Filters
In an Automation Rule, you can set one or more Filters. A Filter restricts the application of the Automation Rule. Only the Actions in the Automation Rule that match your Filter criteria are executed for the selected Orders/Shipments. If no Filters are in the Automation Rule, then the rule's Actions will execute for all Orders/Shipments on which the rule is run.
See Managing Automation Rules for details on creating, editing, exporting, and managing Automation Rules.
If an Automation Rule has multiple Filters, the Filters can use 'Any ' (see the last column in the graphic below). In this example, if any of the SKUs listed are on the Order, then the Order is shipped via "UPS First Class Mail". If "And" is used, then the Order is shipped via "UPS First Class Mail" only if all of the SKU's are listed are on the Order.
A Filter can apply to dozens of attributes, such as:
Order item SKU, quantity of items, or Order value
Shipment destination, such as Country, US State, or Postal Code
Shipment attributes, such as the requested Shipping Service or Shipping Zone
Package Filters
There are many types of Package Filters available for selection, such as "Set Declared Value", "Set Packaging", and "Set Number of Packages". (The left-most Filter dropdown is used to select a Filter; see the above graphic.) When the Automation Rule is executed, the selected Package Filter(s) will iterate through all packages in the Shipment. If any package matches the Filter, the Automation Rule executes.
Package Weight Filter
The Package - "Package Weight" Filter evaluates all Package Weights on the Order. If All is selected (see graphic, below), then the Package Weights are totaled for all packages on the Order. This is useful if you want the Automation Rule to execute only if the total weight of all packages combined is less than or greater than a specific weight. In the example, below, the Automation Rule will execute if the total weight for all packages on the Order is greater than 100.
If Any is selected, then the Automation Rule will execute if any package on the Order weighs more than 100.
Order Item Filter
These OrderItem Filters are available for selection: Order Item SKU, Order Item Description, and Order Item Quantity. These Filters iterate through all items on the Order. If any Order item matches the Filter, then the Automation Rule will execute.
Filtering on Order Items
In the below example, "contains" and "Any" are used for both Filters. This Automation Rule means, if any of the SKUs on the Order contain "pen" or "socks", then the Action will be executed against the matching Orders.
As shown below, the second Filter is changed to "does not contain". This Automation Rule means, if any of the SKUs on the Order contain "pen" or do not contain "socks", then the Automation Rule will be executed against the matching Orders.
Filtering with Regex (Regular Expression)
The "regex match" option for Automation Rules allows a Regular Expression to be used for matching.
Warning: Regular Expression (regex) is an advanced option and not supported by Descartes ShipRush Web Customer Service.
Regex provides sophisticated searching for elements within a long value (for example, a long SKU value: "WEST1-WIDGET123-BLUE").
Many Filters offer "starts with" and "ends with" options that can capture the prefix (for example, a distribution center name), or the suffix, such as a size or color. However, "regex match" is needed to capture specific text located between the hyphens.
Examples:
Existing SKU value: WEST1-WIDGET123-BLUE
To get: WIDGET123
Use: (?<=-)w+(?=-)To get a direct match to WIDGET123, only
Use: (?<=-)WIDGET123(?=-)Tip: In many cases, more than one regular expression can satisfy a specific task. Try some of the online tutorials to learn and test regular expressions.