Rules Tester
CodeTwo Exchange Rules comes with a feature called the Rules Tester. It is designed to allow you testing your deployed rules behavior on virtual emails, so you can check what happens with a particular email without actually sending it. Within the Rules Tester, one can modify several parameters of the message such as message format (HTML, RTF, Plain Text), formatting, attachments, senders, recipients, insert images, tables, etc.
Important
You do not need to save your changes using the Submit changes button before you open the Rules Tester - it always takes your current configuration.
To open the Rules Tester, click its tab in the main window of the program (Fig. 1.).
Fig. 1. Opening Rules Tester.
The Rules Tester looks and works in a similar way to Microsoft Outlook. The left pane shows the list of virtual test mailboxes, which by default consists of five mailboxes.
Tip
Please note that whilst creating a new message, you may either use one of the predefined test mailboxes or pick one from your domain (Fig. 2.).
Fig. 2. Choosing sender.
The central pane shows the list of messages that are present in the particular folder (Inbox, Sent Items, Drafts) within the selected mailbox. The right pane is used to preview the messages from the central pane (Fig. 3.).
Fig. 3. Preview of the chosen message.
To send a test email choose one of the predefined mailboxes and click New. A window of a new message will appear (Fig. 4.).
Fig. 4. Window for composing test messages.
Tip
You can change the mailbox from which the message will be sent by clicking From field.
Next choose the Recipient of the message via To button. Additionally you may also add recipients in the CC field.
Tip
You can define more than just one recipient for a single message. To select the sender click From and choose a user from the recently used, from Active Directory or provide the email address manually.
Next, in the Subject field provide the subject of the message and compose the body of the message. The toolbar of a new message contains several options. You can use them to change the look of the font, set the format of the message (HTML, RTF or Plain Text) or add other elements such as images or tables (Fig. 5.). As some of your rules may be executed only in particular periods of time, you can simulate the date when your message is sent.
Fig. 5. Options for composing mail.
Once you finish composing the message, click Send. If the senders and recipients included in the test message do not have mailboxes in the Mailbox list pane, these mailboxes will automatically be created.
Now select the recipient's inbox and check if the sent message have worked as intended. In addition, you can track how the message is processed by CodeTwo Exchange Rules and how the rules are applied. Right click the message in the inbox of the recipient and choose Processing Trace or use the button located on the top menu. (Fig. 6.).
Fig. 6. Opening the processing trace for selected message.
The Message Processing Trace window (Fig. 7.) opens in a new browser's tab and contains the list of processed rules and actions executed on the message.
Fig. 7. Processing trace report opened in a browser.
To remove a mailbox or a message from the Rules Tester, highlight it and click Remove button in the ribbon.
See next
Server Monitor - this article describes how to manage the access rights of users who use the Administration Panel to control the program.