Creating a specialized or circumstance rule

You can create a specialized or circumstance rule to create a variant of the rule that can be triggered only conditionally. The created rule is resolved and active only when the specified conditions are met. Create specialized or circumstance rules to address dynamic business requirements without changing the core logic every time. For information about rule resolution exceptions and how they might affect circumstance rules, see Rule resolution exceptions.

The Save As and Specialize by toolbar tools are restricted to those users who hold the privilege @baseclass.ToolbarFull or @baseclass.ToolbarSaveAs.

Because the Specialization forms share most of the fields and functionality on the Create form, only exceptions and special cases are outlined in this topic.

  1. On the rule form, complete one of the following steps.
    • Create a rule that is specialized by class or ruleset.

      Complete the following steps.

      1. Select Save as > Specialize by class or ruleset.
      2. Provide a name for the specialized rule.
    • Create a circumstance rule.

      Complete the following steps.

      1. On the rule form, click Save as > Specialize by circumstance.
      2. Enter a name for the circumstance rule.
      3. Select one of the following types of circumstance: Template or Property and Date.
        • Click Template to create a template rule circumstance (by multiple properties) and then provide a template and a definition against which the template is evaluated. You must have at least one circumstance template rule created before you use it for circumstancing.

        • Click Property and Date to create a circumstance of a rule by a property, date, or a combination of both.

          • To create a property circumstance rule, provide the name of a property (for example, .pyStateName ) in the Property list and its expected value within quotation marks (for example, “MA”) in the Value box.
          • To create a date circumstance rule, enter a Date type property, start date, end date, or a combination of all of the options.

          Date combinations and business requirements lists the possible date combinations and the business-logic requirements they meet.

          If you do not specify a date property, the specified time period is always evaluated against the current system date.

          This rule is active during the specified time interval. At all other times, the base rule is active. During rule resolution, if two or more date circumstance versions are candidates at the current time and date, the application selects the candidates with the nearest end date. Of these, if multiple remaining candidate rules have the same end date, the application picks the candidate with the most recent start date.

  1. To override the default work item that your application associates with this development change, press the Down Arrow key in the Work item to associate field, and then select a work item.

    For more information about your default work item, see Setting your current work item.

  1. Update the values in the Context, Apply to, and Add to ruleset lists as appropriate.
  2. Click Create and open.