Here's a bug fix update of Simon, to version 5.0.1.

Please Note

• Simon 5 is a paid upgrade from Simon 4 or earlier.
• See the What's New in Simon page to learn more, including details of the many improvements in Simon 5.

Changes

• If there are a lot of tests, the loading panel now shows the progress.
• Fixed tests getting stuck in the "queued" state.
• Fixed a crasher when a test has an invalid notifier.
• Fixed a crasher when copying the data folder readme files in some localizations.
• Localization updates.

Want to try it?

If you are using the Setapp edition, it will handle that update for you.

If you are using the direct edition, you can use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download Simon 5 now!

Here's a beta bug fix update of Simon, to version 5.0.1b1.

Please Note

• Simon 5 is a paid upgrade from Simon 4 or earlier.
• See the What's New in Simon page to learn more, including details of the many improvements in Simon 5.

Changes

• If there are a lot of tests, the loading panel now shows the progress.
• Fixed tests getting stuck in the "queued" state.
• Fixed a crasher when a test has an invalid notifier.
• Fixed a crasher when copying the data folder readme files in some localizations.
• Localization updates.

Want to try it?

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Another day, another release. Here's a quick bug-fix update of Time Out to version 2.8.1, to fix one issue.

I received several support queries about not getting breaks after updating to 2.8. This version added a feature to automatically skip breaks if Do Not Disturb is on, but apparently a lot of people leave this on permanently, or when otherwise would like breaks. Since this was a new feature, I really should have defaulted the option to off, to not skip for DND.

So this update simply does that: it turns that skip preference off, both by default and for anyone who used 2.8. If you do want to skip for DND, you can turn it back on after updating to 2.8.1.

Sorry for the hassle for everyone affected by this oversight!

Want to try it?

If you are using the Mac App Store edition, you can update via the App Store app.

Similarly, if you are using the Setapp edition, it will handle that update for you.

If you are using the direct edition, you can use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download Time Out now!

I'm pleased to announce the general release of a major upgrade of my website and server monitoring app for macOS: Simon version 5.0.

Simon 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, Find filter improvements, a Server Result filter, an iMessage notifier, Speak Error notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 is a paid upgrade from Simon 4 or earlier.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 have already received a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions).
• The Simon License Agreement now allows sharing a license between multiple computers that you own. Each person in an organization still needs their own license.

Big Sur

• Simon is now a universal app for Apple M1 silicon and Intel on Big Sur; it also supports back to Sierra (10.12).
• Updated the app icon for the Big Sur squircle style.

• A fun little easter egg is that in addition to the icon "screen" showing static while loading, the knobs turn.
• Just for fun, changed the Dock icon unviewed indicator to a "BREAKING NEWS" TV-style chyron.
• Improved compatibility.

Simon now supports syncing via iCloud!

• The Simon data is not synced by default, but if the new Sync preference is enabled (see below), the data is moved to iCloud.
• Each test can be checked on a specific computer, but edited from any synced Mac.
• Notifiers can also be performed on a specific computer, but it doesn't have to be the same one, e.g. check a test on Mac 1, and notify on Mac 2 (or both).
• Manually starting a check, pausing, editing, etc can be done from any synced computer.
• When syncing, the computer that will perform the check is displayed in the tests list and logs, and is available as a sorting option.
• Note that the Preview is not available when viewing a test for another computer, since that might lead to confusing results.
• If Simon is quit on another computer, its tests show a power icon (semicircle with vertical line), or if not quit but not seen in a while, an unavailable icon (a circle with a slash through it).
• The data format has changed to support this, including splitting up the data files to be more efficient, and converting to JSON format.

Editor changes for syncing

• When editing a test with syncing enabled, the Test Options page now includes a new "check on" pop-up menu to choose on which computer to check the test.

• Similarly, the Test Notifiers page includes a pop-up menu to choose the computer to perform the notification, which doesn't have to be the same one.

• The summary page (non-editing mode) now also indicates the chosen computers.

