Digital Workshop

I've been an Opus Presenter user for awhile now, and I am in the process
of evaluating Opus Pro.....

Using Opus Pro 05, I created and published a simple two page publication with an evaluation period of two days.

Then I changed the machine date to five days prior.

When I run the publication, the evaluation dialog displays an evaluation period of -5 (minus five) days, and the publication/evaluation period
continues. The evaluation publication will to run as long as the evaluation
period is negative.

A person could thwart the whole evaluation process simply by back-dating the machine date.

I changed the machine date by a year, and the there were -365 days to evaluate.

The evaluation period continues so long as the period is negative...

Is this a known bug ?

Steve Hawley

Hi Steve

This may help somewhat:

Since Opus Pro 05 is capable of scripting, you can probably write a brief script using the variable PUBLICATION_EVALUATION and specifying that, if its return value is greater than the number of days you wish to provide, it would trigger resetting the Change Publication Evaluation action to end/expire the evaluation.

However, this may not prevent an occasional user resetting their system clock back the same (or less) number of days as the evaluation is set for, each time they reach the end.

Take a look at these features in both the regular and scripting help files. Opus is super software providing enormous added versatility using scripting.

Hope this helps.

Kind Regards,
Stephen

Hi Steve

I took a further look at the actions I mentioned in my first reply: actually, no scripting needed (though it can be done that way, as well).

You would simply choose the "if" tab under actions, select the PUBLICATION_EVALUATION system variable, set to "greater than" whichever number of evaluation days, then add the Change Publication Evaluation as its sub-action (contingent on the "if" programming) and check "expire."

You could situate this action on the opening page of your pub with an "Pre-Show/On Show" trigger, so that it's checked each time the pub is opened. If the return value is "greater than," the pub becomes "expired."

Since I haven't tried this specific action out (though others that are similar), give it a try and see if it works. Additional forum members/DW staff may also have some suggestions.

Kind Regards,
Stephen

Hi Stephen, I'll give it try.

Still, I can't help thinking that in designing and coding the
evaluation period logic, that a usage period of zero, or less, would
be rejected. (It wouldn't have to force an expiration; it could simply
require that the machine date be updated.)

Thanks for your suggestions..

Hi Stephen,



Your suggestion should work, however, the PUBLICATION_EVALUATION is not being decremented as each day passes. Instead, it is being decremented when the days in the evaluation period are positive, as is normal, and incremented when the evaluation days are negative, (as when the machine date is changed). Essentially, if the date is changed to preceed the first run date, the evaluation period will never expire.

To prove this, I added the PUBLICATION_EVALUATION to a text box on my first page, and I watched it decrement when the period-days were positive, and increment when the period-days were negative.

This looks to be a DW programming issue...

Thanks