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Filter Settings

Filter settings are mailbox-specific configurations that define how incoming and outgoing emails are processed.
They allow you to control which folders are scanned, how confidentiality levels are determined,
which emails are ignored, and how labels influence import and classification.

Each mailbox has its own independent filter configuration, giving you full flexibility per mailbox.

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Tip! if you have multiple mailboxes with similar rules, You can use the copy rules from mailboxes action.
This action allows you to copy all rules from one mailbox to another EXCEPT the folder rules. Which still need to be set manually

Overview​

Filter settings include the following configurable categories:

  • Folders – Define which mailbox folders should be read from.
  • Confidentiality Rules – Determine the confidentiality level of incoming emails based on content or sender/receiver data.
  • Ignore Rules – Specify when certain emails should be ignored based on words, domains, senders, or other metadata.
  • Labels – Define how mailbox labels (tags) affect import and confidentiality behavior.

These rules work together in a clear hierarchy of importance, ensuring consistent and predictable results.

Rule Hierarchy and Processing Order​

The system evaluates rules from highest to lowest priority, as follows:

  1. BCC Exceptions (highest priority)

    • These are defined in the Mailbox module settings.
    • If an incoming email contains a BCC address matching one of these exceptions, it overrules all other rules.
    • The email will always be imported, and its confidentiality level will be forced to the one configured for that BCC address.

  2. Ignore Rules (folders, content, labels)

    • If no BCC exception applies, the system evaluates ignore rules.
    • All ignore rule types — Folders, Ignore Rules, and Labels — are evaluated equally.
    • If any one of these rules marks an email as ignored, the email will not be imported.
    • This can still be bypassed manually by using the “Import Email” action within a conversation.

  3. Labels (conditional override)

    • If label rules are configured to import only specific labels, folder rules no longer have any effect.
    • This mode is intended for mailboxes where only labeled emails should be imported.
    • When this mode is active, the system will completely ignore folder-based import rules.

  4. Confidentiality Rules

    • The confidentiality level of an email is determined in the following order:
      BCC → Labels → All Other Confidentiality Rules
    • Labels only override other confidentiality rules if label import mode is enabled.

Manual Overrides and Reclassification​

If an email has been manually ignored or its confidentiality level manually changed,
it will no longer be automatically updated when new data is fetched from the mail provider.

To revert these manual changes and reapply the automatic classification logic:

  1. Select the email(s).
  2. Use the “Reclassify Emails” action.
  3. Enable the “Overwrite manually set values” option.

This will rerun the complete rule stack and restore classification according to the mailbox’s filter settings.

Folder Settings​

The Folder Settings tab controls which mailbox folders are read from.

  • Each mailbox distinguishes between incoming and outgoing emails.
  • For incoming emails, you can choose between:
    • All incoming folders
    • Specific folders that should be read
  • For outgoing emails, there is an additional option:
    • None — prevents any outgoing emails from being read (except when a BCC or label exception applies)

Confidentiality Settings​

The Confidentiality Settings tab defines how the system classifies emails into
Public, Confidential, or Private categories.

Default Levels​

  • Default confidentiality level
    • The level assigned to all emails that do not match any other rule.
  • Default confidentiality for related records
    • The level assigned to emails that are automatically linked to a contact or organization,
      but do not trigger any other confidentiality rule.

Specific Rules per Confidentiality Level​

For each confidentiality level (Public, Confidential, Private),
you can configure specific match rules based on:

  • Organizations
  • Contacts
  • Email addresses
  • Email domains
  • Words or phrases in the subject
  • Words or phrases in the body

These allow fine-grained control over how emails are automatically classified.

Ignore Rules​

The Ignore Rules tab works similarly to the confidentiality rules.
It defines conditions under which an email should not be imported into the system.

Available rule fields include:

  • Organizations
  • Contacts
  • Email addresses
  • Email domains
  • Words or phrases in the subject
  • Words or phrases in the body

If any of these conditions match, the email will be ignored — unless explicitly imported manually.

Label Settings​

The Label Settings tab allows you to configure how labels (e.g., categories or tags)
influence email import behavior and confidentiality classification.

There are two operational modes:

  1. Import everything except certain labels (default mode)

    • The system imports all emails unless a label matches an ignore condition.

  2. Import nothing except specific labels (strict mode)

    • Only emails with the specified labels will be imported.
    • This mode is ideal for mailboxes where most emails should not be imported automatically.
    • Within this mode, you can configure:
      • General import labels – cause an email to be imported but do not affect confidentiality.
      • Confidentiality labels – cause import and set a specific confidentiality level (Public, Confidential, or Private).
warning

If you enable strict import mode, make sure to configure your labels before scanning emails.
Failing to do so may result in importing large amounts of irrelevant or sensitive emails unintentionally.

Technical Reference​

Internally, the rule stack is managed by the EmailRuleService.
It enforces the priority order described above:

public static function processRules(Mailbox $mailbox, InboundEmail $inboundEmail): EmailRuleResponse
  • BCC rules are evaluated first and can fully override all others.
  • Ignore rules (folders, ignore, labels) share a unified decision — if one triggers, the email is ignored.
  • Confidentiality rules are then applied in order of BCC → Labels → Standard rules.

The helper method foldersHaveImpact() determines whether folder rules should be considered based on the active label mode.