New Sync preferences

• A new Sync preference pane includes buttons to turn syncing off and on. By default it is off, with data stored on your local Mac as before.
• When iCloud syncing is enabled, a list of computers that have accessed the data is displayed. It includes the computer name, the version of Simon, and when the data was first and most recently accessed.
• The computer names can be changed (this only affects how Simon displays them), or unwanted ones can be removed. They will re-appear if used again.
• An icon indicates the status of each computer, with the Mac type for the current computer, a green triangle for online computers, or a quit or unavailable icon as above.
• If syncing is enabled when there is already some Simon data in iCloud, you are asked if you want to use that data (discarding the local data), or replace that data (with the local data).
• If syncing is disabled when multiple computers are using iCloud, you are asked if you want to make a local copy, leaving the iCloud data intact.
• If syncing is disabled when this is the only computer using iCloud, the data is moved to the computer and removed from iCloud.
• A sync-related change: the preference to keep backups of data files has been removed, to avoid unnecessary syncing.
• Also, the auto-save frequency preference now uses a shorter time range, for more responsive syncing.

New Sync Setup Assistant

• When updating to version 5, or a fresh install, a Setup Assistant page will be displayed with the same options as the Sync preferences, to ask whether to store the data locally, or on iCloud.
• If you choose to keep the data on this Mac, it continues to work as in previous versions, and any existing iCloud data (if you chose differently on another Mac) is left intact.
• If you choose to sync when there is already some Simon data in iCloud, you are asked if you want to use that data (discarding the local data), or replace that data (with the local data).

Services, filters, and notifiers now organized into groups and recents

• On upgrade, the built-in services, filters, and notifiers will be moved into new groups, to better organize them.
• Any that you've already put in groups won't be moved, and any you have added also won't be touched.
• To avoid overwhelming you with options, the Test Editor pop-up menus on the Service, Filters, and Notifiers pages by default now only list items that are in active use, or recently added.
• That includes items that are used in the test being edited, any un-paused tests, or added in the past week.
• There is a new Show All Services (or Filters or Notifiers) item at the bottom of those menus to show all, organized by groups. That toggles to Show Recent Services to go back to the compact menu.

Web service changes

• Renamed the default "Web (HTTP)" service as "Web Page", to be more clear.
• When capturing the rendered source (via the option on the Other page), the <html> tags are now included.
• The default protocol is now "https://" instead of "http://".
• Now doesn't add "www." before a domain name if missing the ".com".

Added a new Simon Status service

• When you are syncing Simon data between multiple computers with the new sync feature, this new service enables checking the state of the Simon instances.
• You can choose to check all computers, or a specific one.
• The output of the service can be customized, including variables.
• Optionally Simon being quit and/or unavailable can result in a failure, with customizable error messages for each.
• A "Simon Status" service has been added to the data by default, to check all computers; you can customize what to check and output in the test editor, or add new services.

Added a new Link Checker filter

• This new filter will check multiple links to see if they are valid or invalid.
• For input, it can extract links out of HTML source from a web page, or a list of URLs separated by linefeeds or commas.
• It can scan only local links (within the same site), only remote links (to other websites), or both.
• A link is considered invalid if either the server can't be contacted, or the server reports an error (e.g. 404, page not found) when requesting the header (it doesn't load the actual content).
• It outputs a list of the found URLs, optionally with some text or emoji indicating it is valid or invalid, and/or the status code or error message.
• For the result, it can be always a success (for further evaluation of the output), or a failure if any local and/or remote links are invalid.
• A Link Checker filter is included in the default data for use with tests. More options can be configured by editing this filter (or adding new ones).

Added a new Server Result filter

• This new filter can be used with the Result Code input to detect an invalid HTTP result.
• If the input number is 400 or more, this makes the test check be a failure.

