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What Are Validation Rules?

A validation rule is a condition that must be true before a record can be created or updated. If the condition is false, Twenty blocks the save and shows a message explaining what needs to change. Use rules to require information at the right time, such as an amount before an opportunity becomes a customer, or to prevent inconsistent values, such as an end date before a start date.
Validation rules are available on the Organization plan. You need permission to edit the data model to manage them.

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Create a Validation Rule

  1. Go to Settings → Data Model and select the object you want to configure.
  2. Open the Settings tab, find Validation rules, and click Add rule.
  3. Give the rule a name and, optionally, a description to explain its purpose.
  4. Write a Condition. Start typing a field name or function and select suggestions from the helper panel.
  5. Under Error, enter a Message that tells people how to fix the record. Use Show on to attach it to a specific field or select Whole record.
  6. Check the Preview to see how the condition behaves on existing records.
  7. Click Activate to start enforcing the rule.
New rules stay inactive until you activate them. A rule needs a name, a valid condition, and an error message before it can be activated.

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Preview Your Rule

The preview uses up to three recent records from the selected object. Use the arrows to move between them and inspect the values used by the condition. Previewing a rule does not change any records. If the object has no records yet, create a few to try the preview.

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Write a Condition

Write the condition that allows a save. For example, employees > 0 allows a company to be saved only when its employee count is greater than zero. Use field names such as employees, rather than display labels such as Employees. Selecting a field from the helper inserts the correct reference. Put text in single or double quotes and use parentheses to group conditions. Use and and or rather than && and ||.

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Check for Missing Values

To make a field required, use not isEmpty(fieldName). This also works for composite fields such as emails and addresses. Use a dot to read part of a composite field, such as name.firstName or amount.amountMicros. You can also read a field through a many-to-one relation, such as company.name on a person. Select fields from the helper to find the available paths. Currency amounts are stored in micros: one currency unit equals 1000000 micros. For example, amount.amountMicros >= 100000000 requires an amount of at least 100 in the record’s currency. For select fields, compare the stored option value, such as 'CUSTOMER', rather than its display label. Check the helper examples for the values available on your field.

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Example Rules

Adapt the field names and option values to your data model. The startDate, endDate, and tags fields below are examples of custom fields. The opportunity example uses or to make the amount requirement conditional: other stages can be saved without an amount.

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When Rules Are Checked

Active rules are checked when records are created or updated, including changes made through the API, imports, and workflows. A record must pass all active rules for its object to be saved. Activating a rule does not change existing records. A record that fails the new condition must be corrected the next time it is saved. A condition that reads a related record is evaluated when the record the rule belongs to is saved. Editing the related record alone does not recheck it.

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Edit, Disable, or Delete a Rule

Return to Settings → Data Model → your object → Settings → Validation rules, then click the rule.
  • Edit: Update the condition or message, check the preview, and click Save. For an inactive rule, this button is Activate.
  • Disable: In Danger zone, click Disable to stop enforcing the rule while keeping its configuration. Click Enable to enforce it again.
  • Delete: In Danger zone, click Delete and confirm to permanently remove the rule. Existing records are not changed.
Deactivating or deleting a field used in a condition also deactivates the rules that read it. Review those rules before enabling them again. To define validation rules in an app, see the developer guide.