Welcome to the Official BPA Usage Website
Latest Version: v1.8.9
News

 

BPA Usage v1.8.9 Released - Tuesday 8th March, 2005

BPA Usage has been updated to be compatible with the new BigPond Usage Meter.

Added: 'Unlimited' tag which is visible when your mouse hovers over the tray icon and the tool tip appears

Added: The password field is now protected against 'password unmasking' software which may be used to reveal most password boxes

Changed: All usage information is now displayed using dynamic metrics.

Changed: Minor interface cosmetic changes

Changed:  Removed 'Last Time Usage Recorded', as it is no longer supported by the BigPond Usage Meter

Changed:  Changed 'Last Time Usage Updated' to the last time BPA Usage retrieved an update successfully

Changed:  Changed default balloon tool tip format to a new layout to resemble the new variables available.

Fixed: The 'update is available' dialog is no longer shown if BPA Usage is unable to access the internet, which triggered false update notifications on occasion.

Fixed: Supports the new usage meter, now retrieving up to date usage information

Fixed: Updated the service status screen to reflect the changes to the BigPond service status webpage

The tool tip will automatically be reset to this new format; you may alter the format under the Program Configuration dialog

Removed: 'Usage History' help information in Web Help (F1 key or Help button in the main screen), no longer supported


BPA Usage v1.8.8 Released - Saturday 24th July, 2004

Fixed: If you exceed your allowance on the Unlimited plan, the BPA Usage tray icon now reflects
being over your 10 GB limit as designed.

Please note that you should alter your Balloon Tooltip information so that
it correctly displays usage details when clicking on the tray icon.

To reset your balloon tooltip, visit the ‘Program Configuration’ tab and select the ‘Balloon Setup’ option
from the left-hand menu, then click ‘Default Balloon’.
 

BPA Usage v1.8.7 Released - Friday 12th March, 2004

BPA Usage 1.8.7 has been released as a minor update to the previous (1.8.6) version.
This update simply alters the automatic account plan detection settings in BPA Usage so it may officially support the new Telstra broadband plans.

This was the only change in the minor update.
Need help or feedback on the new version? Email me by visiting the Contact page.

BPA Usage v1.8.6 Released - Saturday 10th January, 2004

BPA Usage 1.8.6 has been released as a minor update to the previous (1.8.5) version.
This update corrects support for the 'Service Status' window that displayed invalid status messages due to a Telstra website redesign.

This was the only change in the minor update.
Need help or feedback on the new version? Email me by visiting the Contact page.

BPA Usage v1.8.5 Released - Friday 2nd January, 2004

BPA Usage 1.8.5 has been released, adding support for the new BigPond plans and a range of new enhancements.

Added: Two new variables (%delayedyesno and %delayedmessage) to determine if usage statistics are delayed or not

Added: Ability to edit Hotlinks in the Hotlink configuration window

Added: Added support for the new 0MB and Unlimited BigPond plans

Changed: 'Alt+O' is used to select the 'Total Usage' display to remove the conflict with the estimated/usage statistics toggle button

Changed: 'Alt+P' is used to select the 'Split Usage' display to remove the conflict with the 'Save & Close' button

Changed: Increased the maximum allowed value to be entered in the rule editor from 4 to 6 characters (for unlimited plans)

Changed: Plan selection is now automatically detected, there is no need to select a plan anymore.

Changed: Increased the maximum value that may be entered in the rule wizard from 9,999 MB to 999,999 MB

Fixed: Re-worded the two services listed in 'Service Status' to their new names according to Telstra.com

Fixed: Corrected a possible error that would occur if you entered an invalid username in the initial setup wizard

Fixed: Numerous cosmetic errors

Fixed: Numerous bug fixes

Need help or feedback on the new version? Email me by visiting the Contact page.

BPA Usage v1.8.0 Released - Sunday 1st June, 2003

Finally, BPA Usage 1.8.0 has been released, to be compatible with the new Telstra usage meter!
There have been many changes in BPA Usage in order to account for the new usage meter.

Added: New Rule: "My Downloaded Usage" - Your downloaded usage

Added: New Rule: "My Uploaded Usage" - Your uploaded usage

Added: Total, uploaded and downloaded usage is available for viewing from the configuration panel.

Added: Four new variables have been added to retrieve total, uploaded and downloaded usage, and display any extra
                usage (in MB) incurred.

Added: Setup Wizard now replaces the "Welcome" message dialog you initially receive when installing BPA Usage for the first time, and
                guides you through the setup process.

Changed: Renamed "My Rated/Bill Extra Charges" to "My Extra Usage Charges"

Changed: Optimized information retrieval process to improve speed and reliability of information updates

Changed: "Show Rated" and "Show Unrated" buttons have been replaced with "Total Usage" and "Split Usage" respectively

Changed: Toggling between Total and Split usage uses cached information to remove the need to refresh the usage information.
                    Usage information may still be updated by clicking the "Refresh" button and via the automatic update intervals.

