MailBounce Version 5.4
New Features

Quick Summary of Changes:

• Global Remove File: Essentially the "opposite" of the Ignored file, the Global Remove File allows you specify addresses that should always be removed from your mailing lists, regardless of whether the addresses bounced.

• Outlook Express Mail Folders: MailBounce can now process Outlook Express mail folders directly -- i.e., you do not have to save or export your bounces or address lists from Outlook Express; you can simply tell MailBounce where the mail folders are located, and leave the messages right in the folders.

• LetterRip Bounce Digests: MailBounce has always recognized LetterRip bounce digests, but v5.4 will now convert the bounce digests into mail spool format "on the fly," thereby allowing unrecognized bounces to be exported from the digests.

• Fuzzy Matching: The fuzzy matcher is now significantly smarter, and can match a much broader range of addresses. The fuzzy matcher's sensitivity level is now user selectable, and can be set to High, Medium, Low, or turned off entirely.

• Redirected Addresses: "Subscribe" commands for redirected addresses may now optionally be placed in the same server file(s) as the unsubscribe commands, for servers that support that feature.

• Extended Unsubscribes: MailBounce has long had the option to process "unsubscribe" requests embedded in your bounce files; v5.4 extends this capability to include the increasingly common forms of "remove me" requests -- e.g., "remove me from this mailing list", "please take our address off this list", etc.

• Preferences Chaining: You may now specify, in the Preferences file, another Preferences file to execute once the current file has finished processing. In this manner, multiple Preferences files may be daisy-chained, and each one will execute as a completely separate configuration from the other files.

• Macintosh Files: New files created by MailBounce on the Macintosh platform will now be created as "SimpleText" files, instead of generic documents. Macintosh users may optionally specify type and/or creator codes other than SimpleText.

• Functionality Change: When exporting bounces, if there are no unrecognized bounces to export, the export file is left blank. (Previous versions would write a notification message into the file.)

Bug Fixes

The following bugs have been fixed in v5.4.1:

• If "update subscriber file directly" was selected in the Preferences file, MailBounce would fail to display the actual number of entries that were removed from the subscriber file.

• If multi-list processing was activated and address matching was turned off, then bounce addresses would be written to the server file(s) in the first configuration only; server file(s) for subsequent configurations would be blank, unless address verification was turned back on.

• In the UNSUB-handling routine (while processing the bounce file), MailBounce could potentially scroll forward to the header block in the next bounce message, and extract the user's address off the wrong "From:" line. This situation could occur if a valid "From:" line was not found in the header of the current message.

• Setting the "server type" in the Preferences file to "manual" could result in a display-buffer overflow, which could cause MailBounce to bugcheck.

• v5.4.1: A bug in the "update subscriber list directly" code, which could cause a blank subscriber list to be written out, has been fixed.

• v5.4.1: A "Pro" pointer reference in the Lite version, which could cause the Lite version to bugcheck during address matching, has been fixed.

Global Remove File: Essentially the "opposite" of the Ignored file, the Global Remove File allows you specify addresses that should always be removed from your mailing lists, regardless of whether the addresses are present in the bounce file. This feature is very useful if your list server does not provide an automated means of blocking specific addresses or domains from your mailing list. For example, the Global Remove File allows you to remove list archivers, "problem" subscribers, or even entire domains from your mailing lists whenever you process bounces. Refer to the Global Remove File documentation for details on this feature. (Pro version only)

Outlook Express Mail Folders: MailBounce can now process Outlook Express mail folders directly -- i.e., you do not have to save your bounces or address lists as separate files from Outlook Express; you can simply tell MailBounce where the relevant OE mail folders are located, and leave the messages right in the folders (no need to save them as a separate file). MailBounce will open and read the mail folders directly, and will also convert them into mail spool format "on the fly." This allows you to optionally have MailBounce export all unrecognized bounces to a separate file whenever it is processing OE mail folders. Refer to the File Formats documentation for details on this feature.

