8.9 Message Filter
8.9.1 Overview ¶
In the Message Filter area, you specify which incoming emails should be processed by this profile. Filters check properties such as sender, subject, received date, attachments or importance against given values. An email is only processed if it meets all active filter criteria of the profile.
Profile settings, Message Filter area: FilterSet tree with AND/OR conditions and filter criteria editor
If the filter list remains empty, the profile applies to all incoming emails in the monitored folders.
8.9.2 List Layout ¶
Each filter row consists of three components:
| Component |
Description |
| Link to previous row |
Logical AND or OR (visible from the second row onward) |
| Filter criterion |
Display of the property, the operator and the value (e.g. Subject contains “Invoice”) |
| Value |
Resolved values of the criterion |
Double-clicking a row opens the edit dialog. Using the buttons above the list, criteria can be added, edited, enabled or disabled, removed, or moved in order.
8.9.3 Toolbar ¶
Above the list you will find the following buttons:
| Button |
Effect |
| Add… |
Opens the filter editor to create a new criterion |
| Edit… |
Opens the editor for the selected entry |
| Enable / Disable |
Switches the selected criterion on or off without deleting it. The label changes depending on the current state. Inactive criteria are skipped during processing. |
| Remove |
Deletes the selected entry after a confirmation prompt |
| Up / Down |
Moves the entry up or down in the list |
8.9.4 Available Filter Criteria ¶
A selection of the most important filter types:
| Criterion |
Example usage |
| Subject |
“Subject contains Invoice” |
| Sender (name or address) |
“Sender address contains @customerfirm.com” |
| Recipient (name or address) |
“Recipient is info@myfirm.com” |
| Message text |
“Message text contains order number” |
| Attachment present and Number of attachments |
“Number of attachments is greater than 0” |
| Attachment name |
“Attachment name ends with .pdf” |
| Attachment size |
“Attachment size is between 10 KB and 5 MB” |
| Received date |
“Received date is within the last 7 days” |
| Importance |
“Importance is High” |
| Flag |
“Flag is Important” |
| Category (Microsoft 365 only) |
“Category contains Invoice Incoming” |
| E-invoice |
“Message is e-invoice in ZUGFeRD format” |
| Message type |
“Message type is Bounce” |
A full description of the filter types and their operators is available in Chapter 30.
8.9.5 AND/OR Linking ¶
Multiple filter rows are linked by default with AND - an email must meet all active criteria. If OR should apply between individual rows instead, the link can be changed per transition. This also allows mixed forms, such as “(A and B) or C”.
Example: You want to capture invoices from either Supplier A or Supplier B, but in both cases only if a PDF attachment is present:
Sender contains A@supplier-a.com OR
Sender contains B@supplier-b.com AND
Attachment name ends with .pdf
8.9.6 AND/OR Separators in Filter Text ¶
For text filters (Subject, Sender, Attachment name, etc.), multiple values can be combined directly in the input field - via the separators <AND> or <OR>. This allows you to check multiple terms at once without creating several filter rows.
Example: “Attachment name contains .pdf<AND>Invoice” matches only PDF files that additionally contain “Invoice” in the name.
8.9.7 Preview of Filter Matches ¶
In the lower area of the tab, the filter preview shows which of the test emails stored under Sample Messages would match the current filter conditions. This way the configuration can be tested without actually having to apply the profile to productive mailboxes.
8.9.8 Tips on Filter Configuration ¶
A filter that is too narrow misses useful matches. In the No Match tab of the log list, you see which emails arrived in a monitored folder but did not pass any profile filter. These emails can be taken over as sample messages in order to refine the filter accordingly.