The rules engine can radically boost your productivity in the PIM by automating actions. As explained in this article, a rule enables you to automatically apply one or several actions to a specific list of products and product models. To set the targeted products, you have to define conditions (that are composed by fields and operators).
The rules are defined in a YML file that you can import in the PIM, using a dedicated job profile.
This feature is very, like, really powerful, and the use cases are countless. In order to guide you in the rules engine usage, we wrote this article where you will find out what you can use it for and how it works.
Name your rules
Each rule must have a unique code. It can also have a label per enabled PIM locale. This label will appear under Settings/Rules and be also visible in your product form under your smart attributes. You can add the labels settings anywhere in your rule. In the example below, it is placed at the end of the rule, and it adds labels for your American English and French locales, here is the expected format:
camera_copy_name_to_model:
priority: 0
conditions:
- field: family
operator: IN
value:
- camcorders
- field: camera_model_name
operator: EMPTY
actions:
- type: copy
from_field: name
to_field: camera_model_name
labels:
en_US: 'Copy name to model'
fr_FR: 'Copie nom vers modèle'
If you do not want to add labels to your rule, leave the labels settings with { }.
labels: {}
If no label is set, the rule code will appear into brackets [ ] in the PIM user interface.
You will also be able to search on your rule labels under Settings/Rules.
Define a status for your rule
Thanks to the status, you can define if the rule must be automatically executed or not.
A status can be defined with the enabled key. When the value is false, the rule cannot be executed from cronjob or manually.
In the rule import, this key is not mandatory. If it's not specified, the rule is enabled, set to true, by default.
To define the rule status, please follow this format:
camera_copy_name_to_model:
priority: 0
enabled: true
conditions:
- field: family
operator: IN
value:
- camcorders
- field: camera_model_name
operator: EMPTY
actions:
- type: copy
from_field: name
to_field: camera_model_name
labels:
en_US: 'Copy name to model'
fr_FR: 'Copie nom vers modèle'
Available actions
As of today, 7 actions are available in the rules engine:
- copy
- add
- set
- remove
- concatenate
- clear
- calculate
What are these actions for? Let's discover it 😉
Copy
The Copy action enables you to copy an attribute value in another one.
The expected values are:
- from_field: the code of the attribute to be copied
- to_field: the attribute code where the value will be copied
- from_locale: the locale code of the value to be copied (optional)
- from_scope: the channel code of the value to be copied (optional)
- to_locale: the locale code where the value will be copied (optional)
- to_scope: the channel code where the value will be copied (optional)
It is possible to copy values from an attribute type to another attribute of the same type (for example: from a text attribute type to another text attribute type).
You can copy the values of a table attribute to another table, only if both tables share the exact same structure.
You can go even further. It is possible to copy attribute values in another attribute value field even if they are two different types of values. There are some exceptions mind you! Take a look at the list below.
You can copy the given attribute to a selection of attribute types that we defined based on logical criteria:
You can copy the option code of a simple select attribute to:
- a reference entity single link attribute (the record must already exist)
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
You can copy the option codes of a multi select attribute to:
- a reference entity multiple link attribute (the records must already exist)
- a text attribute (the codes are separated by a comma)
- a textarea attribute (the codes are separated by a comma)
You can copy the value of a text attribute to:
- a textarea attribute
- a simple select attribute (the option code must already exist)
- a reference entity single link attribute (the record must already exist)
You can copy the value of an identifier attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
You can copy the value of a date attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
The date will be copied into the ISO 8601 format (ex: 2019-01-25T12:00:00+01:00).
You can copy the value of a measurement attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
- a number attribute
You can copy the value of a number attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
- a measurement attribute
You can copy the value of a price attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
You can copy the value of a reference entity single link attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
- a simple select attribute (the option code of the simple select attribute must already exist)
You can copy the value of a reference entity multiple links attribute to:
- a text attribute
- a textarea attribute
- a multi select attribute (the option codes of the multi select attribute must already exist)
Specificity regarding simple select / multi select attributes
In a list, an option is defined by a code and a label (the label is not mandatory). When the rule engine performs a copy action, it uses the option codes.
To copy values from a simple select attribute to another, or from a multi select attribute to another, every options you want to copy must already exist in the target attribute.
Let's say you have 2 attributes: attribute 1 and attribute 2, both containing sizes. You want to copy the size filled in Attribute 1, to Attribute 2. Both have an option with code "S", but this option doesn't have the same label: in attribute 1, the label is Small whereas is Attribute 2, it is S.
