Beta Testing

[Centripidity]

First let me apologise for asking so many questions in such a short space of time. I'm new to this and I have searched for answers but haven't found them.

How do those of you commercially releasing your modules go about getting them beta tested?

I haven't made anything worth offering to the world and don't have a commercial license but, assuming I have something in the future, how should I go about getting it beta tested? I assume my beta testers would have to have copies of VM and VMD installed but how do I get my modules to them? Do I have to email them the relevant folder and get them to open and build the modules? To test them in VM do they have to publish the module on their personal accounts or is there a way to publish a model to other, specific users?

Thanks,
Peter

[ColinP]

Welcome to the fun world of developing for VM.

When the time comes, post a request for testers on the forum with a rough description of what your module does. Then you'll need the email address of any volunteers (this needs to be the email they have registered with CA).

When you have a license then on your Dashboard you'll get a Team page that allows you to enter the email address and invite testers. If they accept the offer then you can make your stuff visible to them by putting your module into Beta using a button on your dashboard, It then automatically appears in their library under a special Beta category. It's all pretty easy to do and works well. Also testers don't need to have VMD.

When your module is finished, approved by CA and you release it then it is automatcally removed from testers' libraries but if you want you can email CA and request the module be gifted to your testers as a thankyou gesture.

[Centripidity]

Thanks, for the explanation Colin.

I'm developing modules for my own use so I'm not sure if it's worth the effort and cost to make them available to others. They might not be generally appealing.

Perhaps, I should post some examples here and get some feedback.

Peter

[utdgrant]

Hi Peter,

Welcome to the world of VM development. It's a very satisfying pursuit, even if it can make you obsessional at times!

I'm developing modules for my own use.

This is 100% the best motivation for going into module development. I would even go so far as to argue that it should be the only motivation.

Every module and bundle from Dome Music Technologies was developed precisely to fulfil a specific need of mine; to 'scratch an itch', as it were. If a module had already existed in the store with the required functionality, I would simply have bought it instead.

They might not be generally appealing.

My interests are very...singular!

I was genuinely gobsmacked by how popular the Audio Computing Engine was.
For a long time, it stayed at the #1 position in my sales charts.

Perhaps, I should post some examples here and get some feedback.

Absolutely! Never try to second-guess the weird tastes of the VM user base!

Grant

[Centripidity]

I just pushed the button and bought the commercial license. I've tried to publish a module but only the personal license option is available.

Does it take time for the commercial publishing option to become available?

[Centripidity]

I now see that my dashboard includes products I have published privately and gives me options to set price etc., and also answers question I had about help file URLs.

It also says that they have not been submitted for approval, which is good because they are far from ready, but it doesn't give me an obvious way to submit them. I'll keep looking, but am I missing something?

[Centripidity]

Perhaps more pressing, I can't see anything in the dashboard that let's me release a module to beta testers. Perhaps things have changed in this new, Nebula dashboard.

[utdgrant]

Do you have a drop-down with your 'personal' account and a 'commercial' account? I have two separate names. Ensure that the 'Package Name' field in your VMD project is set to your commercial company name.

CommercialDeveloper.png (47.26 KiB) Viewed 2121 times

Also, when you click on the 'eyeball' at the right of the products page row, does it take you to this screen?

PutInBeta.png (39.44 KiB) Viewed 2121 times

Here's what it looks like for a module I currently have in development, posted out for beta, but not sent for approval yet.

SubmitForApproval.png (5.47 KiB) Viewed 2121 times

[utdgrant]

You might find this thread useful, too.

[Centripidity]

At the moment my dashboard only shows me as a personal manufacturer. I have no separate commercial account available.

On the Dashboard homepage it still gives me the option to buy a commercial license but when I click on it the system says I already own it.

Does it just take time for CA to set it up?