Rule List

Go to the Panel Management > Rule List menu command to display a list of all the rules in this panel - . From this tab you can create new rules, and import rules from other panels.

Figure 1 - The Panel Rule List

Click on a Rule Name link to open the Current Rule page for that rule (go to Current Rule Overview for more information).

In the event the Rule List is extensive, you can search for the required rule using the search criteria fields. Select or set the appropriate criteria and click the Search button towards the right end of the search bar. The fields are as follows:

• ID - the automatically-generated identification number of the rule. Select the appropriate operator and type a number into the field.
• Rule Name - the name of the rule, defined by the creator in General.
• Source - the source to be used by the rule - defined by the creator in About Source Types.
• Target - the target to be used by the rule - defined by the creator on the About Targets.
• Rule Set Name - if the rule has been included in one or more Rule Sets, then the sets will be indicated here as a comma-separated list.
• Created By - the user name of the person who created the rule.
• Last Executed - the date and time of when the rule was last executed. Select the appropriate operator, then click on the Calendar icon to open a calendar and select the desired date.
• Last Executed By - the user name of the person who last executed the rule.

Creating a New Rule

1. Click the New Rule Button towards the right end of the Panel Rule List toolbar.

The Add New Panel Rule form opens at the General tab - . Note that until you have named and saved the new rule, the other tabs in the form are inactive.



Figure 2 - The Add New Rule page

2. In the Rule Name field, type in a name for your new rule.
3. Type a comment/description into the Comment field so others can see what this rule is intended for.
4. Select the type of source the rule is to use (go to About Source Types for more information).
5. Select the type of target the rule is to use (go to About Targets for more information).
6. Select the status for the new rule. The options are:
• Enabled – select to allow the rule to be run “as required”. This is the default setting.
• Disabled – select this option if you wish to prevent the rule from being run. This could be useful if you have a recurring task, and wish to stop using this rule in that task for a period but do not wish to change the task permanently.
7. On completion, click Save.

The new rule is saved and will now appear in the Panel Rules list. The system allocates a Rule ID to the new rule, and this ID is displayed towards the top of the form - . The form changes to the Rule Details form (go to Current Rule Overview for more information), and the Source, Action and Target tabs become active. Go to these tabs and make the appropriate settings.

Figure 3 - Example of the Panel Rule Details form

Note: A rule that creates BitStream files from the panel database must be created before sub samples can be created (go to Creating a New Sub Sample for more information). For this rule, the Source must be Panel Database, the Target must be BitStream, and SurveyStatus must be selected in the Survey History Variables field.

Importing a Rule

You can copy rules to other servers or panels by using the Rule Export / Import functionality (go to Exporting a Rule for more information). Proceed as follows to import a rule into the current Panel or server.

Note: The rule must be available as an .XML file (zipped or open) in a folder accessible from the current panel. The file will have been sent, attached to an email, from the originating server/panel.

1. Go to the Panel Management > Rule List menu command to open the Rule List window.
2. Click the Import Rule button towards the right end of the toolbar.

The Rule Import dialog opens - .



Figure 4 - The Rule Import dialog

3. Browse to and select the file.
4. Type a name for the rule into the Rule Name field.
5. Click OK.

The rule is imported and added to the Rule List.

Note: To prevent two rules sharing the same BitStream set, when a rule is imported, its BitStream set is also imported and the new BitStream set is renamed as "<original file name> - Copy".

6. Click on the blue Rule Name link to open the rule in the Current Rule window (go to Current Rule Overview for more information).