When your perform a copy action on one or several products to copy this size, the option with code S will be copied from attribute 1 to attribute 2 in your Product Edit Form and the result will be:
Attribute 1: Small
Attribute 2: S
EXAMPLE
You have a scopable and localizable attribute called description. You can copy its content from the en_US locale and the print channel to the en_US locale and the e-commerce channel. The action will be defined as follows:
actions:
- type: copy
from_field: description
from_locale: en_US
from_scope: print
to_field: description
to_locale: en_US
to_scope: ecommerce
Add
The Add action allows you to add values to a multi-select attribute or a reference entity multiple link attribute. Also, it makes it possible to add a product to categories and to groups too.
The expected values are:
- field: the attribute code or property
- items: the value codes. It has to be an array of the items you need to add.
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
EXAMPLE
To add the “t-shirts” category to a set of products, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: add
field: categories
items:
- t-shirts
Add associations
The add action can also associate products/product models/groups without removing previously associated ones. You can choose to only associate products or product models or groups, or any combination you like.
For instance, the following action will associate the product_42 product and the tshirt group to your product (while keeping previously associated products and groups), and won't update the associated product models.
actions:
- type: add
field: associations
items:
X_SELL:
products:
- product_42
groups:
- tshirts
Set
The Set action assigns values to attributes but also to the following properties: categories, status (enabled/disabled), groups, family, associations. Beware, the previous values will be replaced by the new ones.
The expected values are:
- field: the attribute code or property
- value: the attribute value or property value
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
EXAMPLE
To set the “My very new description for purple T-shirt” value to your description attribute in the en_US locale and for the e-commerce channel, the action will be as follows:
For instance, the following actions will disable the product and set its family to shoes. It will also categorize it in casual and women (while uncategorizing it from its previous categories), and add it to the summer group (while removing it from its previous groups).
actions:
- type: set
field: enabled
value: false
- type: set
field: family
value: shoes
- type: set
field: categories
value:
- casual
- women
- type: set
field: groups
value:
- summer
Set associations
Just like for the add action, you can choose to associate any combination of products, product_models or groups for each association type. You can decide which associated products, product_models or groups you want to update. The other ones will not be updated.
In the example below, you can see that the following action will replace the associated products for the X_SELL association, but won't replace associated product models or groups.
And for the UPSELL association, it will replace the associated product models and groups but not the associated products.
actions:
- type: set
field: associations
value:
X_SELL:
products:
- product_42
- another_product
UPSELL:
product_models:
- amor
groups:
- tshirts
Remove
The Remove action enables you to remove values from a multi-select attribute, a reference entity multiple link attribute, an asset collection attribute, a price collection attribute, a product category or a group.
The expected values are:
- field: the attribute code or “categories”
- items: the value codes to remove
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- include_children: if true, then it also applies the removal of the children to the given categories. It is only applicable if the field is set to “categories” (It's optional. By default, it is set to false)
EXAMPLE
To remove the “t-shirts” category, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: remove
field: categories
items:
- t-shirts
To remove the “clothing” category and its children, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: remove
field: categories
items:
- clothing
include_children: true
To unclassify products from the whole “Master catalog” tree, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: remove
field: categories
items:
- master
include_children: true
Concatenate
The Concatenate action concatenates at least two values into a single value. A space separates each source value.
The action is only for attribute values 😉.
The possible source attribute types are:
- text
- textarea
- date
- identifier
- measurement
- number
- price collection
- simple select
- multi select (values are separated by a comma)
- reference entity single link
- reference entity multiple link
The possible target attribute types are:
- text
- textarea
The parameters from and to are required in this format. Depending on the source attribute type, some optional keys can be added.
The expected values are:
from
- field: the attribute code.
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- format: format of the date following the PHP format specification (optional, only relevant for date attributes). By default, it is Y-m-d (e.g. 2020-01-31)
- currency: the currency code for which the price is assigned (optional, only relevant for price_collection attributes). By default, all the prices in the collection are displayed, separated by a comma.
- label_locale: the locale code for the label of the option or record (optional, only relevant for simple select, multi-select, reference entity single link and reference entity multiple link attributes). By default, the code of the option is used.
- unit_label_locale: the locale code for the unit of the measurement (optional, only relevant for measurement attributes). By default, the code of the unit is used.