Note: Since OE for Macintosh and OE for Windows use slightly different file formats, it is necessary to specify which you are using. Refer to the Preferences documentation for details on specifying these options.

Also note: MailBounce has long had the ability to process Eudora mailboxes directly; in fact, if you are using Eudora, it is recommended that you process the Eudora mailboxes directly. Eudora mailbox formats are identical on both Macintosh and Windows.

LetterRip Bounce Digests: MailBounce has always recognized LetterRip bounce digests, but v5.4 will now convert the bounce digests into mail spool format "on the fly," thereby allowing unrecognized bounces to be exported from the digests. Note: Since LetterRip's bounce digests and its daily "list" digests use the same format, it is not currently possible for MailBounce to distinguish between a message in a bounce digest and a message in a list digest. Thus, if your bounce digest contains a list digest, MailBounce will treat all of the messages in the list digest as "unrecognized bounces," and will write them into the unrecognized bounces file. This is not a bug; there is simply no means of distinguishing between a list message in a daily digest and an unrecognized bounce in a bounce digest.

Fuzzy Matching: The fuzzy matcher is now significantly smarter, and can match a much broader range of addresses. In addition, the fuzzy matcher's sensitivity level is now user selectable, allowing you to choose the maximum "fuzziness sensitivity" at which addresses will be matched. Of course, as you increase sensitivity, you also increase the chance of incorrect matches -- so be sure to select a fuzziness sensitivity that you are comfortable with. The current sensitivity levels are HIGH, MEDIUM, LOW, and OFF ("off" turn off fuzzy matching entirely). Note: The fuzziness sensitivity level that MailBounce has used up through v5.3 is equivalent to the "LOW" setting in v5.4. (Pro version only)

Redirected Addresses: A "redirect" is a bounce message in which a new address is provided for the user; MailBounce will automatically remove the old address, and will optionally subscribe the new address for you. The subscribe (or "add") requests for the new addresses have typically been placed into a separate file from the unsubscribe requests. Since some list servers permit both subscribe and unsubscribe commands in the same mail message, MailBounce now provides the option of writing both the subscribes and the unsubscribes into the same server file, thereby reducing the number of files that must be mailed to the server. (Pro version only)

Extended Unsubscribes: MailBounce has long had the option to process "unsubscribe" requests embedded in your bounce files; v5.4 extends this capability to include the increasingly common forms of "remove me" requests -- e.g., "remove me from this mailing list", "please take our address off this list", etc. In order to enable this option, you must first have the "process unsub requests" setting in your Preferences file set to 'YES'. Then just set the new "extended unsubscribe checking" option to 'YES', and you are ready to process "remove me" requests.

Note that the heuristics for the "remove me" filter can lead to false positives -- that is, it is possible that one of the text fields could appear in a subscriber's message even though the subscriber is not actually asking to be removed from the mailing list. Thus, it is recommended that this option be used only for "announcement" (i.e., one-way) lists, where the list content is relatively well controlled. (Pro version only)

Preferences Chaining: Previously, if you wanted to run entirely separate MailBounce configurations (e.g., multiple mailing lists for which you need to maintain separate tracking files), it was necessary to launch separate instances of MailBounce. With Preferences Chaining, however, you may now specify (in the Preferences file) another Preferences file to execute once the current file has finished processing. In this manner, multiple Preferences files may be daisy-chained, and each one will run as a completely separate configuration from the other files.

Note: If files for each configuration are in different directories or folders, you will have to specify the correct paths to those files. The paths may be specified as either absolute paths (i.e., starting at the disk or partition name and working down to the file name) or relative paths (i.e., starting at either the folder in which MailBounce resides (Mac/Windows) or the current default directory (Unix) and working up and/or down to the file).

