Conditional Rules | Tips to use rules - Zoho Forms

Tips to make the best out of rules in Zoho Forms

Conditional Rules are the brain of your form, and creating rules with complex logic can be challenging at times. Check out these tips that can help in building smart forms with conditional rules without hassle.

Tip 1: Structure your logic

Before you jump to configuring rules for your form, it is a good practice to put down your logic on a paper. This is particularly useful if your logic is complex with multiple condition groups connected by a combination of AND/ OR connectors. Structuring the logic down or breaking it to a flowchart can help you reduce complex logic to simple rules. 

Tip 2: When a Formula field is involved in Advanced Rules

If a Formula field is used in the rules, the field(s) involved in the formula must be placed prior to the Formula field in the form.
For example, if you are calculating the Total Cost of a product after applying discount: 

Formula field

Here, the fields involved in the formula of Total Cost are Cost and Discount Applied. These 2 fields must be placed prior to the Total Cost field in the form as shown.

Position of fields involved in Formula field

Tip 3: In Field Rules, a condition field should come prior to the Action field in the form builder for the rule to work.

If a Condition field is placed after the Action field in your form, you must interchange the fields' positions in the rule configuration. Alternatively, you can change the position of fields in the form builder such that the Condition field is placed prior to the Action field.

For example, if you have configured a Field Rule to show the Email field only when the user chooses the mode of communication to be Email :

Example

In the above rule,
Condition field -> Mode of communication
Action field -> Email
For this rule to work, the Condition field ( Mode of communication ) should come prior to the Action field ( Email ) in your form.
If you try to change the position of these fields in the form such that Email field comes prior to the Mode of Communication field, you will encounter an error.


Tip 4: Rules are case-sensitive

Conditional Rules in Zoho Forms are case sensitive which means the uppercase and lowercase characters are treated as distinct in a condition. In a nutshell, the conditions trigger actions only when the case of the text in the defined condition matches the case of the respondent input. Check out an example to understand this better.

Tip 5: Check if you have used AND/OR connectors properly

The choice of these operators in your rules play the most important role in deciding how your form functions. Incorrect usage of these connectors can result in unexpected behaviour even when the form works without any errors.
Check out the Rule Expression while configuring a rule that provides a summary of the criteria you've created.

Rule Expression

Still confused? Save the rule, and you'll be able to see the rule summary, which will show you the structure of your logic with a much easier UI where you can see any discrepancies with the connectors.


Rule Summary

Tip 6: Test your form

Test your form carefully to ensure that it functions as expected. This can help you detect any issues early on.

    Access your files securely from anywhere

      Zoho CRM Training Programs

      Learn how to use the best tools for sales force automation and better customer engagement from Zoho's implementation specialists.

      Zoho CRM Training
        Redefine the way you work
        with Zoho Workplace

          Zoho DataPrep Personalized Demo

          If you'd like a personalized walk-through of our data preparation tool, please request a demo and we'll be happy to show you how to get the best out of Zoho DataPrep.

          Zoho CRM Training

            Create, share, and deliver

            beautiful slides from anywhere.

            Get Started Now


              Zoho Sign now offers specialized one-on-one training for both administrators and developers.

              BOOK A SESSION





                          Quick Links Workflow Automation Data Collection
                          Web Forms Enterprise Begin Data Collection
                          Interactive Forms Workplace Data Collection App
                          CRM Forms Customer Service Accessible Forms
                          Digital Forms Marketing Forms for Small Business
                          HTML Forms Education Forms for Enterprise
                          Contact Forms E-commerce Forms for any business
                          Lead Generation Forms Healthcare Forms for Startups
                          Wordpress Forms Customer onboarding Order Forms for Small Business
                          No Code Forms Construction RSVP tool for holidays
                          Free Forms Travel
                          Prefill Forms Non-Profit

