Release 10.1A: OpenEdge Development:
Progress Dynamics Advanced Development

Syntax of the action rules

An action rule contains a delimited list of function references and properties that return a logical result. The syntax for rules is as follows:

[ property | function ] = list [ AND | OR ] ...

A property is the name of a SmartObject property that is retrieved across the specified Item link. If the property is of data type LOGICAL and you want the TRUE value to be used in the expression, then you simply include the name of the property in the rule. For example, DataModified means if DataModified is TRUE. If you want to use the negation of the property in the expression, then you must include it as a value, following an equal sign, as in DataModified=no.

If the property returns some other value, then you specify a value or a comma-separated list of values to match. A property reference with a list of values evaluates to TRUE if the property value matches any value in the list.

A function is the name of a Progress 4GL function that is executed across the specified Item link. You can only use functions that return a LOGICAL value. To differentiate a function reference from a property, follow the name of the function with empty parentheses, as in canNavigate().

A rule can be built up from any number of elements, each involving a single property or function. Separate the elements by the AND or OR keyword. Complex expressions requiring grouping of elements with parentheses cannot be used in action rules. If you must perform a calculation complex enough that the action rule syntax is not sufficient for it, then you should define a function of your own in the Item link target that does the calculation and returns TRUE or FALSE, and use it in your action rule.