Ignore orders before a date or order number

Use this guide if you’re moving to Filemonk from another app or platform and older orders were already delivered. You set a cutoff date, a cutoff order number, or both, and Filemonk ignores any order placed before that point, so those customers don’t get download links or licence keys a second time.

A cutoff helps you:

• Avoid sending old orders again: customers who bought before you switched apps don’t get a second download email.
• Keep your Orders list clean: older orders don’t clutter your Filemonk Orders list.
• Protect your licence keys: new licence keys aren’t used up on old orders that already have keys from your previous app, including when you upload a new batch of keys.

Before you begin

• The cutoff only affects orders Filemonk receives after you set it. It doesn’t undo anything already processed, so set it before you start rather than after.
• The cutoff applies to imports too, including Import orders, Find order and Bulk import. Orders before it can’t be imported while it’s set.

Choose your setup

Use	When
Date	You know the date you switched to Filemonk
Order number	You know the last order your previous app delivered and want an exact boundary

You can fill in both. If you do, Filemonk skips an order that is before either cutoff.

Set it up

1. Click Filemonk in the left menu of your Shopify admin.

2. Click Settings in the app’s menu, then open the Orders tab.

3. Scroll to Ignore old orders, below Post-purchase upsells.

4. Fill in one or both fields:

   1. Orders placed before: pick the date you started using Filemonk, in YYYY-MM-DD form. Orders placed before it are skipped. Its help text reads “Leave blank to disable.”
   2. Orders below this number: enter the Shopify order number as digits only, without any prefix. For example, enter 88984 for order #SM88984. Orders with a lower number are skipped.

5. Click Save in the save bar at the top of the page.

   

Leave a field blank to turn that rule off.

What happens to skipped orders

• Filemonk doesn’t create download links or assign licence keys for them.
• They don’t appear in your Filemonk Orders list.
• They can’t be brought in with Import orders, Find order or Bulk import, because the cutoff applies to imports too.

Orders already in Filemonk keep their access, their download links keep working, and keys they already have stay with them. But an order from before the cutoff that is still waiting for a licence key won’t take one from keys you add later, so a new batch goes to newer orders. To give an old order a key, add it by hand. See Assign new keys to an order.

Check your setup

Place a test order and confirm it’s processed normally, since it’s after your cutoff. See Create a test order.

Troubleshooting

Old orders still got download emails

They were processed before you set the cutoff. The cutoff only applies to orders Filemonk receives afterwards. To stop access on those orders, see Disable access to downloads for any order.

A new order didn't get download links

The cutoff date or order number is set too late. Check both fields in Ignore old orders, correct the value, and click Save.

An old order won't import

The order is before your cutoff. Clear or lower the cutoff and click Save, import the order, then set the cutoff again. See Import missing orders.

The order number cutoff doesn't seem to work

The number was entered with its prefix. Enter only the digits, for example 88984 instead of #SM88984.

FAQ

Does the cutoff remove access for orders already in Filemonk?

No. It only affects orders Filemonk receives after you set it. Existing orders and their download links aren’t changed.

Will old orders take keys from a batch I upload after setting the cutoff?

No. Orders before the cutoff that are waiting for a key are skipped, so new keys go to newer orders. A key you add by hand to one order is still assigned. See Assign new keys to an order.

Can I remove the cutoff later?

Yes. Clear both fields and click Save. Orders skipped while the cutoff was on aren’t processed automatically, so import any you need.

What's the difference between this and importing orders?

They do opposite jobs. Importing brings older orders into Filemonk so customers can download. The cutoff keeps older orders out, including out of imports. See Import orders.

I'm moving from another app. Where do I start?

See Switch from another app to Filemonk, then set the cutoff to the date you switched.

Related guides

• Switch from another app to Filemonk, where this decision usually comes up.
• Import orders, the opposite approach.
• Import missing orders, to bring in a specific order after lowering the cutoff.