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Exception List

Exception Lists let you define a custom set of rules for blocking or allowing specific websites that your other filtering rules do not cover. Each entry can target a full domain, a subdomain, or part of a URL, and wildcards let a single entry match multiple URLs at once.

Use an Exception List whenever one website or domain needs to behave differently from the category it belongs to:

  • Games are blocked, but one educational game needs to be available. Add the game's URL to an Exception List as allowed.

  • Google Sites stays open for classwork, but students find a gaming site hosted there. Add that site to an Exception List as blocked.

  • YouTube is blocked, but one video is required for a lesson. Add the video's URL to an Exception List as allowed.

An Exception List has the highest priority of all filters, so its entries override the rules set by your other filters.

To access the Exception List page, click Content Filtering from the Main Menu, then click Filters from its sub-menu. On the Filters page, click Exception List listed under Web Filters.

Exception List Page

Important

After making any changes to your content filtering or policies, click the Update Policies on All Clients Buttonbutton in the Action Bar at the top of the page to apply the changes.

Creating an Exception List

To set up an Exception List, create the list, add the URLs you want blocked or allowed, then configure the settings that apply to it.

To create and configure an Exception List:

  1. Type a name for the list in the Enter list name text box, then click the Create List Button button. The new list appears on the Exception List page.

    Enter List Name Section

    List of All Exception Lists

  2. Click the Edit Icon button in the same row as the new list. The Edit Exception List page opens.

    Edit Exception List Page

  3. Configure the following settings for this list:

    • Image Blurring for This List - Sets whether to blur images on the websites in this list. Select INHERIT (default) to follow the image blurring settings of the policy the list is applied to, ON to always blur images, or OFF to never blur them.

    • Filter Embedded Content - Set whether to apply filtering to embedded content on the websites in this list, such as YouTube videos, iframes, and widgets. Select ON (default) to block embedded content, or OFF to allow it.

  4. Type a URL in the Enter URL text box, click Block or Allow, then click the Add to List Button button. The URL is added to the list.

    Enter URL Text Box

    Tip

    You can add a note to any new Exception List entry. Notes appear to the right of the URL, next to the date added.

Note

You can also add URLs in bulk by clicking the Import URLs Button button and uploading a CSV file. Refer to the Importing URLs into an Exception List section for the full procedure.

Using Wildcards

A wildcard, or asterisk (*), is a placeholder representing zero or more unknown characters in a URL. Using wildcards helps you refine which URLs are blocked or allowed without listing each one individually. The position of the wildcard determines which part of the URL is variable.

Important

Entries higher on the Exception List take priority over entries below them. Refer to the Reordering Entries section.

Using Wildcards With URLs

There are a couple of rules as to where to place the wildcard to block or allow specific URLs, sub-domains, or paths. Refer to the example using apple.com below, showing how the position of the wildcard affects which URLs are matched.

  • *apple.com - Matches the domain, all of its subdomains, and all of its paths. It also matches any domain ending in the same characters, such as notapple.com. This works the same as *apple.com*.

  • apple.com* - Matches the domain and all of its paths, but not its subdomains. The domain must match exactly, so notapple.com is not matched.

  • *apple.com* - Matches any URL that contains apple.com anywhere, covering both subdomains and paths.

  • *.apple.com - Matches the domain along with all of its subdomains and paths, such as apple.com, music.apple.com, and apple.com/store. Unlike *apple.com and *apple.com*, it does not match notapple.com.

Note

Some URLs appear within other URLs - for example, go.com within lego.com, or x.com within hbomax.com. In these cases, be cautious when blocking or allowing entries with a wildcard in front of the domain (such as *x.com or *x.com*), as the pattern may match more URLs than intended.

Using Wildcards With Keywords

Wildcards can also be used to block individual keywords appearing in a URL. Wrapping the keyword in wildcards blocks any URL containing that keyword, including URLs where the keyword appears as part of another word. Refer to the examples below.

  • *game* - Also blocks URLs containing mathgames, coolmathgames, or boardgames.

  • *bet* - Also blocks URLs containing alphabet, diabetes, or sherbet.

  • *round* - Also blocks URLs containing roundabout, around, or ground.

  • *pot* - Also blocks URLs containing spot, potato, or depot.

