Controlling your Rules
- Ben Clark
The behaviour of a Rule is dependent on the variables that are used within it. These variables can be adjusted using Parameters and Data Grids. More details on Parameters and Data Grids can be found here and here.
Help Links
Where a Help link exists for a Rule this will show to the right of the rule name. Clicking on the Help link will open a new Tab with the Help information specified.
Functional Controls
Right clicking on your Rule allows you to access further functional control:
Open
Open, opens your Rule in Rule Designer in the same screen. Select “Open in new window” to open the Rule in a different window allowing comparison across screens
Open in the same window can also be achieved by double clicking on the row in the Rules screen.
Status
Restart - Starts your rule if it was Waiting or restarts if it was previously Running.
Pause - Moves a Running Rule into a Paused state
Save As
You can save a rule directly from the Rules Screen into a different client.
Delete
Removes the Rule. Any systems using the Rule will no longer get a response so caution should be used to ensure a Rule is not live before deletion.
Parameters and Data Grids
If a Rule is a machine storing information or providing answers, then Parameters and Data Grids are the controls to the machine.
Parameters feed information directly into the Rule and allow the user to change the responses or control what response are created.
You may have a Rule providing a free delivery code on your website for customers who spend a certain amount. A Parameter surfaces the code threshold amount in the Rule Designer screen so it can be easily adjusted. Lowering the Parameter from $50 to $30 will change the Rule to provide free delivery at the $30 threshold, thus boosting sales over the short term.
You could build a Rule that flashes up a welcome message to a guest on their hotel room TV. The welcome phrase to be used could be added to a Parameter. It could be easily changed during holiday periods to be more festive.
Data Grids are a type of parameter that consists of a set of columns and rows. This is useful for creating Rules that reference a range of values, for example a set of offers that change over time, or product codes and associated metadata.
Example of a Data Grid:
Offer Code | Offer Start Date | Offer End Date | Disount % |
|---|---|---|---|
A1 | 01 Jan | 31 Jan | 20% |
A2 | 01 Feb | 28 Feb | 15% |
A3 | 01 Mar | 31 Mar | 10% |
The columns in the Data Grid are configured in the underlying Template and cannot be changed. With the correct permissions you can change the existing values and add new rows.
Parameters can be further controlled using Global Parameters. More on the configuration of Global Parameters can be found here.
Any Parameter linked to a Global Parameter will have an indicative icon next to the Parameter value in the Data Grid.