To clean up and simplify rule expression, Corticon Studio allows you to declare aliases in a Rulesheet. Using an alias to express scope results in a less cluttered Rulesheet.

To define an alias, you need to open the Scope tab on the Rulesheet. Either click the toolbar button to open the advanced view, or choose the Rulesheet menu toggle Advanced View.

If rules were already modeled in the Rulesheet, then the Scope window contains those Vocabulary terms used in the rules so far. If rules were not yet modeled, then the Scope window is empty.

To define an alias, double-click the term, and then type a unique name in the entry box, as shown:

Figure 1. Defining an alias in the Scope window

After an alias is defined, any subsequent rule modeling in the Rulesheet automatically substitutes the alias for the Vocabulary term it represents.

In the next illustration, notice that the terms in the Condition rows of the Rulesheet do not show the FlightPlan term. That is because the alias plan substitutes for FlightPlan.

Figure 2. Rulesheet with FlightPlan alias declared in the Scope section

After an alias is defined, any new Vocabulary term dropped onto the Rulesheet is adjusted accordingly. For example, dragging and dropping FlightPlan.cargo.weight onto the Rulesheet displays as plan.cargo.weight.

Aliases work in all sections of the Rulesheet, including the Rule Statement section. Modifying an alias name defined in the Scope section causes the name to update everywhere it is used in the Rulesheet.

Note: Rules modeled without aliases do not update automatically if aliases are defined later.  So if you intend to use aliases, define them as you start your rule modeling. That way, they apply automatically when you drag and drop from the Vocabulary or Scope windows.