Rules can be created to perform actions on messages based on defined criteria. One or more rules can optionally be associated with a customer’s SMPP account and applied to each message they send (MT) or receive (MO).

When using the rules GUI, criteria can be graphically constructed and actions added in the required order. JSON is used to define rule actions (see Example rules).

Actions include:

• reject message (return negative submit_sm_resp)

• modify message

  • change parameter (TON, NPI, ESM class, registered delivery, randomise source address, etc)
  • change message content (replace, regex replace, insert text left/right)

• routing (set SMSC to be used)

• control message processing

  • selective use of content blocking lists

Criteria can be specified based on the fields in a submitted message (submit_sm), SMPP account parameters, the date/time and SMSC status.

Rules can also be applied to inbound (MO) SMS messages. Source address and destination address fields (including TON, NPI) can be used in criteria.

Types of rules (in order applied to messages):

• Customer submit: Immediately applied to a customer’s messages when received by the SSG where the rule has been associated with the customer’s SMPP account under the Rules tab of their SMPP account.
• Global routing: Applied to all outbound (MT) messages for an SSG instance and can be used to select the SMSC to which a message should be sent based on the rule’s criteria.
• Global SMSC: Applied to messages after routing decision has been made and SMSC has been selected.

Read Example rules to see the criteria and actions for different uses.

Criteria

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Criteria can be defined using SMPP account details and fields from submitted messages.

SMPP account

Routing

Short message (submit_sm) fields

Criteria operators

Criteria operators that can be used with parameters in a short message include:

Actions

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Control: set SMSC connection priority queue

The priority_queue action is used to determine the priority of message routing to an SMSC connection. Messages are submitted based on the priority assigned: messages in higher-numbered priority queues are sent before those in lower-numbered queues. You can use any number to set the priority; a higher number indicates a higher priority.

Each SMSC connection can have multiple priority queues to control the order of message submission.

To set the priority for message submission to an SMSC connection, apply this action in conjunction with customer submit rules.

Example: [{"action":"control", "priority_queue":100}]

Control: selective content blocking

Where content blocking lists have been applied to an account (Rules/Blocking tab of SMPP account), the use of these lists can be selectively applied to messages based on criteria.

The check_blocking_content action can be used to control if the blocking content list should be used or not. When a content blocking list is associated with an account, the short message will be checked against the list unless this action is used to not perform the check.

Example: [{"action":"control", "check_blocking_content":true}]

Reject message

To immediately reject a message with a submit_sm_resp error when the customer submits it to the platform:

Example: [{"action":"reject", "submit_sm_resp":69}]

To reject a message with a delivery receipt (DLR) after the customer has submitted it to the platform:

Example: [{"action":"reject", "dlr_status":5, "dlr_network_error":1}]

Modify message

General fields

Set field values.

Example: [{"action":"modify", "parameter":"sm.source_addr", "value":"Google"}]

Modify source address field - trim left

Trim the specified number of digits from the start of the source address field value.

Example: [{"action":"modify", "parameter":"sm.source_addr", "op":"trimleft", "digits":2}]

Modify source address field - random digits

Set source address field value to begin with prefix digits and followed by specified number of random digits.

Example: [{"action":"modify", "parameter":"sm.source_addr", "op":"random", "prefix":"447700", "digits":6}]

Modify destination address field - regular expression replace

Example: [{"action":"modify", "parameter":"sm.short_message", "op":"regex_replace", "re":"447968", "fmt":"447944"}]

Using re of 447968 and fmt of 447944, an sm.destination_addr field with “447968847040” will be replaced with “447944847040“.

Modify short message field - assign, insert

Modify short message field - regular expression replace

Supports UCS2 and non-UCS2 data codings. Result data coding is the same as input data coding. Replace operation must therefore not introduce character that input data coding does not support.

Example: [{"action":"modify", "parameter":"sm.short_message", "op":"regex_replace", "re":"a|e|i|o|u", "fmt":"[$&]"}]

Using re of a|e|i|o|u and fmt of [$&], an sm.short_message field with “Quick brown fox” will be replaced with “Q[u][i]ck br[o]wn f[o]x“.

Further examples for regex_replace

Set SMSC route (global routing rule)

Example: [{"action":"route", "smsc":"131234b8-aaaa-11eb-abcd-0123455c3860"}]

Resources

Useful resource for regular expression testing: https://regex101.com