We don't manage grammar corrections when using a measurement attribute type in a concatenation (i.e: no plural management).
Here is an example:
actions:
- type: concatenate
from:
- field: brand
- field: color
label_locale: en_US
- field: name
scope: ecommerce
locale: en_US
to
- field: the attribute code.
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional)
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional)
EXAMPLE
To concatenate the brand (non localizable and non scopable) and the model in the en_US locale into the product title value in the en_US locale, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: concatenate
from:
- field: brand
- field: model
locale: en_US
to:
field: product_title
locale: en_US
Clear
This action clears the value(s) assigned to an attribute, product categories, product groups, or product associations.
The expected values are:
- field: the attribute code, "categories", "groups" or "associations".
- locale: the locale code for which the value is assigned (optional).
- scope: the channel code for which the value is assigned (optional).
EXAMPLES
To clear the brand in en_US locale, the action will be as follows
actions:
- type: clear
field: brand
locale: en_US
To clear all the categories that are linked to products, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: clear
field: categories
To clear all the product associations, the action will be as follows:
actions:
- type: clear
field: associations
Calculate
This action allows calculating numeric attribute values, with simple mathematical operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division).
This action only accepts number, measurement or price collection attributes for both the source and the destination.
The action is split into 3 required steps, and 1 optional:
destination: the value you want to update. It is composed of:
- field: the attribute code (required)
- locale: locale code if the attribute is localizable (optional)
- scope: channel code if the attribute is scopable (optional)
- currency: currency code if the attribute is a price collection (required if the destination attribute type is a price collection)
- unit: unit code if the attribute is a measurement (optional, the default measurement unit of the attribute will be used if not set)
source: the first operand of the operation. It requires at least either a value or a field and additional items. For instance, you can have:
- value: a constant numeric value - decimal separator: dot, no thousands separator, e.g: 1515.14 (required)
OR:
- field: attribute code of the source value (required)
- locale: locale code if the attribute is localizable (optional)
- scope: channel code if the attribute is scopable (optional)
- currency: currency code if the attribute is a price collection (required if the source attribute type is a price collection)
operation_list: the list of operations to execute (at least one operation is required)
It is exactly the same format as the source property, with an additional required field:
- operator: can be either add, subtract, multiply or divide (required)
The operations are applied in the order they are provided, regardless of any mathematical priority. For instance, 5 - 3 + 2 x 5 will result in ((5 - 3) + 2) x 5) = 20
If a product value required in an operation is empty, or if a division by zero occurs, the product won't be updated.
round_precision (optional): rounds the final result of the operation(s)
If this parameter is not specified or if the value is null, the final result will not be rounded. The round precision can be:
- a positive number: it represents the number of decimals to keep
- 0: rounded with no decimal
- a negative number: the rounding will occur before the decimal point (example with precision of -1: 81 becomes 80, with precision of -2: 81 becomes 100)
If the destination attribute does not allow decimals, the action can be applied only when the result is an integer. This behavior can be changed by setting up the round_precision to 0: the result will be rounded and the action will be applied.
EXAMPLES
For instance, in order to calculate the volume of a cone (volume = (π x R² x h) / 3), given a radius and a height, you can use the following action:
actions:
- type: calculate
destination:
field: volume
unit: CUBE_CENTIMETER
source:
value: 3.14
operation_list:
- operator: multiply
field: radius
- operator: multiply
field: radius
- operator: multiply
field: height
- operator: divide
value: 3
The following action will calculate a price in euros, based on the price in dollars and a ratio, and round the result to the nearest integer value:
actions:
- type: calculate
round_precision: 0
destination:
field: price
scope: ecommerce
currency: EUR
source:
field: price
scope: ecommerce
currency: USD
operation_list:
- operator: multiply
field: ratio
When using measurement attributes, their value will be converted to the default measurement unit defined for the attribute. For instance, a Length attribute can have a 'CENTIMETER' default unit and yet its value for the product is 1 INCH. In that case, the value will be converted to 2.54 (1 inch = 2.54 cm).
Also, no consistency check is performed regarding the units, you can perfectly multiply a frequency by a length, and put the result in a price attribute, even if it makes no sense 😃
Available fields
Now that you have discovered all the available actions, you can easily see which ones can be useful in your daily work 😉. But, to write a rule, you have to define your product selection. To do so, you need to know what are the available fields and their operators.
Keep in mind that the filters (or "fields") that are used in the rules, are the same as in the product grid.
