With AODocs, you can set up conditional logic in document classes in any type of AODocs library. When users edit their documents, conditional logic is applied as follows:

• property values can be calculated automatically
• properties can be conditionally mandatory or hidden
• document titles can be calculated automatically (in Document Management libraries only)

Conditional logic is calculated using formulas that can include references to other entities such as custom or system properties, custom property states (mandatory or hidden) and the document title. 

Before you use this article, you should:

• be familiar with the basics – learn more: What is conditional logic in AODocs?
• know how to set up conditional logic in the library configuration to:
  • calculate property values
  • configure properties to be conditionally mandatory or hidden
  • calculate document titles 

Use this article alongside the article Create your own formulas: use the correct JavaScript syntax for conditional logic to learn how to be creative with your conditional logic according to your specific business needs.

Learn about JavaScript syntax: 

Automatically generated table of contents

JavaScript format of custom property values

Simple properties

Use this reference: propertyType`Name of your property` where Type is one of these simple property types: 

• String/Text
• Boolean
• Integer
• Decimal
• Date, DateTime, Time

The table below indicates the format of the JavaScript values for each simple property type.

Note: Simple properties don't have elements (fields) such as .name, .type.

For example, use the formula:

'The document : “' + systemPropertyString`Title` + '” of the project: “' + propertyString`Project name` + '“, version: ' + propertyInteger`Version number` + ' has been validated.'

to obtain the following calculated value in your "Status" String property: 

Note: Learn how to handle properties without values (empty properties).

Properties with an object representation

The following properties have richer information and are represented by objects in JavaScript:

• Person
• Category
• URL
• Geopoint

JavaScript objects have elements (fields).

Format of the Person object

The table below indicates the format of the JavaScript Person object with its elements.

Format of the Category object

The table below indicates the format of the JavaScript Category object with its elements.

Below is an example of the path of a multi-level category.

Examples of formulas that reference Category properties:

• "Type of Contract" is a single-value Category property with one level. Each value has a short name, for example, the category value "Services" has the short name "SV".

Use this formula to display the short name as the calculated value of your String property:
propertyCategory`Document Type`.shortName

• "Location" is a single-value Category property with three levels: Country (path[0]), State (path[1]), City (path[2]). Use this formula to display the State as the calculated value of your String property: propertyCategory`Location`.path[1].name

Note: If your category value is empty at the level defined (in this example, if the State level of the Location property is not filled in), an error occurs. Learn how to handle properties without values (empty properties).

Format of the URL object

The table below indicates the format of the JavaScript URL object with its elements.

Format of the GeoPoint object

The table below indicates the format of the JavaScript GeoPoint object with its elements.

Note: Learn how to handle properties without values (empty properties).

Multi-value properties

Multi-value properties are represented as arrays. Each item of the array is represented as a mono-value of the property type. Also, Multi is added to the entity reference.

Example 1:

Use the formula:

propertyMultiString`Suggestions`.length

to count the suggestions in your audit CAPA report listed in the multi-value String property named "Suggestions". The property "Number of suggestions" shows the calculated value 3. 

Example 2:

Use the formula:

propertyMultiCategory`Product type`.map(a=>a.shortName).join(' - ')

to concatenate the short names of all the values of the multi-value category property named "Product type".

Handle property values that are empty or that have missing elements

If your formula references a property that isn't filled in (it's empty) in your document, the property with an empty value is handled as follows: 

• mono-value properties: empty values are represented as null

Note: A Boolean property is empty if it hasn't yet been edited. When edited for the first time, it becomes either true or false.

• multi-value properties: the empty values are represented as an empty array [] 

Note: We recommend referencing only mandatory properties in your formula. However, you may want to handle empty properties within your formula if, for some reason, you don’t want to make the property mandatory or if documents are created by importing from Gmail, for example, and an approver hasn't been defined. Learn more:
– Create documents from emails in Team Folders and Secured Folders (in Gmail)
– Create documents from emails in Document Management libraries (in Gmail)

Example 1: empty properties – replace default with specific text

You created a String property whose value is calculated. Its formula references two properties. If either or both of these properties is empty, their values are null in the result.

