Rule Editor User Interface

The rule editor is where the Author defines the rules in a decision service project or flow project. The rule editor is accessed by clicking on a rule document tile in the project view.

 In the rule editor there is:

• a rule document. The rule document:
  • can contain plain text (for example, headings and explanatory text)
  • contains rule blocks. Each rule block indicates which object it is calculating the rules for (see Change the scope of the rule block). You can click the info icon in the header of the active rule block to access the documentation on working with rule blocks. The formatting of rules in a rule block is as follows:
    • text in bold indicates a field that is being set
    • text that is indented indicates a rule condition
    • text in blue indicates a logical connector (for example, if, and, or)
    • text in purple indicates a value (for example, true, 22, "single")
    • text that is underlined in red squiggles indicates text that a value cannot be determined for it
    • green columns in a table rule indicate conditions
    • orange columns in a table rule indicate results
• a left hand margin that contains various menu options for the associated line in the rule document:
  • for blank lines in a rule document (outside of a rule block), the menu allows you to:
    • add text in a predefined style (Normal, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 or Heading 4) (see Add Plain Text to a Rule Document)
    • add a new rule block (see Add an empty rule block)
    • add a predefined rule template in a new rule block (Boolean, Calculation, Table or Object) (see Add a Rule to Prove a Boolean, Add a Rule to Calculate a Value, Add a Table Rule or Populate a Set of Records Into a Record List)
  • for lines of text in a rule document (outside of a rule block), the menu allows you to:
    • restyle the text using a different predefined style (Normal, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3 or Heading 4)
  • for blank lines in a rule block, the menu allows you to:
    • break the rule block (see Break out of a rule block)
    • add an inline comment (see Add comment text in a rule block)
    • add a predefined rule template (Boolean, Calculation, Table or Object) (see Add a Rule to Prove a Boolean, Add a Rule to Calculate a Value, Add a Table Rule or Add a rule to populate a set of records into a record list)
  • for lines of text in a rule block, the menu allows you to:
    • disable the rule (seeDisable a Rule)
    • change the line into an inline comment (see Add comment text in a rule block)
    • indent the rule line more or less (see Change the indentation of a condition)
• a right hand navigation drawer that shows the headings in the rule document and allows you to:
  • see where you currently are in the document (shown by an arrow next to the heading above the content you are currently viewing)
    
    
  • click a heading to have the editor automatically scroll up/down to that heading

  The navigation drawer can be hidden by clicking the drawer button in the top right in order to maximize the rule editor area of the window. It can be re-opened by clicking the same button.
  

  If the window is not wide enough to display the rule document and the navigation drawer, the navigation drawer will not be visible. You can click the hierarchy button in the top right of the editor to view a drop-down menu showing the headings in the rule document. You can then click on a heading in the menu to navigate to that heading in the document.
  

Errors are shown in the rule editor in red (see Fix Rule Errors). You can hover over an error for more information, or click the error number to see a list of errors for that rule line. From this drop-down menu you can click on an error message or the jump icon (or use Ctrl+J) to jump to that particular problem in the rule.