Point Rules Configuration

Point rules define when and how points are awarded to users. This guide covers everything you need to know about creating and managing point rules.

Understanding Point Rules

A point rule consists of:

• Title - Display name of the rule
• Description - What the rule does
• Rule Name - Unique identifier (e.g., com_users.login)
• Extension - Which component triggers this rule
• Points - How many points to award (positive or negative)
• Published - Whether the rule is active
• Auto-Approve - Award points immediately or require approval
• Access Level - Which user groups can earn these points
• Rate Limiting - Prevent duplicate awards within a timeframe

Accessing Point Rules

1. Navigate to Components → Rewardify → Point Rules
2. You'll see a list of all available point rules
3. Use filters to find specific rules by extension or status

Default Point Rules

Rewardify comes with pre-configured rules for common activities:

User Activity Rules

Rule	Description	Default Points	Status
Joined the site	User registration	1	✅ Enabled
Daily login	User logs in	1	✅ Enabled
7-day login streak	Consecutive 7-day login	10	✅ Enabled

Content Activity Rules

Rule	Description	Default Points	Status
Posting an article	Create new article	5	❌ Disabled
Reading an article	View an article	1	❌ Disabled
Deleting an article	Delete article (negative)	-5	❌ Disabled

Community Builder Rules

Rule	Description	Default Points	Status
Profile update	Update profile	2	❌ Disabled
Avatar upload	Upload avatar	5	❌ Disabled
Profile complete	100% profile completion	10	❌ Disabled
Connection made	New friend connection	3	❌ Disabled
Wall post	Post on wall	2	❌ Disabled

HikaShop Rules

Rule	Description	Default Points	Status
Product purchase	Buy product	Varies	❌ Disabled
Product review	Write review	5	❌ Disabled
Order complete	Complete order	10	❌ Disabled

Kunena Forum Rules

Rule	Description	Default Points	Status
Create topic	New forum topic	5	❌ Disabled
Reply to topic	Post reply	2	❌ Disabled
Best answer	Answer marked as best	10	❌ Disabled

Creating a Custom Point Rule

Step 1: Add New Rule

1. Go to Components → Rewardify → Point Rules
2. Click New button (top-left)
3. Fill in the required fields:

Step 2: Configure Basic Information

Title (Required)

Example: "Comment on Blog Post"

Description (Optional)

Example: "Points awarded when a user posts a comment on a blog article"

Rule Name (Required)

• Must be unique
• Use format: extension.action.subaction
• Example: com_content.comment.create

Extension

• Select the component that triggers this rule
• Example: com_content for articles

Step 3: Configure Points Settings

Points (Required)

• Enter positive number to award points
• Enter negative number to deduct points
• Example: 5 for awarding 5 points
• Example: -5 for deducting 5 points

Published

• ✅ Yes - Rule is active
• ❌ No - Rule is disabled

Auto-Approve

• ✅ Yes - Points awarded immediately (recommended)
• ❌ No - Points require admin approval

Step 4: Set Access Level

Access Level Choose which user groups can earn these points:

• Public - Everyone including guests
• Registered - Logged-in users only
• Special - Author, Editor, Publisher
• Custom - Your custom access levels

Recommended

For most rules, use Registered to prevent abuse from guest users.

Step 5: Configure Rate Limiting

Rate limiting prevents users from repeatedly earning points for the same action.

Rate Limit Days

• Leave empty (0) for no limit
• Enter number of days before same action can earn points again
• Example: 1 = Once per day
• Example: 7 = Once per week
• Example: 30 = Once per month

Use Cases:

• Daily login: 1 day (user can earn once per day)
• Article posting: 0 days (no limit, earn for each article)
• Profile update: 7 days (once per week maximum)

Step 6: Advanced Options

Click the Options tab for advanced settings:

Duplicate Assignments

• Number of times the same reference can earn points
• Example: 1 = User can only earn once for article ID #5
• Example: 0 = No duplicates allowed

Expires In (Days)

• Points expire after X days
• Leave empty for permanent points
• Example: 365 = Points expire after 1 year

Expires On (Date)

• Specific expiration date
• Format: YYYY-MM-DD
• Example: 2026-12-31

Step 7: Save the Rule

1. Click Save & Close to create the rule
2. The rule is now active (if published)

Editing Existing Rules

1. Go to Components → Rewardify → Point Rules
2. Click on the rule title to edit
3. Make your changes
4. Click Save & Close