Powerful custom output for Find Regular Expressions filters

• When using Find First, Specific, or All Occurrences, the Output menu now includes a Custom option, that shows a field where text with replacement operators like $1 etc can be included.
• This can be used to search for multiple capture groups, e.g. "title":"(.+?)",".+?"department":"(.+?)", and output a custom formatted value that includes them, e.g. $1 ($2).
• This is different than the Find & Replace, as those replace the found text in the output, leaving the rest intact, whereas the Find ones output only the matches or their custom format.
• If a regular expression is malformed, and takes too long to evaluate, it now times out after 5 seconds.

Added an iMessage notifier

• This notifier can send an iMessage to a recipient if you already have a conversation with them in the Messages app.
• Contributed by Chris Copleston; available on the Simon Extras page for people using earlier versions.

Added a new Speak Error notifier

• This new notifier will read out loud the text of the last error that occurred.
• Especially useful when a failure or recovery occurs, though can be used with any test result.

Sound notifier improvements

• System sounds are now available to play.
• The sounds are now listed in alphabetical order.

Plus other service, filter, and notifier changes

• Fixed importing some malformed AppleScripts in the Script editor.
• Fixed the service, filter, etc kinds not being listed in alphabetic order.
• Fixed an issue where adding the default Block filter to a test might not be used.
• Renamed the Change filter as Any Change, to make it more clear what it's for: to detect any change that occurs in the input.
• Fixed an issue that prevented Script-based services from working in tests.
• Fixed an issue with the Email notifier that prevented the helper from starting.
• The File > Check Now menu item is now disabled for the Filters page, since it doesn't do anything there.
• Fixed trying a notifier (File > Notify Now) not working when the Preview is displayed.
• Tweaked the Preview placeholder messages for services, filters, and notifiers.

Report improvements

• Fixed reports not uploading as scheduled.
• If the preference to use simple status icons is enabled, the reports now use that style too.
• The report templates are now listed in alphabetical order.
• Tidied the report list content.

Removed some services and notifiers that are no longer supported

• Removed the Calendar notifier, as it used obsolete technology.
• Removed the Email Cycle service from the default data, as it can't receive email successfully (and hasn't for a while; clearly nobody uses it).
• Removed the Growl notifier, as it is obsolete. Use the Notification Center notifier instead.
• Removed the Mount service, as it used obsolete macOS features and would need significant changes to update.
• Removed the MySQL service, as it used a 32-bit helper that no longer works with Catalina and later.
• Removed the SMS notifier, as the third-party Clickatell connection doesn't work anymore, and the email-based option had significant issues; switch to using an Email notifier directly if needed.
• Removed the Specific DNS service, as it used obsolete macOS features and would need significant changes to update.
• Removed the Twitter notifier, as it hasn't been supported by macOS for a few years.
• Let me know if you used any of these; I could consider rewriting them with modern APIs if there's sufficient demand.

Added a Debug menu for rarely-used diagnostic options

• Added a Debug menu for options that were previously available only via defaults write Terminal commands.
• The Debug menu automatically appears for beta releases, and can be shown for general releases by holding down the Control, Option, and Command keys on app launch.

Plus several other improvements

• Simon now displays a small progress window while starting, since loading lots of tests, especially when syncing, can take a few moments.
• If a service is not available, e.g. is no longer supported, the service list now displays "unavailable", and the test editor now displays a similar message.
• Simon now prompts for approval to send Apple events, as required on recent macOS versions. Please approve this, otherwise the Email notifier and Script-based services won't work.
• The Setup Assistant now supports importing Safari and Chrome bookmarks.
• When using the Setup Assistant to import Safari bookmarks, now prompts for the bookmark file, if it can't be directly accessed due to macOS security restrictions.
• The contents of groups in the lists are now sorted properly.
• Fixed some summary labels being enabled when showing a group, where they don't apply.
• Fixed the status icon and Details column in the Activity log not containing the correct values.
• Fixed a layout issue where list contents could be too narrow.
• Fixed some crashers.
• Improved character encoding of report templates to work better with non-ASCII characters.
• Many localization updates.
• Improved dark mode support.
• Fixed the format of the Spotlight keywords.
• Updated for Big Sur (macOS 11) and Catalina (macOS 10.15), but still compatible back to Sierra (10.12).

