Sync Rules let you automatically control which equipment is active in ZippyAssist, based on criteria you define. Instead of activating or deactivating machines one at a time, you set the rules once and ZippyAssist applies them every time your equipment syncs.

This is especially useful if your equipment syncs in from a vending management system (VMS) like Cantaloupe Seed or VendSys, where new machines can appear automatically.

Sync Rules work in one of two directions, depending on how your equipment sync is configured. This is the most important thing to understand before setting up your rules.

In other words, your rules always define the exception to your default.

If your equipment syncs in as active, everything starts active and your rules pick out the machines that should be turned off. You'd use this to exclude equipment you don't want ZippyAssist to support — for example, deactivating every machine on a route you no longer service.

If your equipment syncs in as inactive, everything starts inactive and your rules pick out the machines that should be turned on. You'd use this when you only want ZippyAssist supporting a specific subset of your equipment — for example, activating only machines at a particular set of locations.

You can change which way your sync works under Settings → Organization → Equipment Sync Settings. Note that changing this setting clears any existing sync rules, so you'll need to set them up again.

As you build your rules, ZippyAssist shows a live count of how many equipment items currently match. Click View next to the count to see the full list before you save — a useful check that your rules are catching what you expect.

You can build rules using any of the following equipment fields:

Depending on the column you choose, you'll have different conditions available — such as is, is not, contains, doesn't contain, starts with, ends with, is empty, and is not empty. Date fields like Last Synced offer options such as is between, is before, and is within last.

By default, multiple filters are combined with And — equipment must match every rule to be selected.

You can switch the operator to Or if you want equipment to match any one of your rules instead.

For more complex logic, click New Group to create a nested set of filters. Groups let you combine And and Or conditions together — for example, "Location Name contains Warehouse And (Type is Coffee Or Type is Snack)".

If you've previously activated or deactivated equipment by hand, those manual statuses take precedence over your sync rules.

To hand full control to the rules engine, turn on Clear manual overrides on all equipment before saving. This clears any manual active/inactive statuses you've set, so every item's status is determined by your rules going forward.

Leave this off if you want your manual changes preserved alongside the rules.

For more on equipment management, see Reviewing and Managing Equipment Status, Equipment, and Equipment Grouping. If your equipment syncs from a VMS, see also Cantaloupe Seed Integration and VendSys Integration.

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