Common Point Rule Examples

Example 1: Forum Post Points

Title: Create Forum Topic
Rule Name: com_kunena.topic.create
Extension: com_kunena
Points: 5
Published: Yes
Auto-Approve: Yes
Access: Registered
Rate Limit: 0 days (unlimited posts)

Example 2: Weekly Profile View

Title: View User Profile
Rule Name: com_rewardify.profile.view
Extension: com_rewardify
Points: 1
Published: Yes
Auto-Approve: Yes
Access: Registered
Rate Limit: 7 days (once per week)

Example 3: Limited Product Review

Title: Write Product Review
Rule Name: com_hikashop.review.create
Extension: com_hikashop
Points: 5
Published: Yes
Auto-Approve: No (review spam protection)
Access: Registered
Rate Limit: 0 days
Duplicate Assignments: 1 (one review per product)

Example 4: Temporary Bonus Points

Title: Holiday Bonus
Rule Name: com_rewardify.holiday_2025
Extension: com_rewardify
Points: 50
Published: Yes
Auto-Approve: Yes
Access: Registered
Expires On: 2025-12-31

Managing Multiple Rules

Bulk Actions

Select multiple rules and use the toolbar actions:

• Publish - Activate selected rules
• Unpublish - Deactivate selected rules
• Delete - Remove selected rules (moves to trash)
• Check-In - Release locked rules

Filtering Rules

Use filters to find specific rules:

• Search - Search by title or rule name
• Select Status - Published, Unpublished, All
• Select Extension - Filter by component
• Select Access - Filter by access level

Ordering Rules

Rules display in order:

1. By extension name
2. By rule name alphabetically

This helps keep related rules grouped together.

Point Rule Best Practices

1. Start Conservative

Begin with lower point values and adjust based on user behavior:

✅ Good: Registration = 1 point, Login = 1 point
❌ Too Much: Registration = 100 points, Login = 50 points

2. Use Rate Limiting Wisely

Prevent abuse while encouraging engagement:

✅ Daily activities: 1 day rate limit
✅ Content creation: No limit (encourage more content)
✅ Profile updates: 7 day limit (prevent spam)

3. Balance Point Economy

Consider the ratio between earning and spending:

Example Site:
- Registration: 1 point
- Daily login: 1 point
- Write article: 5 points
- Comment: 2 points
- 7-day streak: 10 points

Average user earns: ~10-20 points per week

4. Use Descriptive Names

Make rules easy to understand:

✅ Good: "Post Comment on Article"
❌ Bad: "Comment"

5. Document Custom Rules

Add clear descriptions:

Description: "Points awarded when user posts a comment on blog 
articles. Limited to 5 comments per day to prevent spam."

Troubleshooting Point Rules

Rule Not Working

Check these items:

1. ✅ Rule is Published
2. ✅ Points value is not zero
3. ✅ Plugin is enabled (System → Plugins)
4. ✅ User has correct access level
5. ✅ Rate limit not preventing award
6. ✅ Rule name matches the triggered action

Points Awarded Twice

Solutions:

• Set rate limit to prevent duplicates
• Use duplicate assignments = 1
• Check if multiple plugins are triggering the same rule

Points Not Appearing Immediately

Possible causes:

• Auto-approve is No (requires admin approval)
• Caching is enabled (clear Joomla cache)
• Points are set to expire immediately

Integration with Plugins

Different plugins trigger different rule names:

User Plugin

• com_users.register - User registration
• com_users.login - User login
• com_users.login.streak_7 - 7-day streak

Content Plugin

• com_content.article.create - Create article
• com_content.article.read - Read article
• com_content.article.delete - Delete article

Community Builder Plugin

• com_communitybuilder.profile.update - Profile update
• com_communitybuilder.connection.create - New connection
• com_communitybuilder.wall.post - Wall post

Developer Note

When creating custom triggers, use the Developer API to fire point rules programmatically.

Advanced: Custom Rule Names

For custom extensions, follow this naming convention:

Format: com_extension.entity.action
Examples:
- com_myextension.item.create
- com_myextension.item.update
- com_myextension.item.delete
- com_myextension.comment.create

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Next: Managing User Points →