Use this formula to replace null by specific text. In this example, if the property "Published by" has a value, its displayName is used in the property "Internal publication code"; if the property "Published by" is empty, the text "No publisher defined" is displayed.

propertyPerson`Published by` ? propertyPerson`Published by`.displayName : 'No publisher defined' + ' - ' + propertyString`Document ID`

Example 2: missing short names in category values

You created a property whose value is calculated. Its formula references a Category property using the element .shortName. Learn more: Format of the Category object

Some of your category values may not have short names. To ensure errors don't occur when you calculate your property, write a formula that displays the short name if it exists and displays the category name if the short name doesn’t exist.

Use this formula:

propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.shortName
    ? propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.shortName
    : propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.name

Example 3: missing short names and empty properties

You created a property whose value is calculated using the element .shortName. Use this formula to handle the case where the property is empty and where some of your categories don't have short names. In this example, if the Category property "Type of Contract" has a value, its short name is used; if it doesn't have a short name, the name is used; if the property is empty, the text "Default" is used. 

propertyCategory`Type of Contract`
  ? (propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.shortName
    ? propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.shortName
    : propertyCategory`Type of Contract`.name)
  : 'Default'


Example 4: missing value and empty category in multi-level category

For the "Location" Category example above, use this formula to replace any missing State values or empty values with "No location".

(propertyCategory`Location` && propertyCategory`Location`.path[1])         ? propertyCategory`Location`.path[1].name         : 'No location'

Example 5: missing value in Category properties

You created a String property named “Please, specify”, which you want to be displayed only when a user selects the value “Other“ in the Category property “Location”. You also want to handle the case when no location value is selected, which means the “Location” property is empty.

You can make the “Please, specify” property conditionally hidden with the following formula:

!(
propertyCategory`Location`
? (propertyCategory`Location`.id
=== categoryValue`Location:Other(Sb04Uwg000000V5flG)`)
: false
)

You can also use the JavaScript optional chaining operator ?. – learn more: Optional chaining. This returns the ID of the value selected in “Location” (if any) and otherwise returns undefined without triggering an error:

!(
propertyCategory`Location`?.id
=== categoryValue`Location:Other(Sb04Uwg000000V5flG)`
)

JavaScript format of system property values

System property values have a simple JavaScript format.

The table below indicates the format of the value for each system property.

Extract the year, month and day from JavaScript dates

Date property values are given in Epoch milliseconds. Learn more: Simple properties.

To extract the year, month or day from a date, add to your formula a function that “transforms” the Epoch milliseconds into a JavaScript Date and then identifies the item you want to use. 

Example 1: extract the year

'Year' + ' ' + new Date(systemPropertyDateTime`stateChangeDate`).getFullYear()

In this formula:

• new Date(systemPropertyDateTime`stateChangeDate`) transforms the property into a JavaScrip date 
• .getFullYear() identifies that you want to extract the year

Example 2: extract the month

'Month' + ' ' + (new Date(systemPropertyDateTime`stateChangeDate`).getMonth()+1)

Important: Months in JavaScript start at zero: January is 0, February is 1, and so on. As indicated in the example, you need to add +1 to the result of the .getMonth() function to get the correct month number!

Note: By default, single-digit months in JavaScript don't have a leading zero. If you want August (for example) to be 08 and not 8, use:
(new Date(systemPropertyDateTime`stateChangeDate`).getMonth()+1).toString().padStart(2,'0')

Example 3: extract the day

'Day' + ' ' + new Date(systemPropertyDateTime`stateChangeDate`).getDate()

JavaScript format of other AODocs entities

The three sequence IDs (library, document class and document) are given as strings.

Learn more: Sequence IDs.

Category values and workflow states are given as simple IDs (Strings). For example: RzziPGBu6KcCb8C3oT.

Learn more: 

• Category values defined at the library level
• Workflow states