Page Rules

What You'll Learn

You'll discover how to build intelligent pages that respond automatically to your app's data and user context. Learn to create personalized experiences that hide elements, display contextual messages, or redirect users based on specific conditions, all while understanding how multiple rules work together to create sophisticated user workflows.

Page rules enable you to create dynamic, responsive pages that automatically adapt to user roles, data conditions, and specific scenarios. These powerful automation tools trigger actions the moment a user opens a page, allowing you to build sophisticated user experiences that respond intelligently to your app's data and user context.

Understanding Page Rules

Page rules are automated actions that execute when specific conditions are met as soon as a user opens a page. Think of them as intelligent gatekeepers that can hide elements, display messages, or redirect users based on the data in your app and the characteristics of the logged-in user.

The power of page rules lies in their ability to create personalized, context-aware experiences. For example, you can automatically hide a registration form when an event reaches capacity, display different content based on a user's membership level, or redirect users to complete required information before accessing certain features.

Page rules work by evaluating conditions against your app's data and user information, then executing predefined actions when those conditions are met. This happens before the page fully renders, ensuring users see only the content and functionality appropriate to their situation.

Page Access and Configuration

Page rules are available for specific types of pages within your Knack app. You can implement page rules on child pages and pages that require user login (protected pages). However, page rules cannot be triggered based on values in multi-record elements such as grids, lists, maps, or calendars.

To access page rules in the Builder, navigate to the Pages section and select the page you want to configure. The page settings interface provides three main tabs:

General Tab - Contains fundamental page settings including the page name, display options, and navigation preferences. Configure whether to show the page name to users, customize the page slug for URL structure, and manage display elements like icons and their positioning.

Access Tab - Provides comprehensive control over user registration and page access permissions. Configure whether new users can register to access the page, with options for immediate access, approval-required registration, or no registration at all. Set access control for all logged-in users or specific user roles, and integrate single sign-on options like Google SSO.

Page Details Tab - Offers additional configuration options for fine-tuning your page's behavior and appearance, including advanced settings for page functionality and integration with other app features.

Building Effective Page Rules

Creating effective page rules requires understanding both the conditions that trigger them and the actions they can perform. The rule-building process involves defining specific criteria that must be met and then selecting the appropriate action to execute when those criteria are satisfied.

When defining conditions for your page rules, you select specific fields from your app's data structure and establish criteria for those fields. The available fields depend on the type of page you're configuring. For child pages, you can choose fields from the table that the page is based on, as well as fields from connected tables. If the page is protected by a login system, you also gain access to fields from the account table and other user roles.

You can establish multiple conditions within a single rule, and all conditions must be true for the rule to trigger. This AND logic allows you to create sophisticated scenarios where multiple criteria must align before an action occurs.

Available Actions

Page rules can perform four distinct types of actions:

Hide Elements Action - Selectively remove page components based on defined conditions. Particularly useful for creating role-based interfaces where different users see different functionality. Plan your page layout to accommodate different visibility scenarios.

Show Message Action - Display contextual information to users based on specific conditions. Messages appear at the top of the page with four visual treatments: Neutral, Confirmation, Warning, and Red Alert. Configure whether users can dismiss these messages.

Redirect to Parent Page Action - Automatically return users to the originating page. Exclusively available for child pages and provides seamless navigation back through app flow.

Redirect to Existing Page Action - Send users to any other page within your app when specific conditions are met. All starting pages are available as redirect targets, as well as child pages that share the same source table.

Redirect to External URL Action - Direct users to websites or resources outside your Knack app. Useful for integrating with external systems or directing users to documentation.

Managing Multiple Rules

Understanding how multiple page rules interact is crucial for building reliable user experiences. Unlike some systems that stop processing after the first matching rule, Knack evaluates and triggers all rules whose conditions are met simultaneously.

If you have multiple rules with the same conditions, all matching rules will execute their actions. When multiple rules include redirect actions, the behavior depends on the specific combination. If one rule hides elements while another redirects the user, both actions technically trigger, but the redirect takes precedence.

Consider the logical flow of your rules when designing multiple conditions. Rules should complement each other rather than create conflicting user experiences.

Advanced Implementation

Successful page rule implementation goes beyond basic conditional logic to create sophisticated user experiences that feel natural and intuitive. Consider the timing of rule execution, which occurs before page elements are fully rendered.

When designing page rules for user registration scenarios, think about the complete user journey. Create rules that guide new users through required setup steps, display different onboarding content based on their selected role, or automatically redirect users to complete missing profile information.

For data-driven applications, page rules can create dynamic interfaces that respond to changing information. Consider implementing rules that reflect the current state of your data, such as hiding booking forms when events are full or displaying different content based on inventory levels.

Role-based page rules enable you to create sophisticated permission systems that go beyond simple access control. You can show different functionality to different user types, create approval workflows where content appears differently based on approval status, or provide administrative tools that only appear for users with appropriate permissions.

Troubleshooting and Best Practices

When page rules don't behave as expected, systematic troubleshooting can help identify and resolve issues. Start by verifying that your conditions are correctly defined and that the fields you're referencing contain the expected data. Remember that all conditions in a rule must be true for the rule to trigger.

If rules aren't triggering when expected, confirm that the page type supports page rules and that you're not trying to base conditions on multi-record elements. Verify that the fields you're referencing are actually available to the page based on its source table and user role associations.

Test your page rules thoroughly across different user roles and data scenarios. Create test scenarios that cover edge cases and unusual data combinations to ensure your rules behave predictably in all situations.

Document your page rules clearly, especially when working with teams or planning future modifications. Include the business logic behind each rule, the expected user experience, and any dependencies on specific data or user configurations.

Tip: Test your page rules thoroughly across different user roles and data scenarios to ensure they behave predictably in all situations.

Integration with Overall App Design

Page rules work most effectively when they're integrated thoughtfully into your overall app design and user experience strategy. Consider how rules support your app's primary objectives and user workflows rather than implementing them as isolated features.

Think about the user's mental model of your app and ensure that page rule behaviors align with user expectations. Sudden redirects or hidden functionality can be confusing if they don't match the logical flow of your application.

Consider the mobile experience when implementing page rules, as the reduced screen space and different interaction patterns can affect how rules impact usability. Test your rules on various devices to ensure they create positive experiences across all platforms.

Page rules should complement rather than replace good information architecture and navigation design. Use rules to enhance well-designed pages rather than to fix fundamental usability issues.

Notes & Troubleshooting

• Page rules cannot be triggered based on values in multi-record elements such as grids, lists, maps, or calendars
• All conditions in a rule must be true for the rule to trigger (AND logic)
• Multiple rules with matching conditions will all execute their actions
• Redirect actions take precedence when combined with other actions like hiding elements
• Page rules execute before page elements are fully rendered

Page rules represent one of Knack's most powerful features for creating intelligent, responsive applications that adapt to user needs and data conditions. By understanding the principles of condition-based logic, action types, and rule interactions, you can build sophisticated user experiences that feel intuitive and professional.

The key to successful page rule implementation lies in careful planning, thorough testing, and thoughtful integration with your overall app design. Start with simple rules to understand the mechanics, then gradually build more complex logic as your confidence and understanding grow.

Remember that page rules are tools for enhancing user experience, not replacing good design principles. Use them to create seamless, context-aware interactions that help users accomplish their goals more efficiently and effectively.