Preferences Chaining will terminate once MailBounce completes a Preferences configuration in which no follow-on Preferences file has been specified. Specifying a Preferences file within itself will cause MailBounce to loop indefinitely; unless you have some reason for doing this, I'd recommend against it. ;-) (Pro version only)

Macintosh Files: In the past, new files created on the Macintosh were created as "CodeWarrior" files, which typically showed up as generic documents. Starting with v5.4, new files are created as "SimpleText" files. In addition, Macintosh users may specify type and/or creator codes other than SimpleText, based on their personal preference (e.g., by setting the creator code to "R*ch", new files will be created in BBEdit format). Type/creator codes for existing files will not be modified; these settings apply only to new files that MailBounce creates.

Also, Macintosh file names are now checked to ensure that they are 31 characters or less; an error will be displayed if the file name exceeds the 31-character limit, informing the user that the file name must be shortened. (Previously, long file names simply resulted in an "Unable to open file" error, with no explanation.)

Preferences File Changes and Additions:

Changes to Existing Settings: The keywords for the following settings have been changed as shown. These changes are solely for clarity, and do not represent any changes in the function or capability of those features.

SEPARATE FILE FOR REDIRECTS
    has been changed to
SEPARATE BCC FILE FOR REDIRECTS

CONFIGURATION FILE NAME
    has been changed to
MULTI-LIST CONFIGURATION FILE NAME

SERVER TYPE
    has been changed to
LIST SERVER TYPE

New Preferences Settings: The following settings are new with MailBounce v5.4, and represent new functionality. See the "New and Changed Features" section for general information about each feature.

In each case, the default value for the setting will be shown, with options for that setting shown either to the right or immediately after the setting. Each setting is linked to its description in the Preferences documentation files.

SEPARATE SERVER FILE FOR REDIRECTS = 'YES'  ! Options: YES, NO

This setting will allow you to select whether subscribe commands from redirects will be placed into the same server file as your unsubscribe commands. Prior to v5.4, all subscribe commands were placed into a separate server file; you may now combine them into one file if your list server supports that capability.

USE GLOBAL REMOVE FILE = 'NO'  ! Options: YES, NO
GLOBAL REMOVE FILE NAME = 'global_remove_file.txt'

These settings allow you to enable or disable the Global Remove File, and set the name of the file. (You need to set the name only if you are enabling the Global Remove File.) Refer to the Global Remove File documentation for details on this feature.

BOUNCE FILE FORMAT = 'TEXT'

This setting allows you to specify the file format for your bounce file. For example, if your mail client is "Outlook Express," and you are saving your bounces in a particular OE mail folder, then you no longer need to "Save" or "Save As" those messages to a separate text file in order to have MailBounce process them; instead, you can simply tell MailBounce that the file is an OE mail folder, and MailBounce will read in the folder directly.

If you are not sure of the format of your bounce file, then set this option to 'TEXT'.

Valid settings are:

     bounce file format = 'TEXT'
     bounce file format = 'OE FOR MACINTOSH'
     bounce file format = 'OE FOR WINDOWS'
     bounce file format = 'OUTLOOK EXPRESS FOR MACINTOSH'
     bounce file format = 'OUTLOOK EXPRESS FOR WINDOWS'
     bounce file format = 'EUDORA'
     bounce file format = 'SENDMAIL'
     bounce file format = 'SPOOL'
     bounce file format = 'MAIL SPOOL'
     bounce file format = 'EIMS'
     bounce file format = 'LETTERRIP'

Refer to the File Format Options file for more information on the BOUNCE FILE FORMAT and SUBSCRIBER LIST FILE FORMAT settings. There is also information on Outlook Express compatibility in MailBounce, and instructions for finding your OE mail folders.

SUBSCRIBER LIST FILE FORMAT = 'TEXT'

Similar to the BOUNCE FILE FORMAT, this option allows you to specify the format for the address listing for your mailing list. The options are identical except for 'LetterRip Digest', which is not available for the subscriber list file:

     subscriber list file format = 'TEXT'
     subscriber list file format = 'OE FOR MACINTOSH'
     subscriber list file format = 'OE FOR WINDOWS'
     subscriber list file format = 'OUTLOOK EXPRESS FOR MACINTOSH'
     subscriber list file format = 'OUTLOOK EXPRESS FOR WINDOWS'
     subscriber list file format = 'EUDORA'
     subscriber list file format = 'SENDMAIL'
     subscriber list file format = 'SPOOL'
     subscriber list file format = 'MAIL SPOOL'
     subscriber list file format = 'EIMS'

Refer to the File Format Options file for more information on the BOUNCE FILE FORMAT and SUBSCRIBER LIST FILE FORMAT settings. There is also information on Outlook Express compatibility in MailBounce, and instructions for finding your OE mail folders.

