Object key delimiters

The E-mail Listeners application uses an object key delimiter to identify the incoming e-mail message as an existing ticket.

Object key delimiters specify characters on either side of the service request key in the subject line of incoming e-mail messages. The default value in the Object Key Delimiter field is ##. For example, service request number 1009 is represented as ##1009##, with no spaces before or after the service request key.

You can change the default value, and replace the value before and after the ticket ID with other characters. There are no restrictions regarding the characters that you can use. However, the delimiter must be unique. Choose characters or symbols that are not frequently used. For example, you use + as the object key delimiter, and a user sends an e-mail message with the subject line: +1003+ Having problems with printer + network. The preprocessor cannot identify the substring because the object key delimiter symbol occurs multiple times in the subject line.

When you send e-mail messages that reference existing service requests, place the characters that you choose as the object key delimiter before and after the service request key. The preprocessor class extracts the string that is bounded by the object key delimiter characters, which identifies an existing service request. If a string is recognized, the preprocessor stores it in the object key column in the e-mail listener staging table. If no string is recognized, the preprocessor leaves the object key column blank.

Object key identifier

An object key identifier is the ID of a record. The object key identifier can be a sequence that is generated. For example, object key identifiers can be 1001, 1002, and so on.