How to Exclude Records from Email Thread Matching
Matching Criteria lets you restrict which records an incoming email can match. Only records that meet these conditions are eligible; if the record an email would otherwise match does not meet them, the email is treated as no match and the Action if No Match Found setting runs instead (for example, creating a new record). Use this to stop replies attaching to old or closed records. Leave empty to match any record.
This guide walks through setting up Request Matching Criteria and Matching Order in e2a's Email Service configuration. It applies to any object with an Email Service configured — Case, Quote Request, or another object — the steps and screens below are the same regardless of which object you're filtering.
Prerequisites
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e2a admin access.
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An existing e2a Email Service already configured for the target object (Case, Quote Request, or other).
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Knowledge of which field(s) should define the exclusion — typically a status field (e.g. Status not equal to Closed) or a date/age field (e.g. Last Modified Date older than a threshold).
Steps
1. Open your Email Service configuration
Go to Setup > Email Services and open the relevant email service. This page shows the Email Service Address, the Target Object Configuration (Target Object, Action if No Match Found, Allow Manual Insert and Allow Manual Match), and the Incoming Email Configuration - Post-process settings. Scroll down and you'll see the Request Matching Criteria section — on a service with no filter yet, it reads "No matching criteria defined. Click Edit to add conditions."
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Email Service configuration page, with Request Matching Criteria empty at the bottom.
2. Start a new matching condition
In the Request Matching Criteria section, click Edit, then click Add Condition. This adds a row to the criteria table with three columns — Field, Operator, and Value. A new row starts as "— Select a field —" with the Operator set to "-- None --" and an empty Value box.
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A new, unconfigured condition row, with Add Condition and Filter Logic below it.
3. Choose the field to filter on
Click the pencil (edit) icon next to the field name to open the Select Field modal. Pick the field to filter on directly, or, for a lookup field, drill in and choose one of the related object's fields (the modal shows this as a breadcrumb, e.g. Request > Account ID). Click Select to confirm.
For an exclusion filter you'll typically pick a status field or a date/age field rather than a lookup — but the drill-in mechanic works the same way for any field type.
Select Field modal, drill into a lookup field (Request > Account ID).
4. Set the operator and value
Once a field is selected, choose an Operator (equals, not equal to, less than, greater than, and so on) and enter the Value. The example below shows the mechanic using Account equals "Test Account 0003" — to build an exclusion filter instead, use the same fields but with an operator suited to your condition, for example Status not equal to Closed, or a date field less than a rolling age threshold.
A completed condition row: Account equals "Test Account 0003".
5. Combine multiple conditions (optional)
Click Add Condition again to add more rows if your exclusion needs more than one field. Then use the Filter Logic box to combine the numbered conditions with AND / OR — for example "1 AND 2" to require both. Save once your conditions and logic are set. Remember: only records meeting all of these conditions remain eligible to match; anything that falls outside them is treated as no match and falls through to Action if No Match Found.
6. Set the Matching Order
In the Matching Order section, review the numbered list of enabled matching methods — Thread ID, Alternate Thread ID (regex), and Message ID / References (email headers). Click Set Matching Order to enable, disable, or reorder these methods, then save.
Matching Order section showing the enabled methods and the Set Matching Order button.
Verify It Worked
Send a test email referencing a record that no longer meets your Request Matching Criteria (e.g. a closed record, or one past your age threshold) and confirm it does not attach to that record — it should be treated as no match, and your Action if No Match Found setting (e.g. creating a new record) should run instead.
Then send a test email referencing a record that still meets the criteria, and confirm it threads to that record as expected. Testing both cases confirms the filter excludes only what it should.
Please contact support@ortooapps.com if you have any questions.