You can use rules for mandatory user-defined fields to enforce your company’s business rules. For example; you may create a user-defined field that is used only when a user enters invalid data in other fields.
This example shows how to create a user-defined field to enforce the following rule: The contract expiry date must be later than the last service date.
- Create a table user-defined field with a name that describes why the rule fails.
For example: "Contract expired before last service date"
- Write a mandatory rule for the field that’s equivalent to the opposite of the business rule.
For example: [Contract Expiry Date] <[last service="Service"]>
This rule validates when the business rule fails.
- Add no items to the table user-defined field.
When someone saves an entry that breaks the rule; the user is prompted to provide a value for the field.
However; the table field has no items; so the user cannot supply a value; and therefore cannot save the entry.
If you want to let the user save the entry; you can provide reasons for breaking the rule as items in the table field. For example: add the following table items "Complimentary service"; "Negotiating contract"; "New contract pending".