Rule Builder > Business Rules > The Rule Editor

Writing business rules involves the use of a business rule language to supply a natural language syntax, a rule editor, and a Business Object Model (BOM) to supply the vocabulary of the language.
Note
New business rule languages are defined using the Business Rule Language Definition Framework (BRLDF). For more information, see the Business Rule Language Support User's Manual.

The Rule Editor is a point-and-click editor designed for writing or editing rules in a natural language syntax that business people can use and understand. When the pointer is on an active area, that area is enclosed in a box. When you select an area, it is highlighted. An active area can be either editable (it is underlined) or selectable (it displays a drop-down list). Editable areas can also show drop-down lists when you select them. These drop-down lists display variables or field names that you can choose from.

Figure 10.2 shows a business rule under construction in the Rule Editor. This example displays a list containing some of the BAL natural language syntax options for the Fishstore example used with the Rule Builder Tutorial. The FishStore repository is located in the <InstallDir>\tutorials\builder\final\data directory.

images/rule_syntax.png

Figure 10.2    BAL Natural Language Syntax

Editing in the Rule Editor is based on tokens, which are pieces of a token model that represent parts of a business rule. Tokens allow you to enter data in a field, or choose an item in a drop-down list (see Figure 10.2 above). There are also metatokens, which are the various symbols used in a rule, such as images/blueArrow_icon.gif .

See Also

Adding Rules to a Package | Technical Rule Language Reference


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