                          Intake Forms Legal
                          Mobile App
                          Form Designer HR
                          Mobile Forms
                          Card Forms Food Offline Forms
                          Assign Forms Photography
                          Mobile Forms Features
                          Translate Forms Real Estate Kiosk in Mobile Forms
                          Electronic Forms

                          Notification Emails for Forms Alternatives Security & Compliance
                          Holiday Forms Google Forms alternative  GDPR
                          Form to PDF Jotform alternative HIPAA Forms
                          Email Forms
                          Encrypted Forms
                          Embeddable Forms
                          Secure Forms
                          Drag and Drop form builder
                          WCAG


                                            You are currently viewing the help pages of Qntrl’s earlier version. Click here to view our latest version—Qntrl 3.0's help articles.




                                                Manage your brands on social media

                                                  Zoho Desk Resources

                                                  • Desk Community Learning Series


                                                  • Digest


                                                  • Functions


                                                  • Meetups


                                                  • Kbase


                                                  • Resources


                                                  • Glossary


                                                  • Desk Marketplace


                                                  • MVP Corner


                                                  • Word of the Day


                                                    Zoho Marketing Automation

                                                      Zoho Sheet Resources

                                                       

                                                          Zoho Forms Resources


                                                            Secure your business
                                                            communication with Zoho Mail


                                                            Mail on the move with
                                                            Zoho Mail mobile application

                                                              Stay on top of your schedule
                                                              at all times


                                                              Carry your calendar with you
                                                              Anytime, anywhere




                                                                    Zoho Sign Resources

                                                                      Sign, Paperless!

                                                                      Sign and send business documents on the go!

                                                                      Get Started Now




                                                                              Zoho TeamInbox Resources



                                                                                      Zoho DataPrep Resources



                                                                                        Zoho DataPrep Demo

                                                                                        Get a personalized demo or POC

                                                                                        REGISTER NOW


                                                                                          Design. Discuss. Deliver.

                                                                                          Create visually engaging stories with Zoho Show.

                                                                                          Get Started Now









                                                                                                              • Related Articles

                                                                                                              • Tips for creating visually appealing forms

                                                                                                                Table of Contents Overview What details matter the most in a form? Form Title and Description Fields Choice fields Image Choices to market your products Talk to your respondent with dynamic fields Submit button Structuring a long form Section and ...
                                                                                                              • How to build interactive forms online?

                                                                                                                What are interactive forms? Interactive forms are the ones which visitors can engage without any difficulty, providing them a user-friendly approach rather than the feel of paperwork. This is essential to make the form filling experience smooth and ...
                                                                                                              • Welcome to Zoho Forms!

                                                                                                                Transform the time-consuming “ collect, stack, and enter ” paper form workflow into “ capture, store, and process ” paperless approach with Zoho Forms and simplify data collection. Who is Zoho Forms for? Zoho Forms is for anyone who wants to ...
                                                                                                              • Field Rules

                                                                                                                Overview Using the Field Rules, you can choose to show or hide certain form fields to your respondents or set certain fields as mandatory to fill in based on their previous responses on the form. This way, you can let your respondents see only the ...
                                                                                                              • Creating your first web form in Zoho Forms

                                                                                                                This walkthrough is to help you get started with creating a form using Zoho Forms. Follow the simple step-by-step instructions given below to build forms that perfectly match your requirements. Creating a new account To build a form using Zoho Forms, ...
                                                                                                                Wherever you are is as good as
                                                                                                                your workplace

                                                                                                                  Resources

                                                                                                                  Videos

                                                                                                                  Watch comprehensive videos on features and other important topics that will help you master Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  eBooks

                                                                                                                  Download free eBooks and access a range of topics to get deeper insight on successfully using Zoho CRM.



                                                                                                                  Webinars

                                                                                                                  Sign up for our webinars and learn the Zoho CRM basics, from customization to sales force automation and more.



                                                                                                                  CRM Tips

                                                                                                                  Make the most of Zoho CRM with these useful tips.



                                                                                                                    Zoho Show Resources