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Q: What does Stop Evaluating Rules action mean?

While searching for a cause for rules stopping working, I came across this phrase, Stop Evaluating Rules action. Anyone know what it means?

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013), OS X Yosemite (10.10)

Posted on Aug 20, 2015 6:22 AM

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Q: What does Stop Evaluating Rules action mean?

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  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Aug 20, 2015 7:47 AM in response to Ezechiel
    Level 8 (48,628 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 20, 2015 7:47 AM in response to Ezechiel

    Upon reaching it, Mail will not execute the remaining Rules actions. It is useful subsequent to performing actions that obviate the need to execute the remaining actions.

  • by Ezechiel,

    Ezechiel Ezechiel Aug 20, 2015 7:50 AM in response to John Galt
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Desktops
    Aug 20, 2015 7:50 AM in response to John Galt

    Perhaps you could use plain English. I don't understand.

     

    I have had a stop to rules for at least a few emails and I don't know why.

  • by John Galt,

    John Galt John Galt Aug 20, 2015 7:57 AM in response to Ezechiel
    Level 8 (48,628 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 20, 2015 7:57 AM in response to Ezechiel

    Ezechiel wrote:

     

    Perhaps you could use plain English. I don't understand.

     

    I don't understand "I have had a stop to rules for at least a few emails". We could go on not understanding like this for a long time.

  • by Barney-15E,

    Barney-15E Barney-15E Aug 20, 2015 11:00 AM in response to Ezechiel
    Level 8 (49,772 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 20, 2015 11:00 AM in response to Ezechiel

    It means, stop (cease, terminate, quit) evaluating (interpretting, running, testing) rules.

    I.e. don't process any more rules that follow this one on the message that is currently being evaluated.

    There's no hidden meaning. It does what it says.

  • by iHumanPro,

    iHumanPro iHumanPro Mar 8, 2016 2:55 PM in response to Ezechiel
    Level 1 (43 points)
    Mar 8, 2016 2:55 PM in response to Ezechiel

    Rule ordering and 'Stop Evaluating Rules' actually server a purpose when you're working with complex rules. For example, lets say you want to send an auto-reply to all emails that come into a specific account (mail@example.com) that you have -- unless it is person@thisdomain.com who writes. I'll create two rules to make this happen:

     

    rule 1:

    - if ALL

      - Account -> mail@example.com

      - From -> Contains -> person@thisdomain.com

     

    Perform the following action:

    - Stop Evaluating Rules

     

    This basically covers the 'exception' to your rule. No rules below the current one will affect the message from person@thisdomain.com

     

    rule 2:

    - if ALL

      - Account -> mail@example.com

     

    Perform the following action:

    - Run AppleScript -> MyCustomAutoreponder

    - Stop Evaluating Rules

     

    This second rule, will send my auto reply message to all emails that come to my mail@example.com address - except from person@thisdomain.com - because that was handled in the previous script.

     

    In my opinion - it's a convoluted way to work. But it does work.

     

    What would be preferable is how rules are created in other applications like Marketcircle's Daylite. They allow 'sub-queries'. (AND/OR queries) If Apple had this built in, the example above could be done with one rule. For example:

     

    - if ALL

      - Account -> mail@example.com

      - if ANY

          - From -> Does Not Contain -> person@thisdomain.com

          - From -> Does Not Contain ->anotherexemptperson@thisdomain.com

     

    Perform the following action:

    - Run AppleScript -> MyCustomAutoreponder

    - Stop Evaluating Rules

     

     

    Mail Rules would be so much more powerful if Apple designed them this way...but they didn't. So we are stuck with the more complex, 'rule ordering' and 'stop evaluating rule' method'.

  • by tudobem,

    tudobem tudobem Jun 3, 2016 3:31 PM in response to iHumanPro
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Jun 3, 2016 3:31 PM in response to iHumanPro

    Thanks for taking the time to actually answer the question.  So helpful!