NEW RELEASES - I have some VERY exciting enhancements in store for Testify! To protect your interest in the product, please consider paying for the product within a two-week evaluation period. Give it a real workout, and I'm sure you'll be pleased! Send in your registration, along with enhancement requests, and I'll do everything I can to help improve it further. Wait too long and I'll likely be off on some other project...forgetting how this thing works <grin>.
Where to use Testify
--------------------
Testify should be placed just before TabbyNet SendNews in the Tabby Robot and
main Event strings (Tabby Maint).
Is Testify free?
---------------
Testify 3.1 is ShareWare. I've spent a phenomenal amount of time enhancing it
and debugging it. It's been well tested on my BBS, and I feel completely
justified in asking $12.50 for it. When I make significant enhancements
(changing from 2.8 to 3.0 was a good example) to Testify, you may be asked to pay the difference in upgrade cost. Understand that this small cost is my
incentive to improve the product.
Send your $12.50 to:
Glen Stewart
1434 Rollins
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
Further questions may be answered by contacting me on my BBS, The Association:
313-695-6955, or via e-mail on FidoNet 1:2240/174 or via InterNet at
Glen.Stewart@f174.n2240.z1.ieee.org
******************************
Testify 3.1 has these features:
- AutoKill of files specified in an AutoKill.List file in the Tabby folder.
The sysop can comment each line of the list for future reference (aren't the
FidoNet filename conventions strange?) and can delete files by size limit or
if they simply exist. See the included example file for details.
- Time sharing! Testify gives priority to the needs of other applications for
CPU time. It can be placed in the background for continued operation, while
other processes run in the forefront. The window can also be moved aside if
this is desireable. No need to force Testify to the background though,
because it is NOT a CPU hog when in the foreground.
- Improved launch.next handling! Testify now does a fantastic job of launching
the next file in the event sequence listed in launch.next. (see release notes
at bottom for details)
- A DISTRIBUTE command, kind of like a batch ATTACH feature is now available
to you and users on your BBS! Look at the following example:
Outgoing message...
From: Joe Shmoe
To: DISTRIBUTE, <any fake node>
Subject: zzWoof.cpt
2605/611
130/1003
282/24
2605/620
---
The sysops you DISTRIBUTE files to see this e-mail message...
_________________________
(1/1): File: DISTRIBUTED
Name: Joe Shmoe, 123/456
Date: Sun, Apr 18, 1993 4:28:02 PM
The following file was distributed to your system:
zzWoof.cpt
_________________________
Note that Testify uses the message senders name in each message, rather than
"Sysop", used by Tabby Robots distribution mechanism.
- a CUT LINK command! This is one of the most powerful commands I've written
for Testify. The CUT LINK function will completely remove every file and
reference to a given node number anywhere in the Tabby environment. Packets,
04/18/93 15:51:26 Testify - ATTACH: flight of bumblebees.mod.cpt
04/18/93 15:51:27 Testify - program ending
It would be possible to have an "Authorization" file, containing the names of
users who may and may not use FREQ and ATTACH, but I feel this can be handled
between the sysop and his users. If users aren't told this utility exists, it
will remain for Sysop use. You get the idea.
History
-------
April 11, 1993 - Testify 1.0 released. This version was purely a "signature"
adder, with the origin line and tag added to e-mail.
May 1, 1993 - Testify 2.0 began daily use on my BBS. This version included
FREQ and ATTACH functions. Feedback from the net indicated that the potential
410 character signature was excessive. The general rule (unspoken, usually) is
that the tag must never exceed the message length. Maintaining a one-line tag
would solve this problem. Thus...
May 15, 1993 - Testify 2.5 was released with all the features noted above -
adding NodeSwap and Tag randomizing instead of the signature file. The origin
line is now left permanent, as set by Tabby Maint.
May 20, 1993 - Testify 2.6 released. This was a bug fix release. Some users
reported that Testify started, then didn't seem to do anything. Very thorough
error checking has been added to the code, and only "Generic" & "Tabby Config"
are absolutely required for Testify to run its course - even then it will
report the error, either in the Tabby Log or in its own ERROR report (in the
case of Generic missing). Also added GEcho to the list of remote echo feed
command names that are dealt with. If I had tested Testify 2.5 on a less
active BBS, I would have found these bugs much sooner )-: This copy of Testify
also fixes the printer alert problem, which is actually a compiler 'bug'.
May 22, 1993 - (2.65) Ray Leninger notified me of trouble (still) with Testify on his system. Looking into it, I discovered yet another bug that has followed
Testify through since 2.0...I'd been using the Generic file path string to
steer Testify to the Tabby folder AND Generic Export file - a major mistake,
since many systems don't have the Tabby folder in the same folder as Generic
Export! I've rearranged the error result codes and logging to flow with the
fix, and decided to release 2.65 to get everyone satisfied with the product
before adding the next major feature. I appreciate your patience! Note the
new mention of FREQ passwords in that section of the docs above.
June 4, 1993 - (2.7) The NodeSwap.List format has been changed! The new delimiter is a TAB instead of a space. You can now use 'aliases' instead of node numbers if your BBS supports it. See the expanded doc's above for examples. I found that Testify 2.65 would not gracefully quit without a Tabby folder present. I revamped the code to handle this. A blank line is now placed between the message body and the random tagline. You no longer have to do this manually (I got into that habit with older versions, did you? <grin>). If the Origin.List is not present in the Tabby folder, no Tag will be appended to the "...Testify 2.7: " string (which remains as a message handler signature).
Finally, the expiration date for unregistered copies of Testify is now set
before September. The software is good enough to warrant a shorter evaluation
time. Testify is now using 32-bit compatible code.
June 7, 1993 - (2.75) one of those old pesky bugs finally showed up, thanks to feedback from Michael Connick and Ray Leninger. On some systems where the Generic Export/Import and related files are not stored alongside TabbyNet, the FREQ and ATTACH functions would not create the 'sendfiles.bbs' files where they belonged. This is now fixed.
July 9, 1993 - (2.8) added the NoAreaTag.List file and function, which allows you to shut off the taglines for particular echoes. Also added better handling of the launch.next function to help a problem reported by a Telefinder sysop. Error reporting has been thoroughly tested and enhanced once again. Testify is also now much friendlier to other system activities if you go by the book (-:
September 11, 1993 - (3.0) One sysop reported that Testify would fail to launch the next event. This portion of the Testify code was based on work done by Mike Lininger, and has now been improved. Sysops using these other Tabby utility versions should watch for similar trouble: Export 3.21, Import 2.55, Mantissa 1.0, SunDial 2.1. The first bug I located could cause the launch.next file to become corrupted with random characters. The second bug could cause a file error which would launch the program listed in the Tabby Maint configuration dialog. Another unrelated fix, now in Testify 3.0, was an interaction problem between it and another Tabby utility which balked at the idea of an empty Generic Export file (which Testify was creating when no Export file existed). This has been fixed, and Testify runs a bit faster. Note, however, that time-sharing takes a toll on Testify processing speed in general.
Unregistered Testify 3.0 users will now be alerted when their version expires.
Finally, note that FREQ and ATTACH functions now place the Subject line into the first line of the related messages. See examples above, if necessary.
October 30, 1993 - (3.1) Added AutoKill feature. Everything else is running smoothly, so no bug fixes needed.