Want to try it?

If you are using the Setapp edition, it will handle that update for you.

If you are using the direct edition, you can use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download Simon 5 now!

I'm pleased to announce the general release of an update of Time Out, my popular break reminder tool.

Version 2.8 includes several great enhancements, including a new option to end a break early, the ability to postpone breaks instead of skip them with app exclusions, support for Do Not Disturb for exclusions, a choice to show the time since the last break in the status item (instead of a countdown to the next one), support controlling the app via URL schemes, a new LCD Digital Clock theme, and much more.

Read on for details.

New option to end a break early

• Added a checkbox and interval picker to the Break Appearance page, to show a button to end the break early.
• If checked, at the specified interval after a break starts, a End Break Early button will appear in the control panel, enabling stopping the break.

• This is different than the Skip Break button, as it counts the break as done successfully; a distinction that matters if you care about the break statistics.
• The interval defaults to halfway through the break duration, but the amount and units can be changed as desired.
• When the End Break Early button appears, the Postpone and/or Skip buttons are hidden.
• Another use case is to set a long break duration, e.g. half an hour, but allow ending the break after a few minutes, to have variable-length breaks.

New option to postpone breaks for app exclusions

• Added a pop-up menu at the top of the Exclusions page to choose to postpone due breaks if an app exclusion applies when due, instead of skipping it.
• If one of the postpone intervals is chosen, when a break is due to start, and one of the specified apps is open or frontmost, the break will be rescheduled by the specified number of minutes.
• This was a popular request for people on Zoom meetings, to ensure they get their break soon after the meeting is over.
• The breaks will continue to be postponed until the exclusion no longer applies.
• Also renamed the When Open and When Frontmost options to be more compact, both to show more of the app paths, and because Skip When Open doesn't make sense with a postpone option.

Added an option to skip breaks when Do Not Disturb is on

• A new checkbox was added to the Exclusions page to also skip breaks when the macOS Do Not Disturb feature is on.
• Useful for important meetings when you don't want any interruptions, including breaks. If you always leave it on, you might want to disable this option.

Can now show the time since the last break in the status item

• Added options to the General preference for the status item, to show the time since the most recently completed break, instead of a countdown to the next one.
• Useful if you want to see at a glance how long you've been working.
• The icon can also show the label color of the last break that was done, instead of the next one due.
• The tooltip for the status item now also includes the time since each break was done.

Control Time Out via URL schemes

• A popular request: some functions of Time Out can now be controlled via URL schemes.
• timeout://break/micro/start will start the Micro break.
• timeout://break/micro/postpone1 to postpone the Micro break by the first postpone amount.
• timeout://break/normal/postpone2 to postpone the Normal break by the second postpone amount.
• timeout://break/mybreak/skip to skip "My Break"; use lowercase and omit spaces and punctuation for the break name in the URL.
• timeout://break/micro/reset to reset the Micro break.
• timeout://pause will pause breaks indefinitely.
• timeout://pause/10m will pause breaks for 10 minutes (use "s", "m", "h", or "d" units, or no suffix for minutes).
• timeout://resume to resume after a pause.
• timeout://preferences to show the Preferences window.
• Let me know if you want any other functions to be available via URL.

Other changes

• Added a LCD Digital Clock theme, that shows a nice old-school LCD-like digital clock.