As of today, the following fields are supported in the rules engine, and each of them has its own business rules. Here we go!
Created
The possible operators for the created field are:
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- <
- BETWEEN
- NOT BETWEEN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
The format of the date is:
- "yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS" (UTC time)
- “now”
- "<relative date format>" (see below)
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
The "relative date format" only works with the <, >, = and != operators.
EXAMPLE
- field: created
operator: =
value: "2015-01-23 00:00:00"
- field: created
operator: <
value: "-10 days"
Updated
The possible operators for the updated field are:
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- <
- BETWEEN
- NOT BETWEEN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
The format of the date is:
- "yyyy-mm-dd HH:MM:SS" (UTC time)
- “now”
- "<relative date format>" (see below)
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
The "relative date format" only works with the <, >, = and != operators.
EXAMPLE
-
field: updated
operator: =
value: "2015-01-23 00:00:00"
-
field: updated
operator: '>'
value: "-1 year"
The relative date format allows to specify dates that are relative to the rule execution date, it is formatted as follows:
<+/-><count> <unit>, with:
- "+" means a date in the future, "-" a date in the past
- count is an integer
- unit is one of the following values: minute, hour, day, week, month or year with an optional final s
For instance, +1 month means in one month, and -2 days means 2 days ago
Obviously, for the created and updated properties, the only relevant relative date format is the "past" relative date.
Enabled (status)
The possible operators for the enabled field are:
- =
- ≠
EXAMPLE
field: enabled
operator: =
value: false
If you want to select the activated products, set the value to "true". If you want to select the deactivated ones, set it to "false".
Completeness
The possible operators for the completeness field are:
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- <
EXAMPLE
field: completeness
locale: fr_FR
scope: print
operator: =
value: "100"
The locale and scope elements are mandatory.
The value field requires a percentage.
Family
The possible operators for the family field are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: family
operator: IN
value:
- camcorders
- digital_cameras
The value expects family codes.
Family variant
The possible operators for the family_variant field are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: family_variant
operator: IN
value:
- shoes_by_size
- clothing_by_color
The value expects family variant codes.
Parent
The possible operators for the parent field are:
- IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: parent
operator: IN
value:
- model_tshirt_red
- model_pants_blue
The value expects product model codes.
Identifier
The possible operators for the identifier field are:
- STARTS WITH
- CONTAINS
- DOES NOT CONTAIN
- =
- “!=”
- IN
- NOT IN
EXAMPLE
field: identifier
operator: IN
value:
- model_tshirt_red
- tshirt_red_xxl
The value expects product identifiers or product model codes.
Entity type
The only accepted operator for the entity_type field is:
- =
EXAMPLE
field: entity_type
operator: =
value: Akeneo\Pim\Enrichment\Component\Product\Model\ProductModelInterface
The value field expects either Akeneo\Pim\Enrichment\Component\Product\Model\ProductInterface for products, or Akeneo\Pim\Enrichment\Component\Product\Model\ProductInterface for product models.
Groups
The possible operators for the groups field are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: groups
operator: IN
value:
- oro_tshirts
- akeneo_tshirts
The value field expects the group codes.
Categories
The possible operators for the categories field are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- UNCLASSIFIED
- IN OR UNCLASSIFIED
- IN CHILDREN
- NOT IN CHILDREN
EXAMPLE
field: categories
operator: IN
value:
- C0056
- F677
The field expects the category code.
Attribute types
Now that the actions and the fields don't have any secret for you anymore, you can discover which attribute types you can use as targets for your rules. It means that these attributes can receive the values you defined in your rules.
Text/Textarea
The possible operators for the text/textarea attribute types are:
- STARTS WITH
- CONTAINS
- DOES NOT CONTAIN
- =
- ≠
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: description
operator: CONTAINS
value: "Awesome product"
text can be written with or without quotation marks.
Identifier
The possible operators for the identifier attribute type are:
- STARTS WITH
- CONTAINS
- DOES NOT CONTAIN
- =
- “!=”
- IN
- NOT IN
EXAMPLE
field: sku
operator: CONTAINS
value: "AKNTS_PB"
Measurement
The possible operators for the measurement attribute type are:
- <
- ≤
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- ‘>=’
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: weight
operator: =
value:
amount: 0.5
unit: KILOGRAM
We expect numeric value and measurement unit code in the following format:
dot “.” is the decimal separator,
there is no space between thousands.
