Block rules
On this page
Block rules keep people out at the doors you choose, whatever policy, grant or booking would let them in. They're checked right after the safety checks, before policies, grants and bookings. Use them when someone should stay out even though an Access Policy or a grant would let them in, for example coworking members with an unpaid invoice, a venue's suspended members, or contractors whose account is on hold.
Quick reference
Where to find it: Door & Gate Access → Settings → Access Policies → the Block rules card, above the policies
Who can access: Users whose role includes Door & Gate Access for the facility
Purpose: Keep people out at chosen doors while they're on hold, have a balance owing or match other conditions you set
How block rules work
- They're checked right after the safety checks. Once the safety checks pass (such as Access enabled, Block all access and maintenance), and before any Access Policy, personal grant or booking is considered, Door & Gate Access checks the facility's enabled block rules. Anyone a rule matches is kept out at that rule's doors through the ways in it closes, "even with a current membership or a grant". A rule that closes only Access Policies doesn't stop a personal grant, for example. See How access decisions work.
- They start disabled. "Block rules start disabled so nobody is kept out until you review and enable them."
- They're logged. A denied unlock shows the reason Kept out by a block rule in the Access Logs.
- They end on their own. A rule only keeps someone out while they match it. Once their balance is paid or their hold ends, the rule stops keeping them out, without anyone editing it.
A facility with no block rules shows "No block rules. Add one to keep people on hold or with a balance owing out of the doors."
Add a block rule
- In Door & Gate Access, open Settings (cog icon) → Access Policies.
- On the Block rules card, click Add block rule.
- Choose a starting point:
| Starting point | What it does |
|---|---|
| On hold or suspended (staff excepted) | "Keep out members whose membership is on hold or suspended, even with a current membership." Staff are excepted. |
| Outstanding balance | "Keep out anyone with a balance owing until it is paid." |
| Blank block rule | "Choose who to keep out and where." |
Figure 1: Add block rule
- Enter a Block rule name that says who it keeps out and where, for example "Balance owing: main entrance".
- Set Who, Where, Ways in it closes and Message in the app.
- Check who the rule would keep out, and try it on one person with Test with a person.
- Turn the rule on with the Disabled switch, then save your changes.
- Click Back to Access Policies to return to the list.
Figure 2: A new block rule, still disabled
If saving would keep a large share of people out, you're asked Keep these people out? first. Click Save and block access to go ahead.
Who
"Anyone who matches is kept out, even with a current membership or a grant."
Choose whether people must match All or Any of the conditions ("Keep out people who match All of these"), then add them:
- Add condition: a condition on a field, built the same way as in an Access Policy's Who. See Conditions.
- Add group: groups conditions together. See Groups and exceptions.
- On hold or suspended and Balance owing: shortcuts that add those conditions in one click.
A rule needs at least one condition before it can show who it keeps out.
Where
Choose the doors the rule keeps people out of: all doors at this facility, or the doors you choose. At other doors, people's usual access applies.
Ways in it closes
Choose which ways in the rule closes:
| Way in | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Access Policies | Access from the facility's Access Policies |
| Personal grants | A person's own additional permanent access |
| Bookings and time windows | Access from bookings and Access Time Windows |
Message in the app
Message in the app is what the person is told in the mobile app when this rule keeps them out, for example "Contact us to settle your account to get back in." Keep it short and say what they can do to get back in.
Who it keeps out
The Block rules card shows how many people each rule affects: "n of total kept out now" for an enabled rule, or "would be kept out" for a disabled one. Check the number before you enable a rule.
Enable or disable a rule
Use the Disabled switch next to the rule's name. A disabled rule keeps no one out, so turning it off is the quickest way to let everyone it affects back in.
How people get back in
- The condition clears. For example, once someone's balance is paid or their membership hold ends, the rule no longer matches them.
- The rule is disabled. Turn it off with the Disabled switch.
- The person has a balance exemption. On the person's panel in Users, staff can set Exempt from balance conditions to Until a date or Always. The exemption lifts a block rule's balance condition as well as a policy's, but not a membership hold condition. See Balance exemption.
Test with a person
Test with a person is in the block rule editor as well as the policy editor. Pick a person, and optionally a door, to see whether they get in right now with your unsaved changes. While the rule is still disabled, the tester tells you: "This block rule is off, so it keeps no one out yet". See Check who a policy lets in.
Limits
| Limit | Value |
|---|---|
| Block rules per facility | 20. Add block rule is unavailable once a facility has 20. |
| Block rule name | 120 characters |
| Message in the app | 200 characters |
Related pages
- Access Policies: who policies let in, and the conditions block rules share
- Users: a person's balance, holds and balance exemption
- Access Logs: the reasons shown when someone is kept out
- How access decisions work