• Updated the Pexels Nature theme.
• Added the option to not register a purchase in the Mac App Store edition, or defer registering. Registering the purchase with Dejal enables restoring it on any of your Macs; if you don't register, you'll have to purchase again if you install on another Mac, or wipe your current Mac.
• Entering your name is now optional when registering in the Mac App Store edition, or restoring a purchase in the direct or Mac App Store editions.
• Now prevents app expose during a break.
• If the Advanced option to disable switching breaks etc is enabled, continuing typing is now also prevented during breaks. (Let me know if you'd prefer this were a separate option.)
• When changing a break to start from fixed time on the Break Schedule page, the natural break option is changed to Continue Countdown, to avoid it drifting (you can change it back if you don't mind that, but it's a common support question).
• Fixed the screen fading when using the Ask When to Start schedule option with the None theme.
• Also fixed handling of Break Actions when Ask When to Start is used.
• Improved the layout of the Break Actions to avoid occasional drawing anomalies.
• The status window can now be displayed in all macOS Spaces, and the preferences window will move to the active Space when displayed.
• Added a check that the timers are still working, to diagnose an issue that one person reported.
• Fixed the Spotlight keywords of the app to use an array instead of a comma-separated string.

Want to try it?

If you are using the Mac App Store edition, you can update via the App Store app.

Similarly, if you are using the Setapp edition, it will handle that update for you.

If you are using the direct edition, you can use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download Time Out now!

Here's a second beta release of an update to Time Out, my popular break reminder app for macOS!

I don't plan on adding any more features for this update, so please help me test this new version.

This second beta includes some exciting improvements:

New option to end a break early

• Added a checkbox and interval picker to the Break Appearance page, to show a button to end the break early.
• If checked, at the specified interval after a break starts, a End Break Early button will appear in the control panel, enabling stopping the break.
• This is different than the Skip Break button, as it counts the break as done successfully; a distinction that matters if you care about the break statistics.
• The interval defaults to halfway through the break duration, but the amount and units can be changed as desired.
• When the End Break Early button appears, the Postpone and/or Skip buttons are hidden.
• Another use case is to set a long break duration, e.g. half an hour, but allow ending the break after a few minutes, to have variable-length breaks.

New option to postpone breaks for app exclusions

• Added a pop-up menu at the top of the Exclusions page to choose to postpone due breaks if an app exclusion applies when due, instead of skipping it.
• If one of the postpone intervals is chosen, when a break is due to start, and one of the specified apps is open or frontmost, the break will be rescheduled by the specified number of minutes.
• This was a popular request for people on Zoom meetings, to ensure they get their break soon after the meeting is over.
• The breaks will continue to be postponed until the exclusion no longer applies.
• Also renamed the When Open and When Frontmost options to be more compact, both to show more of the app paths, and because Skip When Open doesn't make sense with a postpone option.

Other changes

• Added a LCD Digital Clock theme, that shows a nice old-school LCD-like digital clock.
• When changing a break to start from fixed time on the Break Schedule page, the natural break option is changed to Continue Countdown, to avoid it drifting (you can change it back if you don't mind that, but it's a common support question).
• Fixed the screen fading when using the Ask When to Start schedule option with the None theme.
• Also fixed handling of Break Actions when Ask When to Start is used.
• Improved the layout of the Break Actions to avoid occasional drawing anomalies.
• The status window can now be displayed in all macOS Spaces, and the preferences window will move to the active Space when displayed.
• Added a check that the timers are still working, to diagnose an issue that one person reported.
• Fixed the Spotlight keywords of the app to use an array instead of a comma-separated string.

Want to try it?

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Renamed the Change filter as Any Change, to make it more clear what it's for: to detect any change that occurs in the input.
• Fixed the status icon and Details column in the Activity log not containing the correct values.
• If a service is not available, e.g. is no longer supported, the service list now displays "unavailable", and the test editor now displays a similar message.
• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Fixed an issue where adding the default Block filter to a test might not be used.
• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Announcing the first beta release of an update to Time Out, my popular break reminder app for macOS!

This first beta includes:

Added an option to skip breaks when Do Not Disturb is on

• A new checkbox was added to the Exclusions page to also skip breaks when the macOS Do Not Disturb feature is on.
• Useful for important meetings when you don't want any interruptions, including breaks. If you always leave it on, you might want to disable this option.