Boolean
The possible operators for the boolean attribute type are:
- =
- ≠
EXAMPLE
field: shippable_us
operator: =
value: false
If you want your rule to be applied to a boolean attribute type that is set to "Yes", you should set "true" as value. If you want your rule to be applied to a boolean attribute type that is set to "No", you should set "false" as value.
Simple select list / Reference Entity single link
The possible operators for the Simple select list / Reference entity single link attribute types are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: size
operator: IN
value:
- xxl
We expect option code as value.
Multiselect list / Reference Entity multiple link
The possible operators for the Multiselect list / Reference entity multiple link attribute types are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: material
operator: IN
value:
- GOLD
- LEATHER
We expect option code as value.
Number
The possible operators for the Number attribute type are:
- <
- ≤
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- ‘>=’
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: min_age
operator: =
value: 12
We expect a number as value.
Date
The possible operators for the Date attribute type are:
- <
- ‘>’
- =
- ≠
- BETWEEN
- NOT BETWEEN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
The format of the date is:
- “yyyy-mm-dd”
- “now”
- "<relative date format>" (see below)
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
The "relative date format" only works with the <, >, = and != operators.
EXAMPLE
-
field: release_date
operator: =
value: "2015-01-23"
-
field: creation_date
operator: '>'
value: "-1 year"
Focus on the “relative date format”
The relative date format allows to specify dates that are relative to the rule execution date, it is formatted as follows:
<+/-><count> <unit>, with:
- "+" means a date in the future, "-" a date in the past
- count is an integer
- unit is one of the following values: day, week, month or year with an optional final s
For instance, +1 month means in one month, and -2 days means 2 days ago
EXAMPLE
field: created_date
operator: '>'
value: "2016-05-12"
The "relative date format" is based on the UTC timezone. It means that if you are located in Eastern Australia (UTC +10) and the rules are executed on the 06/22/20 at 8:00am, the "relative date" will be based on the 06/21/20
Price collection
The possible operators for the Price collection attribute type are:
- <
- ≤
- =
- ≠
- ‘>’
- ‘>=’
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: basic_price
operator: <=
value:
amount: 12
currency: EUR
field: null_price
operator: NOT EMPTY
value:
amount: null
currency: EUR
We expect numeric value and currency code in the following format:
- dot “.” is the decimal separator,
- there is no space between thousands.
Picture or file
The possible operators for the Picture or File attribute types are:
- STARTS WITH
- CONTAINS
- DOES NOT CONTAIN
- =
- ≠
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: small_image
operator: CONTAINS
value: ../../../
src/PimEnterprise/Bundle/InstallerBundle/Resources/fixtures/icecat_demo/images/AKNTS_PB.jpg
We expect a text as value (it should match the filename).
Asset collection
The possible operators for the Asset Collection attribute type are:
- IN
- NOT IN
- EMPTY
- NOT EMPTY
If the operator is EMPTY or NOT EMPTY, the value element will be ignored.
EXAMPLE
field: packshot
operator: IN
value: [my_product_packshot]
In this example, we select all the products that have the "my_product_packshot" asset in their "packshot" asset collection.
We expect an array of asset codes as value.
A real example
You're done with all these specifications!
We hope that you perfectly understand the rules engine operation now. But to make it crystal clear, we thought it would be better to take a real example of a rule 😉.
Let's say that, among all the attributes of your product form, you have one price collection attribute type and a boolean attribute type. In the price collection, you define the price of your product in USD. The boolean attribute is used to define if your product is ready to be sent to your ecommerce platform (if it is set to "yes", it means that the product is ready).
Manually changing the status of the boolean attribute is time-consuming and a very repetitive task... But for the rules engine, it's a perfect match! The mission of the rules engine here is to automate the status change of the boolean once the price attribute has a value.
To do so, follow these steps:
- Open a text editor to write the YML code of the rule.
- Write this:
my_rule:
priority: 90
enabled: true
conditions:
- field: basic_price
operator: NOT EMPTY
value:
amount: null
currency: EUR
actions:
- field: ecommerce_ready
value: true
type: set
labels:
en_US: 'Set ecommerce_ready'
fr_FR: 'Définir ecommerce_ready'
And finally, import your YML file using the Akeneo rules import job.
If you want to directly execute the rule:
- Go to Settings, Rules
- Click on the "play" button on your rule line and confirm.
The rule is executed 😉.