FUZZY MATCHING SENSITIVITY = 'LOW'

This setting selects the sensitivity level for the fuzzy matcher; lower settings are less prone to error, but are also less likely to remove some forms of addresses. The higher levels will match a wider range of address formats, but are more prone to false positives (i.e., errors). Valid settings are:

HIGH -- Maximum fuzziness, will match the widest range of addresses. Highest risk of error.

MEDIUM -- Moderate fuzziness; this is a good "compromise" setting, since the risk of error is minimal, but it still matches a wide range of address formats.

LOW -- This is the most conservative fuzzy-matching setting, and is basically the same level of fuzziness that MailBounce has used up through v5.3. If you were comfortable with that level of performance, and want to stay with it, then use this setting.

OFF -- Turns off fuzzy matching entirely. Not recommended in most situations.

Note that MailBounce will automatically set this setting to 'LOW' when it upgrades your Prefeferences file; this is effectively the same level of fuzzy matching as MailBounce has classically used.

EXTENDED UNSUBSCRIBE CHECKING = 'NO'  ! Options: YES, NO

This setting enables or disables the "extended" checks for people who are trying to unsubscribe from your mailing list; these checks include the usual "remove me from this mailing list" and "take my address off your mailing list" requests, plus a host of other formats. You must first enable the "PROCESS UNSUB REQUESTS" option in the Preferences file in order to use this feature.

NEXT PREFERENCES FILE = 'next_prefs_filename.txt'

This setting allows you to specify the next Preferences file for MailBounce to process ("Preferences Chaining"). This file will be opened and processed as soon as MailBounce finishes processing the current file.

MacOS FILE TYPE = 'TEXT'
MacOS FILE CREATOR = 'ttxt'

Applicable to Macintosh users only. These settings allow you to define the format for any new files that MailBounce creates. Default settings are for "SimpleText" files (shown above), which is the format that will be used if you remove these commands from your Preferences file. Any other four-character type/creator codes may be used (e.g., setting the creator code to 'R*ch' will cause new files to be created in "BBEdit" format). Coming in v6.0: You will be able to specify the name of the application, and MailBounce will set the appropriate creator code.

Upgrading:

• Your Version 2.2 Prefs file (compatible with MailBounce v5.2 and 5.3) will be updated to Version 2.3 (compatible with MailBounce v5.4) the first time you run MailBounce v5.4. If you are upgrading from MailBounce v5.2 or 5.3, simply drop the new MailBounce version into the folder where your Preferences file is located (on Unix systems, copy it into the directory where the previous version of MailBounce was located), and launch the application. Your Preferences file will be updated automatically the first time that you run the new release. Be sure to customize the new Preferences settings to suit your processing requirements.

  New in Version 5.4: If you are running a multi-list configuration, MailBounce and Setup Assistant will now update your multi-list configuration file when your Preferences file is updated.

• If you are upgrading from a version of MailBounce prior to v5.2, then you should use the Setup Assistant application (included with the MailBounce distribution) to update your Preferences file.

MailBounce Legalese (the short form):

MailBounce Lite is freeware; you are free to use it and redistribute it for free as much as you like. You may not charge a fee to redistribute MailBounce (in any form), unless you have previously obtained permission from Smart Mail Solutions, Inc., to do so. Please refer to the MailBounce License file for detailed license information.

I'd like to thank my current beta testers for their support of the MailBounce beta-test program. Without them, I could never have proven out the MailBounce betas under such diverse conditions. As it stands now, the program has been extensively tested; nevertheless, if you run across a bug, please report it!

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