Enhancements to rule helper functions

Access data from forms in other visits using getValues()

You are now able to create variables referencing items that do not exist within the same visit as the rule target. Previously, you could reference all of the visits where the rule target form exist. Now, when defining rule variables, you have a new option in the visit selection drop-down that allows you to declare variables for Any Visit. This allows referencing data collected in any other form at different visits, regardless if the target rule form is present or not.

By using getValues() you can fetch these values and use them in comparisons and other logical operations with data in the current form. For example, you can get the sample collection date from a previous visit and compare it with the infusion date in the current form, to make sure the sample collection date is prior to the infusion date. This example considers that sample collection date question exists within a form present in a first visit but not present in a second visit in which infusion is performed.

Refer to values in different table rows

A new helper function now allows you to fetch the immediate previous not-null value from previous rows in repeating forms and repeating sections on two-section forms. The introduction of getPrevRepeatValue() facilitates logical operations between values in different rows, whether it is the same or a different question, while reducing programming efforts. For example, you can get the end date of a dose on the immediate previous row and compare it with the start date of a dose in the current row.

You can find additional details about this new helper function in the Rules Developer Guide after the Release Assessment Environment upgrade.

Reuse variables passed into helper functions

Previously, when using repeating forms and two-section forms helper functions, you needed to create a second variable for the same question if it also needed to be referenced elsewhere in the expression. Now, the following helper functions have been enhanced to allow the reuse of variables (all item types are supported):

Repeating forms helper functions:
- FindMinInRepeatingForms()
- FindMaxInRepeatingForms()
- FindMatchingRepeatingForm()
- FindMatchingRepeatingFormWithinRange()
- FindDuplicateRepeatingForm()
- FindDuplicateRepeatingFormWithinRange()
- FindRFInstance()
- ListRFInstances()
- getRFValues()
- FindMinDateInRFs()
- FindMaxDateInRFs()
- GetMatchingRepeatingFormsCount()
Two-section forms helper functions:
- FindMatching2SForm()
- list2SInstances()
- findDuplicate2SForm()
- getCurrent2STableInstance()
- get2SValues()
- findMinDateIn2SForm()
- findMaxDateIn2SForm()
- find2SFormInstance()
- getMatching2SFormsCount()
- findMinIn2SForms()
- findMaxIn2SForms()
- findDuplicate2SFormWithinRange()
- findMatching2SFormWithinRange()

Enhancement to use helper functions with codelists

When working with code lists in choice questions, you can now specify whether to get the code or the label value. To do this, you can use the getArrayFromChoice() and getStringFromChoice() helper functions, which now have a new optional parameter that allows you to define which value to return.

You can find additional information on these and other Helper function reference in the Rules Developer Guide after the Release Assessment Environment upgrade.