I tried everything to get the test mode to work, but to no avail...tried sending it without clicking a newsletter category, but had to select one.  Everyone on the list received one in my test cases, though it was in "test mode."

Test mode checked...test email included...smtp clearly working.

What's the deal?

John,

Hi. Well yes the purpose of test mode (by design) is really to offer the most 'realistic' approach to testing a distribution but instead of each email going out to the specified recipient it should go to the test email instead. The downside here is that if you have 5000 emails in the distribution list you test with, it will distribute the email (should be sent to the test email specified though) for each email in the list.... Thats a lot of email. The up side is that you can review each one if you wanted to check for accuracy etc... We have plans in the future to 'Limit test mode to xx number of emails' setting. For now what I would do is create a opt in distribution list that is not actually displayed on any of the opt in modules, name the list 'Distribution Test' and only add a few emails to the list. When testing you can distribute to that test email list instead of testing one of the larger opt in lists.

Now, from your question though you say 'Everyone on the list received' do you mean the test email received a copy for every email on the list (how it should work) or do you mean that the actual recipient received the email (shouldn't do this!). If its the latter, did you use scheduling or send it right then?

-Chad

"limit test mode to xx number of emails?" I thought the purpose is to "test" an email release behind closed doors to ensure it looks and feels like we want BEFORE sending it to anyone else?

I selected "test mode." I entered an email address to send the test newsletter.  I constructed the email. I am forced to select an email list. People subscribed to that email list receive the test email and not the address I entered for the test email. Make sense?

I did not use the schedule feature; I just went into test mode, entered a test email address, sent the mail. The test email did not go to the test email address, but instead to the people on the list.

Sure, a work around would be create a hidden list and send test emails to that list, so no one else sees them, but then what is the purpose of using "test mode" and entering a test email address? This is simply subscribing to a list and emailing people on the list.

If I have to create an opt-in list no one sees to test, then test mode is not really a working feature, no?

Ahhh, yes, that makes more sense; this reminds me of the 'wrap text' wording that is confusing, too, as you click yes and it doesn't wrap the text.

I envisioned test mode sending out the email ONLY to the email entered in the test email field and none of the other subscribers. But now I understand the purpose.

Given that I am not up to using the scheduler yet (still building, so the 24 emails aren't a strain on the system) , I'll go with your previous suggestion and create a text category, leave it hidden, have the host account subscribe to it, and fire off the email to the test group, then. (or I guess I could just play around with the scheduler).

Thanks for the clarification. I didn't know it was constrained to the scheduler and not a general setting for all emails, scheduled or not.

Hi,

we did try to send a newsletter in test mode, but the email did leave to the entire list. Also, the tracker and opt out token left unmodfied.

We already have people complaining about it.

Quite a disastrous experience I must say. That's the kind of bug you really can't leave unfixed. Time for a code checkup.

Update: we've identified the problem: the asynchronous mode seems to override test mode + does not update tokens. Can you please check that?