Changed: Replaced the list item "Internet Direct" with "Telstra Internet Direct" in both the Service Status and Service Alerts to
                    reflect changing of the name.

Fixed: "Test Rule" no longer produces an error when testing a combination of set rules.

Removed: "My Unrated Usage" and "My Rated/Bill Usage" Rule options

Removed: "Usage History" is no longer available in BPA Usage due to the change of the new meter, may be added at a later stage.

Removed: "Account Name" from main interface is no longer available.

Please be aware that if you had previous rules set that used the Unrated, Rated or Extra charges method then those rules will be deleted.
You may recreate your rules with the new variables, as rated and unrated usage information is now obsolete.

Need help or feedback on the new version? Email me by visiting the Contact page.

Note: Please also be aware of the new Bug Report feature located on the top-right menu of the website highlighted in blue.
Using this method to report bugs is far more efficient and allows both you and myself to keep in contact on issues that arise and resolve
any bugs reported as soon as possible.


BPA Usage Update - Sunday 25th May, 2003

The next version of BPA Usage is not too far away.

The initial version will simply be an update to the current (and not working) version of BPA Usage
to be compatible with the new Telstra Usage meter.

The update will include the introduction of a few more variables to the balloon and alert messages (current downloads, uploads and other information) as well as replacing the old rule entries with new rule entries that are compatible with the new usage meter.

In a future release, possible support will be added for the display of hourly and daily usage information (as per the Telstra website) and other new features.

Thanks to those who have been emailing me wondering about an update and providing me with some feedback, its appreciated.

You will receive an update notification through BPA Usage as usual when a new version is released, so if a new one does come out you will know within a week of its release.

If you have any queries or would like to contact me, feel free to email me at

BPA Usage v1.7.1 Released - Tuesday 1st April, 2003

This small release fixes a few bugs that are in the 1.7.0 release of BPA Usage. 

Fixed: All menu actions that are performed on the BPA Usage tray icon (left click/right click/double click) should now work correctly for users using large display fonts (120dpi vs. 96dpi). Thanks goes to Niko Miletic for locating the cause of this long standing bug! Fixed: Sorting the Usage History list after viewing other months usage history would sometimes other month’s usage statistics to appear in the list, has been fixed.
Fixed: The month name "Feb" has been changed to "February" in the Usage History window when viewing February’s usage log.
 
This update is just to correct some outstanding issues with the current version of BPA Usage.
The next update will take place after the release of Telstra's new usage meter website which will be unveiled on May 1st.


BPA Usage v1.7.0 Released - Wednesday 15th January, 2003

New features and changes are included in this update:
Added: "Estimated Daily Allowance", "Estimated Month's Usage" and "Estimated Additional Charges" options to the rules editorAdded: 'Display as balloon tooltip' option in the rule editor as a format to displaying a message promptAdded: New variables: %estimateddaily, %estimatedmonth and %estimatedcharges usage variables
Added: You may now use variables in your rule editor message promptsAdded: You may now sort by 'Date' and 'MB Used' in the Usage History tab Changed: Variables are no longer case sensitive Changed: Spelling corrections in the variable help windowChanged: The 'Date' field of the Usage History window now shows the dates in a nicer format
                   (Wednesday 01, Jan becomes Wednesday, 1st January) Changed: Re-worded some captions in the Add/Edit Rule Wizard
Fixed: You can no longer edit entry's in the "Usage History" window Fixed: In the 'Add Rule' Editor, based on what you select as your rule action, the correct measurement
              is shown beside the 'The Value:' caption (MB or $) Fixed: Corrected a bug that displayed the wrong wizard text in the Add/Edit Rule Wizard when clicking the Previous button in some cases Fixed: The Finish button now has focus when completing the Add/Edit Rule Wizard

The update is available via the auto-updater, Select 'Update Now' in the BPA Usage Updates tab.

New Feature Notes
The new variables %estimateddaily, %estimatedmonth and %estimatedcharges hold the estimated daily
statistic, estimated monthly statistic and estimated additional charges respectively.
You may view the syntax for these variables by clicking on the 'Program Configuration' tab>Balloon Setup>Variable Legend button.

For rules that use message boxes/balloons (newly added in this update) to display warnings, you may use variables.
Example: Setting the rule 'If my unrated usage is equal to or greater than 500 MB' and selecting the action:
Message: Usage is at %unratedusage MB!'
Would display the message and replace the variables with their value accordingly.

