Rules¶

Rules automatically organize, tag, and route your documents based on conditions you define. Set up once, and Archivus handles the rest.

What Are Rules?¶

Rules are automated actions that trigger when documents meet specific conditions. Instead of manually organizing every document, rules do the work for you.

Example: "When a document is classified as an invoice and the vendor is Acme Corp, move it to the VIP Clients folder and tag it as 'priority'."

Creating Your First Rule¶

Step 1: Navigate to Rules¶

Go to Settings > Automation > Rules and click Create Rule.

Step 2: Define Conditions¶

Conditions determine when the rule triggers. You can combine multiple conditions.

Common Conditions:

Step 3: Define Actions¶

Actions are what happens when conditions are met.

Available Actions:

Step 4: Test and Activate¶

Before activating, test your rule against sample documents to ensure it works as expected.

Rule Examples¶

Invoice Organization¶

WHEN:
  - Document type is "invoice"

THEN:
  - Route to /Finance/Invoices/{YEAR}/{MONTH}
  - Apply tags: "finance", "needs-review"

VIP Client Handling¶

WHEN:
  - Document type is "contract"
  - Vendor name contains "Enterprise Client"

THEN:
  - Route to /VIP-Clients/{VENDOR}
  - Apply tags: "vip", "priority"
  - Notify: Account Manager

High-Value Approval¶

WHEN:
  - Document type is "invoice"
  - Amount is greater than $10,000

THEN:
  - Route to /Finance/High-Value
  - Request review from: CFO
  - Send notification: "High-value invoice requires approval"

Condition Logic¶

AND Conditions¶

All conditions must be true for the rule to trigger.

WHEN:
  - Document type is "contract" AND
  - Vendor name contains "Tech" AND
  - Amount is greater than $5,000

THEN: Apply tags: "high-value-tech"

OR Conditions¶

Any condition being true triggers the rule.

WHEN:
  - Amount is greater than $50,000 OR
  - Document contains "urgent" OR
  - Due date is within 7 days

THEN: Send notification: "Priority document detected"

Combining AND/OR¶

Create complex logic by grouping conditions.

WHEN:
  - Document type is "contract"
  - AND (Amount > $10,000 OR Vendor is "VIP Client")

THEN: Request review from: Legal Team

Dynamic Folders¶

Use variables to create dynamic folder paths that organize documents automatically.

Available Variables:

Example:

Route to: /Finance/Invoices/{YEAR}/{VENDOR}

If the vendor is "Acme Corp" and the year is 2026, the document goes to /Finance/Invoices/2026/Acme Corp.

Rule Priority¶

When multiple rules could apply to a document, priority determines which rules execute first.

• Lower numbers = higher priority (Priority 1 runs before Priority 100)
• All matching rules execute their actions unless a rule stops evaluation
• Set critical rules to lower priority numbers

AI-Suggested Rules¶

Archivus learns from your corrections and suggests new rules based on patterns.

How It Works¶

1. You manually organize documents (move, tag, classify)
2. Archivus detects patterns in your corrections
3. When a pattern repeats 5+ times, a rule is suggested
4. You review and approve or reject the suggestion

Viewing Suggestions¶

Go to Settings > Automation > Rules > Suggestions to see AI-suggested rules.

Approving Suggestions¶

1. Review the suggested conditions and actions
2. Modify if needed
3. Click Approve to activate the rule
4. The rule now applies to future documents

Rule Scopes¶

Rules can apply at different levels:

Higher-level rules (Organization) serve as defaults that lower-level rules can customize.

Testing Rules¶

Before activating a rule, test it to ensure it works correctly.

Test Against a Document¶

1. Open the rule editor
2. Click Test Rule
3. Select a document or enter sample data
4. See if the rule would match and what actions would occur

Dry Run Mode¶

Enable dry run mode to see what rules would do without actually executing actions. Useful for validating rules before going live.

Managing Rules¶

Viewing Rule History¶

See what your rules have done:

• Which documents triggered each rule
• What actions were taken
• When rules executed
• Any errors that occurred

Deactivating Rules¶

Temporarily disable a rule without deleting it:

1. Go to Settings > Automation > Rules
2. Find the rule
3. Click the toggle to deactivate
4. Reactivate anytime

Editing Rules¶

Modify conditions or actions:

1. Open the rule
2. Make changes
3. Save
4. Changes apply to new documents immediately

Tips for Effective Rules¶

Start Simple¶

Begin with straightforward rules and add complexity as needed.

Good first rule: "Route all invoices to /Finance"
Add later: "Route invoices from VIP vendors to /Finance/VIP"

Use Descriptive Names¶

Name rules clearly so you remember what they do.

Good: "Route Acme Invoices to VIP Folder"
Bad: "Rule 1"

Test Before Activating¶

Always test rules against sample documents before enabling.

Monitor Execution¶

Check rule history periodically to ensure rules work as expected.

Troubleshooting¶

Rule Not Triggering¶

• Verify the rule is active
• Check that conditions match your documents
• Review condition operators (equals vs. contains)
• Ensure no higher-priority rule is stopping execution

Wrong Actions Executing¶

• Review condition logic (AND vs. OR)
• Check rule priority order
• Verify dynamic variables resolve correctly
• Test against sample documents

Too Many Notifications¶

• Adjust notification conditions to be more specific
• Use notification consolidation (batch notifications)
• Set up quiet hours for non-urgent notifications

Next Steps¶

• Workflows - Multi-step automation
• Documents > Organizing - Manual organization
• AI Features - AI-powered capabilities