Inside GovCMS Rules as Code: the three Drupal modules that make it work
Time: Thursday 19th November 12:30-13:00
Track: Technical
Rules as Code — turning legislation and policy into executable, testable code — is now a production-ready, IRAP-assessed offering on the Drupal Services Panel, available to GovCMS SaaS, GovCMS PaaS, and other government Drupal sites. But what's actually running under the hood in terms of Drupal?
This session breaks down the three Drupal modules that make Rules as Code work: Webform OpenFisca (including its key-auth submodule), Token Filter and Taxonomy Import. For each module, you'll get:
* The role it plays in the RaC stack, and how the three fit together
* Key configuration settings to get right
* Common pitfalls and troubleshooting tips
We'll also look at how to set up blocks and tokens to surface the reasoning behind a rules-based result — showing citizens and others not just an answer, but the all-important WHY behind the answer. This is where Drupal's own building blocks (literally) turn a RaC integration from a calculator into something transparent and explainable.
Throughout the session we'll demo a Rules as Code build — showing you module configuration, connecting a webform to OpenFisca, and the explainability blocks/tokens in action — so you'll see the whole stack working, not just slides about it.
You'll leave knowing how a RaC-enabled webform is wired up, how to make the rules logic visible rather than opaque, and what to check first when something doesn't behave.
This session breaks down the three Drupal modules that make Rules as Code work: Webform OpenFisca (including its key-auth submodule), Token Filter and Taxonomy Import. For each module, you'll get:
* The role it plays in the RaC stack, and how the three fit together
* Key configuration settings to get right
* Common pitfalls and troubleshooting tips
We'll also look at how to set up blocks and tokens to surface the reasoning behind a rules-based result — showing citizens and others not just an answer, but the all-important WHY behind the answer. This is where Drupal's own building blocks (literally) turn a RaC integration from a calculator into something transparent and explainable.
Throughout the session we'll demo a Rules as Code build — showing you module configuration, connecting a webform to OpenFisca, and the explainability blocks/tokens in action — so you'll see the whole stack working, not just slides about it.
You'll leave knowing how a RaC-enabled webform is wired up, how to make the rules logic visible rather than opaque, and what to check first when something doesn't behave.
Speakers
Phillipa Martin
Phillipa leads the Salsa Digital Rules as Code Practice, focusing on the business’s strategic direction and operational delivery of Rules as Code. She also works as a business analyst, mapping rules and legislation ready for developers to code. Phillipa has worked on 20 Rules as Code projects over the past five years.
Prior to moving into Rules as Code in January 2022, Phillipa worked for over 25 years in content. Her content work covers everything from user research and information architecture to writing and editing.
Prior to moving into Rules as Code in January 2022, Phillipa worked for over 25 years in content. Her content work covers everything from user research and information architecture to writing and editing.
Additional speakersSuchi Garg
Suchi is Salsa Digital’s Web Application Team Manager, responsible for technical leadership across Drupal projects. She’s also been working on the Drupal AI initiative since the start of 2025.
Suchi has over 26 years’ experience in web development, including over 20 years in the open source web development environment. She’s held a variety of senior roles, working at companies such as Accenture, Acquia and Axelerant.
In these roles, she led multi-functional teams across backend and frontend development and QA, focusing on best practice to deliver quality technical solutions. In addition she has extensive expertise leading Drupal migrations and Drupal Rules as Code projects.
Suchi is also a Drupal trainer and is very active in the Drupal community, participating as a speaker and volunteer for DrupalCons, DrupalSouth, and local Drupal Camps.
Suchi is Salsa Digital’s Web Application Team Manager, responsible for technical leadership across Drupal projects. She’s also been working on the Drupal AI initiative since the start of 2025.
Suchi has over 26 years’ experience in web development, including over 20 years in the open source web development environment. She’s held a variety of senior roles, working at companies such as Accenture, Acquia and Axelerant.
In these roles, she led multi-functional teams across backend and frontend development and QA, focusing on best practice to deliver quality technical solutions. In addition she has extensive expertise leading Drupal migrations and Drupal Rules as Code projects.
Suchi is also a Drupal trainer and is very active in the Drupal community, participating as a speaker and volunteer for DrupalCons, DrupalSouth, and local Drupal Camps.