How to Change Default Recipient Type in e2a Address Lookup

Overview

The EmailAddressLookupDefaultRecipientType soft setting allows administrators to control and customize the default value of the “Show” dropdown in the Email Address Lookup dialog within Ortoo e2a.
 

By default, the Email Address Lookup dialog displays a predefined recipient type (such as 'All Contacts'). This soft setting has been introduced to provide greater flexibility, allowing organizations to define which recipient type is selected by default based on their specific use case.

This is particularly useful for organizations where users frequently search for internal users, leads, or distribution lists instead of contacts. By configuring this setting, administrators can streamline the user experience and reduce repetitive manual selection.


Configuring the Default Recipient Type (Creation of Custom Metdata Type)

To configure the default value for the “Show” dropdown, follow these steps:

  1. First step is to create a Custom Metadata Type and create a record under it.

  2. Go to 'Setup' and type 'Custom Metadata Type' in the quick find box.

  3. From the results, open 'Custom Metadata Type'.
  4. Click New.
  5. Set the Label as: Ortoo Customer Settings (Both Singular and Plural labels can be same)
  6. Set the Object Name as: Ortoo_Customer_Settings__mdt (note the "__mdt" gets added automatically).

    Note: If the custom metadata type with label 'Ortoo Customer Settings' already exists, then the above steps can be skipped, and you can directly move to the below mentioned step about adding a record for 'EmailAddressLookupDefaultRecipientType'.
     

Once you have successfully created a 'Custom Metadata Type'. Please follow the steps below to create a field under it: 

 

  1. In the same Custom Metadata Type record created above, look for the 'Custom Fields' section and press on 'New'.
  2. Select Type: Long Text Area (131072)
  3. Enter Label as: Value
  4. Enter API Name as: Value__c

As the next step, we will have to create a record under the newly created metadata type. To do that:
 

  1. Under Ortoo Customer Settings record, go to Manage Records and add below details:
  2. Save the record.

Once configured, the setting will apply globally across all users.

Supported Values

The setting stores system values, while the UI displays user-friendly labels:

Note:
The configured value must be the system value (e.g., USER), not the label shown in the interface.

How It Works

When a user opens the Email Address Lookup dialog:

  1. The system reads the EmailAddressLookupDefaultRecipientType setting.
  2. The configured value determines the default selection in the “Show” dropdown.
  3. The corresponding label (e.g., Users, All Contacts) is displayed in the UI.

Users can still manually change the recipient type as needed.

Example

If the setting is configured as:

 

EmailAddressLookupDefaultRecipientType = USER

Then:

FAQs

1. What is the purpose of this soft setting?
It allows administrators to customize the default recipient type shown in the Email Address Lookup dialog, improving usability and reducing repetitive actions.

 

2. Can this setting be configured per user?
Currently, this setting applies at a global level only. User-level configuration is not supported.

 

3. Does this restrict users to a single recipient type?
No. Users can still select other recipient types (Contacts, Leads, Distribution Lists) manually.

 

4. What happens if the setting is not configured?
If not set, the system will use the default behavior (typically All Contacts).

 

5. Why would an organization choose “Users” as the default?
Organizations focused on internal communication may prefer Users as the default to save time and improve workflow efficiency.

 

Note: Neither the 'Custom Metadata Type' nor the field on e2a Email object is shipped as part of the package. 

 

Please contact us at support@ortooapps.com for any other queries.