⚠️ Admin access is required to configure approval rules.
Building a rule in Advanced mode
Advanced mode lets you build approval rules using fields, functions, and computed values. It's available on all approval flow transitions across Planning, Production, and Results. It is not supported for Targets.
Follow the steps below to create a rule from scratch.
Go to Settings and select Approval flow.
Open the transition you want to configure by clicking Transition settings.
Add a rule by clicking + Add next to the Rules heading.
Select Advanced as the rule mode.
Build your condition in the IF section. On the left-hand side, choose whether to use a Field, Function, or Value. Select an operator. Then set the right-hand side.
Add more conditions if needed by clicking the + button below the condition. Join them with AND or OR logic.
Choose a THEN action: Send a request, Approve directly, or Block. If you select Block, enter the message users will see when they are blocked from sending the entry for approval.
Save and return to workflow.
The Advanced rule builder
Field selector
The Field selector reads a property directly from the entry being approved. Available fields include Organisation, Media type, Media vehicle, Entity type, Approval step, Start date, End date, and all custom fields.
When a field is selected on the left-hand side, the right-hand side automatically displays a context-sensitive Value selector. The options shown depend on the field type, for example, selecting Approval step shows all configured approval statuses, selecting Media type shows available media types, and selecting a numerical field shows a number input.
Function selector
Functions let you build conditions based on dynamic or computed values, things that change over time or that need to be looked up from a related entry. They are particularly useful when a simple field comparison isn't enough.
The available functions are:
Today, the current date
First day of current month
Last day of current month
Get campaign start date
Get campaign end date
Get media entry total, requires a secondary field selector to specify which field to aggregate (numerical fields only)
Get result entries total, requires a secondary field selector (numerical fields only)
Get campaign total for planning, requires a secondary field selector (numerical fields only)
Get campaign total for result, requires a secondary field selector (numerical fields only)
Get campaign tag category tags, requires a secondary field selector (tag fields)
Get media entry tag, requires a secondary field selector; reaches across to a linked entry to read a tag or approval status
Get media entry, requires a secondary field selector (numerical fields only)
Get results entry, requires a secondary field selector (numerical fields only)
For date functions, the date selector opens automatically. For functions that require a secondary field selector, an additional "Select function field" dropdown appears directly below the function on the left-hand side.
THEN actions
Once conditions are defined, select the resulting action:
Send a request: submits the entry to the assigned team or users for review
Approve directly: moves the entry to the approved status automatically, without requiring manual review
Block: prevents the transition entirely; the user sees a message you configure explaining why the action is not permitted
When Block is selected, an additional text field appears where you enter the message shown to the user. This message should be clear and actionable, for example: "Approval not allowed. The related planning entry must be fully approved before this production entry can be submitted."
Example configurations
Example 1: Block production approval until planning is fully approved
Use this setup inside a Production approval flow to prevent entries from being submitted for approval before the related planning entry is fully approved.
The function "Get media entry tag" is used here because it reaches across to the linked planning entry and reads its Approval step. A Field selector cannot do this, as fields only read properties of the entry currently being approved.
Select Advanced as the rule mode.
Add a condition: Left side: Function: Get media entry tag, secondary field: Approval step. Operator: not equals. Right side: Value: Fully Approved.
Set the action to Block, and enter a message such as: "Approval not allowed. The planning entry must be fully approved first."
Save and return to workflow.
Example 2: Block results approval when actual spend exceeds planned budget
Use this setup inside a Results approval flow to prevent results from being approved when actual spend exceeds the planned budget. The "Get campaign total for planning" function is available within Results transitions to reference planning data.
Select Advanced as the rule mode.
Add a condition: Left side: Function: Get result entries total, secondary field: Actual Spend. Operator: greater than. Right side: Function: Get campaign total for planning, secondary field: Planned Spend.
Set the action to Block, and enter a message such as: "Actual spend exceeds planned budget. Please review before approving."
Save and return to workflow.
Example 3: Route high-spend entries to a finance team
Automatically route approval to a specific team when media entry spend exceeds a defined threshold.
Select Advanced as the rule mode.
Add a condition: Left side: Function: Get media entry total, secondary field: Actual Spend. Operator: greater than. Right side: Value: 10000.
Set the action to Send a request, and select the relevant approver team.
Save and return to workflow.
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