Can now show the time since the last break in the status item

• Added options to the General preference for the status item, to show the time since the most recently completed break, instead of a countdown to the next one.
• Useful if you want to see at a glance how long you've been working.
• The icon can also show the label color of the last break that was done, instead of the next one due.
• The tooltip for the status item now also includes the time since each break was done.

Control Time Out via URL schemes

• A popular request: some functions of Time Out can now be controlled via URL schemes.
• timeout://break/micro/start will start the Micro break.
• timeout://break/micro/postpone1 to postpone the Micro break by the first postpone amount.
• timeout://break/normal/postpone2 to postpone the Normal break by the second postpone amount.
• timeout://break/mybreak/skip to skip "My Break"; use lowercase and omit spaces and punctuation for the break name in the URL.
• timeout://break/micro/reset to reset the Micro break.
• timeout://pause will pause breaks indefinitely.
• timeout://pause/10m will pause breaks for 10 minutes (use "s", "m", "h", or "d" units, or no suffix for minutes).
• timeout://resume to resume after a pause.
• timeout://preferences to show the Preferences window.
• Let me know if you want any other functions to be available via URL.

Other changes

• Added the option to not register a purchase in the Mac App Store edition, or defer registering. Registering the purchase with Dejal enables restoring it on any of your Macs; if you don't register, you'll have to purchase again if you install on another Mac, or wipe your current Mac.
• Entering your name is now optional when registering in the Mac App Store edition, or restoring a purchase in the direct or Mac App Store editions.
• Updated the Pexels Nature theme.
• Now prevents app expose during a break.
• If the Advanced option to disable switching breaks etc is enabled, continuing typing is now also prevented during breaks. (Let me know if you'd prefer this were a separate option.)

More coming!

• This is a beta release, and more improvements and fixes will be added in subsequent betas.
• If you have any requests, let me know via the contact form or the Dejal Subreddit.

Want to try it?

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several more changes for localization updates.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS. It is now feature-complete; the latest few updates have basically just been for the localizers.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several more changes for localization updates.
• Fixed rare crasher.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several changes for localization updates.
• Removed the Mount and Specific DNS services, as they used obsolete macOS features and would need significant changes to update. If you used them, please let me know!

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Changes

• Several changes for localization updates.
• Updated the Simon License Agreement to allow sharing a license between multiple computers that you own, so you only need to buy one copy of Simon for each Mac you sync under your iCloud account. Each person in an organization still needs their own license.
• Plus other tweaks.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, with no further features being added now, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is a beta release, with significant changes. It should be safe to use now; it isn't likely to change too significantly before the general release.
• Please help me test it, to ensure a quality general release.
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 automatically get a version 5 license (that also works in previous versions); no upgrade needed.

Services, filters, and notifiers now organized into groups and recents

• On upgrade, the built-in services, filters, and notifiers will be moved into new groups, to better organize them.
• Any that you've already put in groups won't be moved, and any you have added also won't be touched.
• To avoid overwhelming you with options, the Test Editor pop-up menus on the Service, Filters, and Notifiers pages by default now only list items that are in active use, or recently added.
• That includes items that are used in the test being edited, any un-paused tests, or added in the past week.
• There is a new Show All Services (or Filter/Notifiers) item at the bottom of those menus to show all, organized by groups. That toggles to Show Recent Services to go back to the compact menu.

Other changes

• Several changes for localization updates and dark mode improvements.
• Plus other tweaks.

Want to try it?

It's getting nearer to general release, so I welcome more testing at this time.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is an early beta release, with significant changes. Probably best to wait for the general release, unless you're keen. Use with caution!
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 are eligible for a free upgrade; contact Dejal for details.