BPA Usage v1.6.2 Released - Wednesday 23rd December, 2002

This update includes additional features and bug fixes:
Added: Web-based help system - Press F1 on any BPA Usage screen to access help related
    to the current screen. You may also click the Help button on the Configuration PanelAdded: Total Months usage for the selected month is now available in the 'Usage History' tabAdded: You may now change the BPA Usage tray icons to an icon of your choice
Added: There is now an exceeded allowance icon that is displayed when you exceed 100% of your account allowance. Changed: Slightly altered the appearance of the current tray icons Changed: Replaced the 300MB Plans with 500MB Plans (which are effective 1/12/2002)Changed: 5GB and 10GB additional usage cost figures updated for cost calculations (which are effective 1/12/2002)Changed: Code and memory optimizations
Fixed: Checking the Usage Estimations at the last day of the month will no longer give you an errorFixed: Estimated Usage Allowance now accounts for usage in the last day

Select 'Update Now' in the BPA Usage Updates tab to download and install the latest update.
 

BPA Usage v1.6.1 Released - Wednesday 27th November, 2002

This release corrects some introduced bugs in v1.6.0 as well as a few changes:
 Added: 'About' button to the 'General' group in the 'Configuration' tab [There is already an About menu located in the tray icon popup menu]Added: Double-clicking an item in the 'Rules' list will popup the 'Edit Rule' window
Added: Double-clicking an item in the 'Hotlinks' list will now open the link in the web browser Changed: Some information labels were re-worded Changed: The 'Estimated Daily Allowance' information now indicates how much additional usage you have used if you are over your allowanceChanged: BPA Usage now does a check for 'Services Alerts' [if you have enabled Services Alerts] when the program loads in addition to its scheduled updates, this is to be notified of updates before waiting for the first timed updateFixed: The Tool tip popup will now close if it consistently popped up after closing it manuallyFixed: 'Rated/Billable' usage is now shown correctly if you have additional rated usage recorded against your account (Exceeded your allowance)Fixed: Your preference as to what the tray icon colour runs off now takes effect - Regardless of what button you have selected in the Usage            Statistics pageFixed: Invalid Username/Password Error that users experienced after clicking the Cancel/Escape button in the BPA Usage window
If you receive an invalid username/password error simply re-enter your password and click the 'Save and Close' button
 

BPA Usage v1.6.0 Released - Sunday 24th November, 2002

Its been a while but here is an update to BPA Usage!

Added: Service Status Panel - View from the 'Usage Statistics' Tab or right-click the BPA Usage icon in the system tray
- You may receive alerts when your selected services are experiencing problems (If you choose so) 
Added: Estimated Statistics Panel (View under 'Usage Statistics' Tab)
Added: Usage History Panel - View under the 'Usage History' Tab
Added: Icons to the options box in 'Program Configuration'
Added: 'Help' button to the bottom-left corner (Opens read-me document)
Changed: Blowfish encryption is now used to store your password, making it virtually impossible to decrypt
Changed: Re-worded some interface labels and messages
Changed: Re-worded the ‘About’ screen and added a website link to the BPA Usage website
Changed: Removed the 'Support' Tab
Fixed: Sometimes BPA Usage would not automatically startup if selected to, this has been corrected
Fixed: Miscellaneous bug fixes
Fixed: Possible bug with Hotlinks not working in some cases with 'Open in new window' mode

Enjoy the new version!


New BPA Usage Website - Sunday 24th November, 2002

The new BPA Usage website has been launched.
Just a better design over the other one, and the addition of more screenshots
and information, hope you like it!

BPA Usage v1.3.1 Released - Thursday 28th March, 2002

Another update to BPA Usage has been released, here's what's new:Added: Proxy Setup Support Added: Customizable Balloon Tool tip Information Changed: Contact e-mail address in the About screen from to Fixed: Double-clicking the tray icon now forces BPA Usage to have focus Fixed: Edit Rule Editor (Trying to edit a rule sometimes caused a runtime error) Fixed: Additional charges calculator (For when you exceed your allowance)

Hope you like the new version!

BPA Usage v1.2.1 Released - Friday 1st March, 2002

Important: Make sure to re-select your usage plan in the configuration screen.
 

BPA Usage v1.2.0 Released - Thursday 28th February, 2002

Another update has been released which includes some new features:

BPA Usage v1.1.2 Released

New to this version of BPA Usage:

BPA Usage v1.1.0 Released

This update corrects some issues with the previous version of BPA Usage:

BPA Usage v1.0.2 Released

Here's what's in the first update to BPA Usage:

BPA Usage v1.0.0 Released - First Public Release

BPA Usage v1.0.0 has been released!
You may grab it in the downloads section.

BPA Usage has been tested with Bigpond Cable/ADSL, Windows 2000, Windows Me and Windows XP, and should work fine
with Windows 95/98.






BPA Usage © Andrew Armstrong 2001 - 2004