# Combining rules


> Inside one rule everything must match. Across rules, any one is enough. That is the whole model.
## Inside a rule

Everything has to match at once. Weekdays **and** 09:00 to 17:00 gives you office hours, and neither half plays on its own.

## Across rules

The playlist plays whenever **any** rule matches. Rules do not narrow each other; each one is its own independent window.

That is the entire model. There are no operators to pick, no groups to nest, and no ordering between rules.


## Different hours on different days

The main reason to have more than one rule.

| Rule | Days of week | Time of day |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Weekdays | 07:00 to 09:00 |
| 2 | Weekend | 10:00 to 16:00 |

One playlist, two windows. The alternative is two playlists holding the same content, and remembering to change both.

## The mistake to avoid

An **unrestricted rule sitting alongside others** makes them pointless. It already matches all the time, so the narrower rules add nothing and the playlist simply always plays.

This happens when someone adds a rule to experiment, leaves every section untouched, and forgets it. The editor warns you when a schedule is in that state, and the warning is worth believing.

## When to use two playlists instead

Combining rules keeps one playlist on one set of content. If the **content** differs between the two windows, that is two playlists, not one schedule.

Same content at different times is one playlist with several rules. Different content is different playlists.