Storing Search Strings in an External Text (.rul) File

If you need to frequently update and distribute the delivery rules search text, you can use external text files to store the search text. External files were designed to allow frequent updating of rules without creating a new rule.

Important: The following rules are required for external rules:

1. The External Rule file must exist in the same directory as the "rules.ima" or "orules.ima" file.

2. The External Rule file when referenced in the rule must not include the ".rul" file extension.

3. The External Rule file must have a file extension of ".rul"

Example:

(mortgage|loans|credit offer), where the pipes mean "or" and separate the conditions. Usage of the "and" condition is not permitted in a ".rul" file. Also, the ".rul" file must be located in the same directory as the "rules.ima" or "orules.ima" file.

To illustrate this, the administrator can use this method to catch mail from known spammers. The administrator might create a text file named "spam1.rul". Each time a new spammer address is discovered, the administrator can add it to the "spam1.rul" file. The "rules.ima" or "orules.ima" file can reference the text file named "spam.rul". The procedure for storing search text in an external file is the same for Inbound and Outbound rules. For more information, see External Text File Example and Rule Syntax.

To create a delivery rule that references an external text file:

1. Select a mail domain, or the list that you want to create an external rule for.
2. Click either Inbound Rules or Outbound Rules, then click Add to create a new mail domain rule. The Rule Settings page appears. For more information, see Adding Inbound Rule Conditions for Domains or Adding Outbound Rule Conditions for Domains.

• Click Use conditions from an external file, then do one of the following:
  • Enter the name of the file in the second Search text box without the ".rul" extension.

    Example: Select "rulefilename" where "rulefilename" is the name of the ".rul" file you want to reference.

  • If the external text file does not exist, enter a new, unique name for the ".rul" file. Do not enter the file extension .rul because IMail will append it to the filename you enter.

1. Click Edit to open and edit the rule file in Windows Notepad (or your default text editor). If the rules file does not exist, one will be automatically created. For information about creating the search text, see Rule Syntax.
2. Click Save to save the rule.

Related Topics

External Text File Example

Overview of Mail Delivery Rules

Delivery Rule Syntax