Establishing Support Structure › Change Order and Issue Categories › Category Properties › Property Validation Rules

Property Validation Rules

You can define validation rules to restrict the property values users can enter to a predefined set of selectable values. For example, if you have defined a property named Operating System, you can define the validation rule as a drop-down list containing the options Windows, UNIX, and Linux.

Properties defined without validation rules are presented to the user as freeform text boxes, which allow any text string to be entered. Validation rules make reporting on area and category values less complex and less error prone.

Note: Property validation rules are reusable. They are not specific to a particular property. You can apply any existing validation rule to properties defined for change categories, issue categories, or request/incident/problem areas.

Depending on which type of validation rule you have configured for a property, when the user assigns a ticket to the category or area to which that property is attached, one of the following controls appears on the ticket properties tab:

• Text Edit Box—No validation rule has been defined and no default value can be specified. Users are expected to enter values that follow the examples you provide.
• Check Box—A two-state check box appears on the Properties tab. By default, the check box does not contain a checkmark. The user can accept the default, or select the check box. Boxes that contain a checkmark are displayed on the ticket detail page with Yes in the value column. Cleared boxes are displayed with No in the value column.
• Drop-down List—A drop-down list containing a predefined set of options appears on the Properties tab. If you have defined a default value, it is selected when the drop-down list is first displayed. The option the user selects is shown in the value column of the ticket detail page.