Overview
A rule is a three-part instruction: WHEN something happens to an order, IF the order meets certain criteria, THEN take an action. You manage rules under Order Daemon → All Order Rules.
Rules sit as drafts until you publish them. Once published, they monitor every matching order automatically.
The WHEN/IF/THEN structure
WHEN – trigger
The trigger defines the order event that wakes the rule. A rule evaluates only when its trigger fires – it does not continuously scan existing orders.
Common triggers:
- Payment completed
- Order status changed to Processing
- Order created
IF – conditions
Conditions narrow which orders the rule applies to. All conditions must pass for the rule to proceed. If any condition fails, the rule skips the order silently (and records that skip in the Insight Dashboard).
Example conditions:
- Product type is Virtual
- Product belongs to category “Courses”
- Order total is at least $50
You can add as many conditions as needed. An empty conditions panel means the rule applies to all orders that match the trigger.
THEN – action
The action is what happens when the trigger fires and all conditions pass.
Core action:
- Change order status to Completed
Pro adds additional actions (labelled with a Pro badge in the Rule Builder when Pro is not active).
How rules are evaluated
When an order event fires, Order Daemon:
- Finds all published rules whose trigger matches the event
- For each rule, evaluates every condition against the order
- If all conditions pass, executes the action
- Records the result in the audit log regardless of outcome
Rules do not run in a defined order relative to each other. If two rules share the same trigger and both pass, both actions run.
Free vs Pro components
Free tier includes essential triggers and conditions for common automation scenarios. The Rule Builder shows Pro components with a Pro badge – they are visible so you can see what is available, but they are disabled until the Pro add-on is active.
Tip: Start with one simple rule and verify it in the Insight Dashboard before building more. One clear, working rule is better than several overlapping ones.
Related docs
- The Rule Builder – step-by-step walkthrough of building a rule
- Triggers, Conditions & Actions – complete reference for every available component
- The Insight Dashboard – how to read rule execution results