Powerful custom output for Find Regular Expressions filters

• When using Find First, Specific, or All Occurrences, the Output menu now includes a Custom option, that shows a field where text with replacement operators like $1 etc can be included.
• This can be used to search for multiple capture groups, e.g. "title":"(.+?)",".+?"department":"(.+?)", and output a custom formatted value that includes them, e.g. $1 ($2).
• This is different than the Find & Replace, as those replace the found text in the output, leaving the rest intact, whereas the Find ones output only the matches or their custom format.
• If a regular expression is malformed, and takes too long to evaluate, it now times out after 5 seconds.

Report improvements

• Fixed reports not uploading as scheduled.
• If the preference to use simple status icons is enabled, the reports now use that style too.
• The report templates are now listed in alphabetical order.
• Tidied the report list content.

Sound notifier improvements

• System sounds are now available to play.
• The sounds are now listed in alphabetical order.

Want to try it?

Please read the warnings and release notes above before jumping in. This is a beta release, not ready for primetime quite yet.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is another beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Please Note

• This is an early beta release, with significant changes. Probably best to wait for the general release, unless you're keen. Use with caution!
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 are eligible for a free upgrade; contact Dejal for details.

Added a Debug menu for rarely-used diagnostic options

• Added a Debug menu for options that were previously available only via defaults write Terminal commands.
• The Debug menu automatically appears during the beta, but can be shown during a general release by holding down the Control, Option, and Command keys on app launch.

Other changes

• Fixed an issue that prevented Script-based services from working in tests.
• Fixed an issue with the Email notifier that prevented the helper from starting.
• Fixed a layout issue where list contents could be too narrow.
• When using the Setup Assistant to import Safari bookmarks, now prompts for the bookmark file, if it can't be directly accessed due to macOS security restrictions.
• Improved syncing.
• Fixed some crashers.

More coming later

• I wanted to get a beta release out so brave people can begin kicking the tires. There is more planned for version 5.
• Don't expect rapid updates; it will slowly improve over the next few months, and go into general release when deemed ready.
• Please let me know of any issues you find via the contact form or the Dejal Subreddit.

Want to try it?

Please read the warnings and release notes above before jumping in. This is a beta release, not ready for primetime quite yet.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!

Here is a third beta release of Simon, my website and server monitoring app for macOS.

Simon version 5 is a massive update, introducing a much-requested feature: syncing the Simon data between multiple Macs, plus a Simon Status service, a Link Checker filter, an iMessage notifier, and much more.

Version 5.0b3 includes a redesigned app icon in the Big Sur style. Yes, I just got the icon updated for the squircle style, but I didn't like the old icon in a squircle, so decided to try again, with a completely new icon. It is inspired by the previous one, modeled after an antique TV, but now slightly more modern:

Please Note

• This is an early beta release, with significant changes. Probably best to wait for the general release, unless you're keen. Use with caution!
• If you find any issues with this beta release, please let me know!
• Simon 5 requires a minimum of macOS 10.12 (Sierra).
• Simon 5 will be a paid upgrade from Simon 4 after the beta period.
• Purchasers since September 1, 2020 are eligible for a free upgrade; contact Dejal for details.

Big Sur

• Updated the app icon (again) for the Big Sur squircle style.
• A fun little easter egg is that in addition to the icon "screen" showing static while loading, the knobs turn.
• Just for fun, changed the Dock icon unviewed indicator to a "BREAKING NEWS" TV-style chyron.

Other changes

• Tweaked the Preview placeholder messages for services, filters, and notifiers.
• Fixed trying a notifier (File > Notify Now) not working when the Preview is displayed.
• Fixed the format of the Spotlight keywords.

More coming later

• I wanted to get a beta release out so brave people can begin kicking the tires. There is more planned for version 5.
• Don't expect rapid updates; it will slowly improve over the next few months, and go into general release when deemed ready.
• Please let me know of any issues you find via the contact form or the Dejal Subreddit.

Want to try it?

Please read the warnings and release notes above before jumping in. This is a beta release, not ready for primetime quite yet.

If you are using the direct edition, you can change your Updates preferences to include beta releases, then use the Check for Updates feature in the app to update.

Otherwise, download the beta now!