# Flex controls

Flexible transaction controls, also known as just flex controls, are rules that restrict your customers' financial operations. They include various conditions and parameters, such as spending mode, maximum spending limit restrictions, or time-based restrictions.

Note that managing flex controls using Control Center has the following limitations:

* You can apply flex controls to debit accounts only.
* You can apply flex controls at the program level only, to apply to all accounts in the program.

> 📘 Using flex controls
>
> The only way to set up flex controls at the program level is to use Control Center. This means that a control affects all the accounts within a specific program.
>
> To create flex controls at the account or card level, you must use the appropriate endpoint in the [Flex controls API](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/reference/post-v1-accounts-flex-controls).

For information about flex controls, refer to [Flexible transaction controls](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/flex-controls).

From Control Center, you can do the following:

* [View flex controls](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/cc-flex-controls#view-flex-controls)
* [Create a flex control](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/cc-flex-controls#create-a-flex-control) at the program level
* [Activate or deactivate a flex control](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/docs/cc-flex-controls#activate-or-deactivate-a-flex-control)

# View flex controls

You can use Control Center to view all existing program-level flex controls. To view flex controls at the account level, you must use the [List account flex controls](https://developers.pismo.io/pismo-docs/reference/get-v1-accounts-flex-controls) endpoint.

To view the list of program-level flex controls:

1. From the main menu, select **Configurations** > **Flex controls**.

2. To find a specific control, use the **Search by name** field to search by flex control name or use the **Select program** field to search for a control by program name.

# Create a flex control

In Control Center, you can add flex controls only at the program level. This means that the flex control affects all accounts in the program to which you apply it. You can add a flex control as **active** (immediately activated) or as **inactive** (saved but not activated).

Once a flex control is active, the platform evaluates it whenever there are events generated for customer accounts that match its defined transaction types.

To add a program-level flex control:

1. From the main menu, select **Configurations** > **Flex controls**.

2. On the **Flex controls** screen, select **Create flex control**.

3. On the **Select a control type** screen, select the type of control (**Restriction control** or **Cumulative control**) and select **Next**.

4. On the **Select processing codes** screen, select **Add** for each processing code to be included in this flex control and select **Next**.

5. On the **Conditions** screen, do one of the following:
   1. If you're adding a cumulative control, proceed to step #6.
   2. If you're adding a restriction control, skip to step #7.

6. (Cumulative control type only) On the **Limits and time period** screen, do the following:

   1. Select the type of limit—**Transactions** (restrict by number of transactions) or **Spending** (restrict by amount).
   2. Provide values and other details about the criteria to use to evaluate the condition (for example, amounts, time zone, and day of the month), then select **Next**.

7. (For restriction controls only) On the **Conditions** screen, select the conditions that you want to include in the flex control. Multiple conditions are allowed, but there can be only one attribute for each condition.

8. Select **Add condition** and then select **Next**.

9. On the **Program** screen, choose **Select** to apply the flex control to at least one program. This affects all accounts in the selected program.

10. Select **Next**.

11. On the **Review and apply flex control** screen, do the following:
    1. Review and confirm each of the configuration settings.
    2. Enter a name for the flex control.
    3. Specify the deny code to return when the evaluation matches the control condition.
    4. Set the rule to apply to personal accounts, business accounts, or  both.
    5. Set whether to create the flex control as **active** (activated immediately on save) or **inactive** (saved but not activated).
    6. Select **Finish**.

# Activate or deactivate a flex control

If you created a flex control and initially set it as inactive, you can set it to **Active** through the Control Center.

To activate an inactive flex control:

1. From the main menu, select **Configurations** > **Flex controls**.
2. Select the inactive flex control you want to activate.
3. On the **Flex control details** page, select **Edit**.
4. Set the **Active** toggle switch on and **Save** your changes.

To deactivate a program-level flex control at any time, use the steps above and set the **Active** toggle switch off.