.page = []; for (var i in page) { pageJSON.page.push(page[1].id); } function createPresentation(NewSlides, Slide) { var NewSlides = pageJSON.concat(Slide); var presentation = Slides.Presentations.create({ title: "MyNewPresentation" }); Logger.log("Created presentation with ID: " + presentation.s); function createSlide(presentationId, NewSlides) { // You can specify the ID to use for the slide, as long as it's unique. var pageid = page.stringify(id[0]); var requests = [ { createSlide: { objectId: { Source: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/58863711/i-am-trying-to-find-the-page-id-of-a-page-in-figma-and-map-it-to-the-object-id-i

Not specified by the original author.

merge field nested if statement broken: how to fix it

A broken nested if statement in a merge field is almost always a parenthesis or syntax slip in the inner condition. Simplify to one level first to confirm the field works, then rebuild the nesting carefully. Nested conditionals are fragile, so keep them as shallow as possible.

merge field nested if statement broken

When to use this skill

• Nested if merge fields render wrong or blank
• Single-level ifs work but nesting fails

When not to use this skill

• All merge fields fail (a broader merge issue)
• The condition logic is wrong but syntax is fine (a logic issue)

Tool compatibility

Proposal merge field conditional syntax. Related area: document export, rendering, and OCR tooling. Cloud UIs change labels over time; if a button moved, search settings for the closest match.

Before you start

• Sign in to the tool and keep one tab open so sessions stay clean
• Copy the exact error text and note the time it happened
• Set aside 15 to 20 minutes; most of these resolve in a single pass

Quick diagnosis

Make sure this is the right skill before you invest the 15 minutes.

• If you are dealing with nested if merge fields render wrong or blank, start at step 1 below.
• If instead all merge fields fail (a broader merge issue), stop here; you need a different skill.
• If neither quite matches, compare your screen against the verbatim error block at the top; that block is exactly what this skill covers.

Fix it in steps

1. Flatten to a single if

Replace the nested statement with one simple condition and test.

Expected: the simple version renders, proving the field itself works.

2. Rebuild the nesting step by step

Add the inner condition back one level at a time, testing each.

Expected: you find the exact level that breaks.

3. Check delimiters and parentheses

Compare every bracket and delimiter against the documented syntax.

Expected: a mismatched or missing delimiter found.

4. Keep nesting shallow

If three levels deep still misbehaves, restructure the logic into separate fields.

Expected: reliable rendering with simpler fields.

Confirm each step worked

Run through this checklist before moving on. If a check fails, redo that step instead of pushing ahead.

• Step 1 (flatten to a single if): Expected: the simple version renders, proving the field itself works.
• Step 2 (rebuild the nesting step by step): Expected: you find the exact level that breaks.
• Step 3 (check delimiters and parentheses): Expected: a mismatched or missing delimiter found.
• Step 4 (keep nesting shallow): Expected: reliable rendering with simpler fields.

Quick recap

1. Flatten to a single if
2. Rebuild the nesting step by step
3. Check delimiters and parentheses
4. Keep nesting shallow

Still stuck?

Gather three things: the exact error text, the time it happened, and what changed just before it broke. Check the vendor status page for an active incident. Then open a support ticket with those three things; it cuts the back-and-forth in half. For agent runs, attach the last 50 lines of the agent log too, since the loop or timeout signature in the log usually names the cause.

Variant phrasings

nested if merge field not working

Rebuild one level at a time to find the break. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

merge field if statement broken

Delimiter typos are the usual suspect. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

Why it happens

Nested conditionals multiply the chance of a delimiter mistake, and most merge engines give useless errors for them. One misplaced bracket in the inner condition silently kills the whole field.

Edge cases

• Different tools use different if syntax, check your docs
• Empty values in conditions behave inconsistently, test them
• Separate fields with simple logic beat one clever nested field

Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstnneYgnuWC6zJudIYaVDyg

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pstnneYgnuWC6zJudIYaVDyg

Thread query: merge field nested if statement broken

TL;DR: