.. index::
   single: Experiment
   single: Validation
   single: Abort

Validation Settings
===================

.. image:: /_static/user_guide/experiment-validation.png
   :align: center
   :width: 800
   :alt: Experiment validation settings

The Validation Settings page of the experiment wizard allows conditions to be defined that automatically terminate an experiment.
Every time Auxiliary Data is read (see :ref:`user_guide/experiment_setup:Common Settings`), any value that falls outside the specified range causes the experiment to abort immediately.
This prevents poor-quality data from being averaged in and, when used together with sleep mode, avoids unnecessary sample consumption if an operating parameter changes substantially.

A validation condition is associated with an **object key** (identifying a piece of hardware in the hardware map) and a **value key** (a particular reading reported by that device).
Object keys take the form ``HardwareType.label`` — for example, ``PulseGenerator.myPGen`` or ``FlowController.mks946`` — combining the hardware type with the user-assigned label from the loadout.
Clicking the object key cell shows a dropdown listing every hardware object that exposes validation readings; clicking the value key cell then shows the readings available for that object.
Once the keys are selected, enter the minimum and maximum allowed values as floating-point numbers.
The experiment aborts if the measured value is less than the minimum or greater than the maximum.

To add a condition, press the ``+`` button at the bottom of the page.
To remove a condition, select the row and press the ``-`` button.

.. note::
   Only hardware objects that override ``validationKeys()`` appear in the object-key dropdown.
   If a device is not listed, it does not expose any readings to the validation system.