Value Comparator

Category: Utility · Node Type ID: utility-compare

Compares two values of the same type (bytes, string, int, bool) with ==, !=, >, >=, <, <=

Overview

Compares two values of the same primitive data type (Bytes, String, Int, or Bool) using one of six relational operators (==, !=, >, ≥, <, ≤) and outputs a boolean verdict on the Result port.

For Bytes, ordering comparisons (>, ≥, <, ≤) compare buffers lexicographically from index 0 using unsigned byte values (0..255), while equality (==, !=) checks whether both buffers have the exact same length and identical bytes. For Bool, only == and != are allowed. Because this node uses a Judgement Error Profile, you can also configure Treat As Error to halt downstream execution with a custom error code whenever the comparison evaluates to false (or true).

When to Use

Verifying that a decrypted plaintext matches the original plaintext in an encryption/decryption round-trip test.
Comparing a computed HMAC, CMAC, Hash Digest, or CRC against an expected tag, and optionally halting the workflow on mismatch via Treat As Error = false.

Parameter Configuration

Parameter (ID)	Type & Default	Visibility Condition	Description & Options
Comparison Operator `operator`	`select` Default: `==`	Always visible	Relational operator applied to `Operand A` and `Operand B`: `==`, `!=`, `>`, `≥`, `<`, or `≤`. (Note: `Bool` inputs only support `==` and `!=`.) `==`: == `!=`: != `>`: > `>=`: >= `<`: < `<=`: <=
Treat As Error `errorOnValue`	`select` Default: `""` (empty)	Always visible	Judgement error reinterpretation: leave set to `None` (default) to emit the boolean verdict as normal data, or set to `false` (or `true`) to transition the node into an `ERROR` state when `Result` matches that value. `(empty)`: None (default; the result is plain data) `true`: true `false`: false
Error Code `errorCode`	`text` Default: `""` (empty) Supports Variable Reference (`$var`: `string`)	When `errorOnValue` is `true` or `false`	Custom error code reported when Treat As Error triggers (defaults to a node-specific code if left blank). Only visible when `Treat As Error` is not `None`.
Error Message `errorMessage`	`text` Default: `""` (empty) Supports Variable Reference (`$var`: `string`)	When `errorOnValue` is `true` or `false`	Custom error message reported when Treat As Error triggers. Only visible when `Treat As Error` is not `None`.

Port I/O Specification

See Ports & Connections for general wiring rules, data type colors, and dynamic port creation.

Input Ports

Port Nature: Fixed Input Ports (2 total).

Port Name	Port ID	Data Type	Required	Visibility Condition	Description
`Value A`	`a`	`Any`	Required	Always visible	First operand (`Bytes`, `String`, `Int`, or `Bool`). Must have the same data type as `Operand B`.
`Value B`	`b`	`Any`	Required	Always visible	Second operand. Must have the same data type as `Operand A`.

Output Ports

Port Nature: Fixed Output Ports (1 total).

Port Name	Port ID	Data Type	Visibility Condition	Description
`Result`	`result`	`Bool`	Always visible	Boolean comparison result (`true` if `Operand A [operator] Operand B` holds, otherwise `false`).

Error Cases

This node uses a Judgement Error Profile on its boolean output port result:

Default Behavior (Treat As Error = None): Verification or comparison mismatches do not raise a runtime error; instead, the node completes normally and emits false (or true) on result so downstream nodes or scripts can inspect the boolean result.
Reinterpretation as Error (Treat As Error = false or true): When the boolean verdict on result equals the configured errorOnValue setting, the engine transitions this node into an ERROR state using your custom Error Code and Error Message and halts downstream execution.

Error Code	Trigger Condition
`TYPE_MISMATCH`	Raised when `Operand A` and `Operand B` have different runtime data types, or when an ordering operator (`>`, `≥`, `<`, `≤`) is used on `Bool` values.

Examples

Asserting HMAC Tag Equality and Halting on Mismatch

Compare two MAC tags and fail the workflow if they differ.

Connect the computed MAC to Operand A and the expected MAC to Operand B with Comparison Operator set to == (Equal).
Set Treat As Error to false and Error Code to MAC_MISMATCH so downstream nodes only execute when the MAC is valid.