I started working on an updated version (V4) of my Email package last April but due to family illness I did not have much time to continue with it. I have finally managed to find time over this festive period to complete and packaged it up for trial.
An many will remember, my email scripts were originally written for Homeseer 1 and uses old Windows COM objects to read emails from the servers. In reality, the entire package needs a total re-write using new .NET components to bring it totally up to date. Due to the sheer effort and time needed, this is currently not possible. For some reason, there is still a fan base for this package so I have decided to continue to support the existing code for the time being. Hopefully with V4, it should be possible to change the code to support Homeseer 3. Most of the limitations of recent developments can still be overcome including the use of STunnel as a SSL wrapper and adding a single OCX file (supplied) to Windows 7 & 8 installations.
One of the most common issues raised with version 3 was the sheer number of settings available which made things look more complex than it actually was. In this version, I have removed many from the ini file and set them internally to default values. If you are a tinkerer, or want to use some of the advanced features, these are still available but will need to be added manually.
In many respects V4 is very similar to V3. All web pages have been given an overhaul with new icons and cleaner interface. The main email checking script has now been converted to a standalone client (exe file). This takes most of the strain away from Homeseer when checking for new email and should be more responsive.
Several new features have been added but also several old features have been removed. This include:
Added optional encryption to mail server passwords
Added support for image blocking in HTML emails
Added alternative side-by-side view to list/view emails
Added support for only announcing emails with defined strings in the subject heading.
Added better printing support for displayed emails
Added a single multi-purpose and powerful email triggering method from a number of email metrics.
Removed printing of emails from defined addresses
Removed the old triggered script methods
I decided to provide a new directory naming structure so that you can also install V4 with V3 installed. Both will work independently (provided you use different virtual device codes) and you can stop using V3 once you have configured V4 correctly.
If you would like to try the new version before release (to help find any bugs etc), please send me an email.
An many will remember, my email scripts were originally written for Homeseer 1 and uses old Windows COM objects to read emails from the servers. In reality, the entire package needs a total re-write using new .NET components to bring it totally up to date. Due to the sheer effort and time needed, this is currently not possible. For some reason, there is still a fan base for this package so I have decided to continue to support the existing code for the time being. Hopefully with V4, it should be possible to change the code to support Homeseer 3. Most of the limitations of recent developments can still be overcome including the use of STunnel as a SSL wrapper and adding a single OCX file (supplied) to Windows 7 & 8 installations.
One of the most common issues raised with version 3 was the sheer number of settings available which made things look more complex than it actually was. In this version, I have removed many from the ini file and set them internally to default values. If you are a tinkerer, or want to use some of the advanced features, these are still available but will need to be added manually.
In many respects V4 is very similar to V3. All web pages have been given an overhaul with new icons and cleaner interface. The main email checking script has now been converted to a standalone client (exe file). This takes most of the strain away from Homeseer when checking for new email and should be more responsive.
Several new features have been added but also several old features have been removed. This include:
Added optional encryption to mail server passwords
Added support for image blocking in HTML emails
Added alternative side-by-side view to list/view emails
Added support for only announcing emails with defined strings in the subject heading.
Added better printing support for displayed emails
Added a single multi-purpose and powerful email triggering method from a number of email metrics.
Removed printing of emails from defined addresses
Removed the old triggered script methods
I decided to provide a new directory naming structure so that you can also install V4 with V3 installed. Both will work independently (provided you use different virtual device codes) and you can stop using V3 once you have configured V4 correctly.
If you would like to try the new version before release (to help find any bugs etc), please send me an email.
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