Rules and events

A rule runs when an item on a form is submitted for the first time or is updated. Each rule can be associated with an event. Events fire on completion of the processing of a rule script. If the logic in the script determines that a rule has failed, the event generates a query against the item that originated the rule processing. If the rule passes, and a query exists against the item, the event clears the query. The definition of the event includes the text of the query.

Along with the definition of a query, an event definition can contain a reference to an execution plan that can send email (or, through an email gateway, send a fax or activate a beeper) or send a message to the Windows event log. The following figure illustrates the chain of rule processing that is set off by the submission of a form item.