Charles 3.1 public beta
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007It’s time for the next update to Charles. This update includes a number of improvements and additions. I’m releasing it as a public beta so that we can iron out any major problems before the full release. Please read on for details and download instructions if you’d like to help.
Changes include:
The SSL functionality has been refactored so that Map and Map Local now work via SSL.
The Selected Hosts matching algorithm has been improved to support matching the URL’s protocol (http/https) as well as host name and path, and to fix some other pattern matching problems.
ICO and BMP viewing support has been added.
Minimise to system tray is now a preference option on Windows.
Web Interface: A new web-based interface allowing you to start/stop recording and throttling, and to quit Charles. This is the beginnings of being able to script Charles’s behaviour from external applications, such as in automated testing. The interface is designed to also be useable as RESTful services. The functionality is very basic at the moment, so please let me know how you’d like to see it developed if this interests you. The Web Interface is controlled in the Web Interface Settings in the Proxy menu. It is off by default and supports username/password authentication to prevent unauthorised access.
Finally, the layout of forms, such as in the settings dialogs, has been redone with a new layout manager, MigLayout. This fixes long-time annoyances; OK+Cancel button ordering across platform, consistency of form layout, and general improvements to appearance. I hope you enjoy (or at least can see) the difference.
All of this has meant that I’ve finally had to remove support for Java JDK 1.3. Please let me know if this effects you! I am quite confident that Charles will continue to support Java JDK 1.4 and higher for a long time yet, it was just 1.3 that was becomming a barrier to ongoing development.
This public beta is a release candidate so I consider it stable. I’d like to have people testing it for about a week to catch any problems. If you’d like to give it a go, please download from http://xk72.com/charles/beta.php and post comments here or send me feedback using the contact form on the site.