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Formula - notequal
The notEqual function, one of the Logical functions in the Formula plugin for Search Field Expressions, returns true when the content differs from the expression.
Syntax
notEqual('expression', content [, content ...] [, matchAllValues])
Parameters
| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
'expression' |
✅ Yes | The text to compare with, in single quotes, for example 'GMT'. |
content |
✅ Yes | The value or values to check: body, context, or another Formula function such as regex. When you give several content arguments, each of them must match. |
matchAllValues |
❌ No | Unquoted true or false (default). Applies when one content argument returns several values: false means at least one value must match, true means every value must match. A quoted 'true' is not the flag; it is compared as text. |
Returns
truewhen the content differs from the expression.- When it doesn't, there is no value: Test Expression shows Processed with warning: The provided expression yielded no result.
- When one content argument returns several values, one matching value is enough, unless
matchAllValuesistrue.
Quoting, nesting, and how content is resolved are described in the Formula language rules.
Examples
Example 1: Check the message body
Input
Message Body:
UTC
Formula
notEqual('GMT', body)
Result
true

The message body UTC differs from GMT, so notEqual returns true.
Example 2: Check a message context value
Input
Message Context:
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
id |
UTC |
Formula
notEqual('GMT', context('id'))
Result
true

The context value of id is UTC, which differs from GMT, so notEqual returns true.
Example 3: Check values extracted by another function
Input
Message Body:
GMT UTC
Formula
notEqual('CET', regex('GMT|UTC', body))
Result
true

regex extracts GMT and UTC; neither is CET, so notEqual returns true.