---
title: "Play Rules Best Practices"
slug: "play-rules-best-practices"
updated: 2026-02-17T22:41:56Z
published: 2026-02-17T22:41:56Z
canonical: "support.skykit.com/play-rules-best-practices"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://support.skykit.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Play Rules Best Practices

When content includes nested elements (collection with playlists), play rules are evaluated in this order:

1. **Collection entry level** - Evaluated first
2. **Nested playlist level** - Evaluated second (only if collection entry is eligible)
3. **Playlist item level** - Evaluated last

The player checks eligibility at each level before proceeding to the next. If any level fails, the content won't play.

### ✅ **Do**

- Set rules at ONE level (collection entry, OR playlist entries within zones)
- Test rules with a simple setup first
- Document your rule strategy for your team
- Use time ranges for time-sensitive content (menus, greetings)
- Use Custom Recurrence (RRules) for complex scheduling patterns
- Use labels for location-specific filtering
- Use date ranges for seasonal or campaign content
- Set lead zones when you have playlists in zones and multiple collection entries

### ❌ **Don’t**

- Set conflicting rules at multiple levels (collection entry AND playlist)
- Create rules that can never both be true simultaneously
- Over-complicate with too many rule combinations initially
- Forget that rules are filters (content must be eligible when checked)
- Mix landscape and portrait layouts in the same collection if displays have fixed orientation