---
title: 'Rule Builder: Preview | Shopware Community Hub'
description: >-
Learn how to use Rule Builder Preview to validate rules, test realistic shop
scenarios, and avoid conflicts before activating pricing, shipping, or
promotion…
canonical_url: 'https://hub.shopware.com/learn/unit/user-rule-builder-preview'
---
# Rule Builder: Preview
- Explain why Preview mode matters once multiple rules affect the storefront.
- Test existing rules against realistic customer, cart, and location scenarios.
- Check whether conditions, groups, and expected outcomes match before activation.
- Use rule priorities to review overlapping rules more confidently.
# Rule Builder Preview
At **Strum & Co.**, you already use Rule Builder for free shipping, customer discounts, and region-based promotions. Once several rules are active, the harder question is no longer how to create a rule. It is whether the rule behaves exactly as intended in a real shop situation.
This is where **Preview** becomes useful. Instead of activating a rule and hoping the storefront reacts correctly, you can test the logic first.
## Why Preview Matters
One cart can match more than one rule. A returning customer from California might qualify for free shipping, a loyalty discount, and a regional promotion at the same time. If you do not test the logic first, it becomes difficult to see whether the right rule matches for the right reason.
Preview helps you check a rule before it affects real customers. That way, you can catch mistakes earlier and adjust conditions, groups, or priorities before going live.
## Open a Rule and Start Testing
### Access Rule Builder
To access the Rule Builder, navigate to:
**Settings -> Shop -> Rule Builder**
In this learning unit, prefer opening an existing rule first. That keeps the focus on checking and validating rule behavior instead of building a rule from scratch.
### Choose a Realistic Test Case
Before you use Preview in the instance, define one concrete situation that you want to check. For example:
- Which customer group is involved?
- What is in the cart?
- What is the cart value?
- Which country or region is selected?
- Does the result affect shipping, pricing, or a promotion?
A clear test case gives you a concrete expected result before you click into Preview.
### Run Preview
Open the rule you want to check in the instance and switch to **Preview**. Then simulate the situation you want to test. For example:
- Cart total: `$600`
- Customer group: returning customers
- Shipping address: California
- Cart content: electric guitar and accessories
Preview shows whether the rule matches under those conditions. Compare that result with your expectation. If it does not match, review the rule logic before activating it.
## What to Check in Preview
### Conditions and Groups
Preview is especially useful when a rule contains multiple conditions or nested groups. Check whether:
- The right conditions are present
- The `AND` / `OR` logic reflects your intention
- The rule matches only in the situations you actually want
### Positive and Negative Cases
Do not test only the happy path. A good rule should also fail in the situations where it should not apply.
For example, if free shipping should start at `$500`, also test a cart at `$499`.
### Expected Business Outcome
Always connect the match result to the business intention. If the rule matches, ask yourself whether the customer should really get this shipping method, discount, or promotion in that scenario.
## When Priorities Become Important
Preview becomes even more useful when several rules could apply to a similar situation.
For example:
1. A general free-shipping rule for carts above `$500`
2. A VIP promotion for tagged customers
3. A region-based bonus for customers in California
Individually, each rule may look correct. The real question is whether they still behave as expected once they exist together.
Priority helps you structure and review overlapping rules more clearly. If results look surprising, inspect not only the conditions themselves but also whether another rule with a different priority influences the outcome.
## Practical Validation Examples
### Free Shipping Threshold
Test whether the rule matches at `$600` and does not match at `$450`.
### Region-Specific Promotion
Test whether the promotion applies for California and stays inactive for other regions.
### Returning-Customer Offer
Test whether the rule matches only for the intended customer group and not for first-time buyers.
These checks are simple, but they help you confirm that the rule matches the business case, not just the condition syntax.
## Scenario Checkpoint: Validate Before Activation
**Scenario**: Strum & Co. wants to launch a promotion that gives a `15%` accessory discount when a cart contains an electric guitar and accessories, but only for returning customers.
Use the Shopware instance and Preview to validate the rule before activation:
1. Open the rule in Rule Builder.
2. Build a test case with:
- a returning customer
- an electric guitar in the cart
- at least one accessory
3. Confirm that the rule matches in this case.
4. Run a second test with a first-time customer or without accessories.
5. Confirm that the rule no longer matches.
If both tests behave as expected, the rule is much safer to activate. If they do not, adjust the rule first and test again before going live.
## Best Practices for Rule Builder Preview
- Test one concrete business case at a time instead of guessing with many variables at once.
- Check both matching and non-matching scenarios.
- Review priorities when similar rules can overlap.
- Use clear rule names so you can identify and troubleshoot rules faster later.
- Treat Preview as a validation step before activation, not as an optional extra.
## Final Thoughts
Rule Builder Preview helps you move from creating rules to validating them with confidence. At **Strum & Co.**, this means you can test shipping, pricing, and promotion logic before customers experience it in the storefront.
If you use Preview consistently, Rule Builder becomes easier to trust, easier to maintain, and much safer to scale as your shop grows.