CEL syntax reference

This guide is for implementers who need detailed syntax documentation.

Expression types

Expressions in OpenSPP are categorized by type:

Type	Output	Use case
Filter	Boolean	Select records (eligibility, search, compliance)
Formula	Number	Calculate amounts (entitlements, benefits)
Scoring	Number	Scoring indicator formulas
Data Validation	Boolean	Data validation rules
Other	Any	Library/utility expressions

Basic syntax

Literals

Type	Examples
Boolean	true, false
Number	42, 3.14, -10
String	"enrolled", "active"
Null	null

Operators

Comparison

Operator	Example	Description
==	r.status == "active"	Equal
!=	r.status != "cancelled"	Not equal
<	r.age < 18	Less than
<=	r.age <= 65	Less than or equal
>	r.income > 10000	Greater than
>=	r.income >= 5000	Greater than or equal

Logical

Operator	Alternative	Example
and	&&	a and b
or	||	a or b
not	!	not a

Arithmetic

Operator	Example	Description
+	a + b	Addition
-	a - b	Subtraction
*	a * b	Multiplication
/	a / b	Division
%	a % b	Modulo

Ternary (conditional)

condition ? value_if_true : value_if_false

Example:

r.is_group ? 1 : 0

Safe field access

Use has() to check if a field exists before accessing:

has(r.birthdate) and age_years(r.birthdate) >= 18

Built-in functions

Date/time functions

Function	Example	Description
age_years(date)	age_years(r.birthdate)	Years since date
days_ago(n)	days_ago(30)	Date n days ago
months_ago(n)	months_ago(6)	Date n months ago
years_ago(n)	years_ago(1)	Date n years ago
today()	today()	Current date
now()	now()	Current datetime

Math functions

Function	Example	Description
min(a, b)	min(r.score, 100)	Minimum value
max(a, b)	max(r.score, 0)	Maximum value
abs(n)	abs(r.balance)	Absolute value

String functions

Function	Example	Description
startswith(field, prefix)	startswith(r.id, "PH-")	Check prefix
contains(field, text)	contains(r.name, "Jr")	Check substring
matches(field, pattern)	matches(r.id, "^PH-[0-9]+$")	Regex match
size(s)	size(r.name)	String/collection length

Utility functions

Function	Example	Description
between(value, min, max)	between(r.age, 18, 65)	Check if value is in range

Collection functions

Used with relations like members, enrollments, entitlements:

Function	Example	Description
exists(var, predicate)	members.exists(m, age_years(m.birthdate) < 5)	Any match
all(var, predicate)	members.all(m, m.active == true)	All match
count(var, predicate)	members.count(m, age_years(m.birthdate) < 18)	Count matches
sum(expr, predicate)	members.sum(m.income, true)	Sum values
filter(var, predicate)	enrollments.filter(e, e.state == "enrolled")	Filter list
head(var)	members.exists(m, head(m))	Check if member is head of household

Existence check

Function	Example	Description
has(field)	has(r.birthdate)	Field exists and not null

Collection predicates

When using collection functions, predicates reference items with a loop variable:

members.count(m, age_years(m.birthdate) < 5)
members.exists(m, head(m) and m.gender == "female")
enrollments.exists(e, e.state == "enrolled")

The loop variable (m, e, etc.) represents each item in the collection.

Note

Newer syntax may omit the explicit loop variable: members.count(age_years(m.birthdate) < 5) Both forms are supported.

Profiles and symbols

What are profiles?

Profiles define what data is available in a given context:

• The root model ("current record")

• Related collections

• Available functions

Default profiles

Profile	Root Model	Available Relations
registry_individuals	res.partner (individual)	groups, enrollments, entitlements, events
registry_groups	res.partner (group)	members, enrollments, entitlements, events
program_memberships	spp.program.membership	-
entitlements	spp.entitlement	-
grm_tickets	spp.grm.ticket	-

Root record symbol

All profiles provide access to the current record via the r symbol:

Symbol	Description
r	Current record (registrant, ticket, entitlement, etc.)

Example:

r.is_registrant == true and r.active == true

Note

The symbol r represents the current record in all contexts. Inside aggregate functions (like counting members), use m to reference each member.

CEL editor widget

The Studio CEL editor provides:

Autocomplete

• Type r. to see available fields on the current record

• Type a function name to see its signature

• Press Ctrl+Space to trigger suggestions

See CEL quick start for a screenshot of the autocomplete feature.

Symbol browser

Click the Symbols button to browse:

• Available profiles

• Symbols and fields

• Variables

• Functions

See CEL quick start for a screenshot of the symbol browser.

Validation

Real-time validation shows:

• Syntax errors (red underlines)

• Unknown symbols

• Type mismatches

• Matching record count (for compile-to-domain expressions)

Validation API

For developers, the widget calls these endpoints:

Endpoint	Purpose
POST /spp_cel/profiles	List available profiles
POST /spp_cel/symbols/<profile>	Get symbols for profile
POST /spp_cel/validate	Validate expression

CEL execution modes

Compile-to-domain

Used for record selection (eligibility, search):

• Supports profile symbols and relations

• Compiles to Odoo domain (SQL-optimized)

• Shows matching count in editor

Runtime evaluation

Used for value computation (amounts, routing):

• Works with provided context dictionary

• Supports arithmetic and comparisons

• No ORM access

Feature	Compile-to-Domain	Runtime
Profile symbols	✓	Limited
Relations (members)	✓	✗
Matching count	✓	✗
Arithmetic	✓	✓
Context variables	✓	✓

Are you stuck?

"Unknown symbol" error?

• Check the profile matches your context (individual vs group)

• Use autocomplete to find the correct field name

• Verify variables are active

Expression validates but matches 0 records?

• Verify the base population (individuals vs groups)

• Check member relations exclude ended memberships

• Ensure event data exists if using event functions

Need more help?

• See CEL troubleshooting for common issues

• See Variables for variable configuration