Tip

Adding keyword wildcards to the Exception List also blocks search engine queries. When a student searches for a blocked keyword on Google or another search engine, the search URL contains the keyword (e.g., google.com/search?q=games), which the wildcard then matches.

Managing Entries in an Exception List

You can manage the entries in an Exception List by adding new ones to an existing list, editing or reordering existing entries, locking an entry, or deleting it.

To manage your Exception List entries, click the Edit Icon button to open the Edit Exception List page.

Edit Exception List Screen

Tip

To find a specific entry in a long list, type in the Search URLs box. Any matching entries appear as you type.

Adding Entries to an Existing List
To add entries to an existing Exception List:

  1. On the Edit Exception List page, type a URL in the Enter URL text box.

    Enter URL Text Box

  2. Click either the Block or Allow button based on your desired action.

  3. Click the Add to List Button button. The entry is appended to the bottom of the list.

Editing an Entry
To edit an Exception List entry:

  1. On the Edit Exception List page, locate the entry to edit and click it. A text box opens allowing you to edit the entry.

    Edit Exception List Entry

  2. Make your changes, then click the Save button.

Reordering Entries

The order of entries on an Exception List determines their priority - entries higher on the list take priority over those below them. For example, if you add *games* as a blocked entry and *coolmathgames.com* as an allowed one:

  • If *games* is above *coolmathgames.com*, coolmathgames.com is not accessible.

  • If *coolmathgames.com* is above *games*, coolmathgames.com is accessible.

Note

New entries are always appended to the bottom of the list, which gives them the lowest priority.

To reorder entries on the Exception List:

  1. On the Edit Exception List page, locate the entry to reorder, then click and drag it to the desired position.

  2. Click the Save List Order Button button to save changes.

Tip

Alternatively, click the Reorder Entry Button button to open the Move URL window and enter the new position for the entry.

Locking an Entry

Locking an entry prevents delegates from assigning any Exception List that contains it to their delegated organizational units.

To lock an entry, locate it on the Edit Exception List page and click the Lock Entry Button button to the right of it. Click the Unlock Entry Button button to unlock it again.

Locked and Unlocked Exception List Entries
Deleting an Entry
To delete an entry from the Exception List:

  1. On the Edit Exception List page, locate the entry to delete and click the Delete Entry Button button to the right of it.

  2. Click OK in the confirmation window. The entry is permanently removed from the list.

Managing Exception Lists

You can manage your Exception Lists by renaming, duplicating, merging, or deleting them, and review the history of changes made to a list. All of these actions can be performed directly on the Exception List page.

Exception List Page
Renaming an Exception List
To rename an Exception List:

  1. On the Exception List page, locate the list to rename and click its name. The list name opens in an editable text box.

    Rename Exception List

  2. Make your changes, then click the Save button.

Duplicating an Exception List
To duplicate an Exception List:

  1. On the Exception List page, locate the list to duplicate and click the Duplicate List Button button. The Duplicate List window opens.

    Duplicate List Window

  2. Enter a name for the new list in the text box, then click OK. The new list appears on the Exception List page.

Note

The duplicate is an exact copy of the original, including all entries, their order, block or allow state, notes, and lock status. The original Exception List is not removed upon duplicating.

Merging Exception Lists
To merge multiple Exception Lists into one:

  1. On the Exception List page, click the row of each list you want to include in the merged list. Selected lists are highlighted in blue.

    Marked Exception List Entries

  2. Click the Merge Lists Button button at the top of the Exception Lists section. The New Merged List window opens.

    New Merged List Window

  3. Enter a name for the merged list in the Enter name... text box, then click the Create List Button button. The merged list appears on the Exception List page.

    Tip

    Entries are grouped by their original list, and those groups are ordered alphabetically by the original list names. Because entries higher on a list take priority, check the order of the merged list and reorder it if needed. Refer to the Reordering Entries section.

Note

The merged list contains all entries from the original lists, including their block or allow state, notes, and lock status. The original Exception Lists are not removed upon merging.

Deleting an Exception List

Warning

Deleting an Exception List is a permanent action. Deleted lists along with their entries cannot be recovered.

To delete an Exception List:

  1. On the Exception List page, locate the list to delete and click the Delete Entry Button button to the right of it.

  2. Click OK in the confirmation window. The Exception List is permanently removed from the list.

Reviewing the History of Changes

Each Exception List has its own History of Changes, an audit trail showing changes made to the list, including who changed it and when.

