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Version: 1.2

Rules

Rules decide what happens to every message passing through your Zimbra server. There are four rule types, and they all work the same way: you give the rule a name, describe which messages it should match, and say what should happen to them.

Rules of every type are managed the same way too. Remove and Remove All in a rule list ask for confirmation before anything is deleted: one rule is named, several are counted, and removing a policy rule group says that its rules go with it.

Rule types​

  • Policy rules - filter, block, modify, or route messages. This is the most general rule type, with the widest set of actions.
  • Signature rules - append user signatures to outgoing mail.
  • Disclaimer rules - add legal disclaimers or informational text.
  • Autoresponder rules - send predefined replies automatically.

Tabs every rule has​

Every rule, whatever its type, has these tabs. They work the same in every rule type, and each rule type lists them in its own section. The links below go to the policy rule pages:

  • Name - the General tab: how the rule is identified in lists, search, and logs.
  • Conditions & exceptions - the Conditions and Exceptions tabs: which messages the rule matches, and which it skips.
  • Scheduler - the Scheduler tab: restrict the rule to specific time windows.

Content used by rules​

  • Templates - the signature and disclaimer bodies that signature and disclaimer rules insert.
  • Attachments - the files that policy and autoresponder rules can attach to a message.

Checking your rules​

  • Rules tester - simulate a message and see which rules would match, without sending real mail.
  • Message history - review what actually happened to messages that were processed.

Suspending rules​

  • Rules processing - switch all rules, or the rules of one type, off and on without changing the rules themselves.

What's next​

If you have not written a rule before, start with Create your first rule.