To review the history of an Exception List, locate the list on the Exception List page, then click the History of Changes Button button to the right of it. The History of Changes window opens, displaying a table of the changes made to the list.

History of Changes Window
The following information is provided:

  • Date - The date and time the change was made in the following format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM

  • User - The email address of the account that made the change.

  • URL - The entry that was changed or added.

  • Note - The note attached to the entry. If no note was added, a / is displayed instead.

You can filter the table by note, text, or date by typing in the search box. Matching results appear as you type.

Note

If no changes have been recorded for the Exception List, the window displays There is no history record for this list instead. This also appears for imported lists that have not been changed manually.

Importing and Exporting

You can import an entire Exception List, including its name and all entries with their blocked or allowed state, or import entries into a list that already exists.

Exports work the same way. You can export all of your Exception Lists at once, or export the entries of a single list. The two exports produce different file formats.

All imports and exports use CSV files.

Importing Exception Lists

Warning

This procedure imports complete lists. Each line in the file creates a new Exception List, so a file containing 100 lines creates 100 lists. To add entries to a list you already have, refer to the Importing Exception List Entries section.

You can import one or more Exception Lists at once from a single CSV file. Each imported list appears on the Exception List page alongside your manually created lists.

Prerequisites

The CSV file name must contain only letters and numbers, with no spaces or special characters.

Each Exception List and all of its entries must be written in a single line, in the following format: exception list name,URL,1 or 0,URL,1 or 0, ...

Use 1 to block a URL and 0 to allow it. To import several lists at once, write each list in its own line.

For example, the following imports two Exception Lists. The first blocks youtube.com and allows any URL starting with vimeo.com. The second allows any URL containing dailymotion.com.

Exception List 1,youtube.com,1,vimeo.com*,0
Exception List 2,*dailymotion.com*,0
Example of a CSV File
To import Exception Lists:

  1. On the Exception List page, click the Import Lists Button button above your Exception Lists. A file browser window opens.

  2. Select a CSV file on your device, then click Open. The imported Exception Lists appear on the Exception List page.

Importing Exception List Entries

Warning

This procedure adds entries to an existing Exception List. To import complete lists, refer to the Importing Exception Lists section.

You can import new entries into an existing Exception List from a CSV file. Imported entries are added to the list of existing entries, if any are already on the Exception List, and appear at the bottom.

Prerequisites

The CSV file name must contain only letters and numbers, with no spaces or special characters.

Each entry must be written in its own line in the following format: URL,1 or 0

Use 1 to block a URL and 0 to allow it.

For example, the following imports four entries into your Exception List.

google.com,0
*youtube.com*,1
khanacademy.org,0
coolmathgames.com,1
Example of a CSV File
To import entries into an Exception List:

  1. On the Exception List page, click the Edit Icon button to the right of the Exception List you want to add the entries to. The Edit Exception List page opens.

  2. Under the Import URLs section, click the Import URLs Button button. A file browser window opens.

    Import URLs Section

  3. Select a CSV file on your device, then click Open. The imported entries appear in the Exception List.

Exporting Exception Lists

You can export every Exception List on your Admin Dashboard to a single CSV file. The exported file uses the same format as the one used for importing, with each list in its own line: exception list name,URL,1 or 0,URL,1 or 0, ...

Example of a CSV File

To export all your Exception Lists, click the Export Lists Button button above your Exception Lists on the Exception List page. The file is downloaded to your device.

Exporting Exception List Entries

You can export the entries of a single Exception List to a CSV file. Unlike a full export, the file does not include the list name, and each entry is written in its own line in the following format: URL, 1 or 0, MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM, note, true or false

Each entry contains the following:

  • URL - The entry as it was added to the list, including any wildcards.

  • 1 or 0 - Whether the entry is blocked or allowed. 1 blocks the URL, 0 allows it.

  • MM/DD/YYYY HH:MM - The date and time the entry was added.

  • note - The note attached to the entry, if any.

  • true or false - Whether the entry is locked or unlocked.

Example of a CSV File

To export one Exception List, locate the list to export on the Exception List page, then click the Export Exception List Button button to the right of it. The file is downloaded to your device.