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Start from an example link

The example link is the heart of the rule editor. Give Bouncer one real link, and it does most of the work of writing the rule.

Section titled “What the example link does”

The example link is a real address you paste into the Example link: field. Bouncer reads it a moment after you stop typing. Then it fills in the rest of the editor for you.

  • It names the rule. For known services such as Google Meet, Zoom, or GitHub, Name: is filled with the service name.
  • It suggests what to match. The choices under When… come from the link. The most useful one is selected for you.
  • It builds the token pills. Choose custom pattern and Bouncer splits the link into parts you can turn on or off.
  • It tests your regex as you type. In regex mode, the box turns green when your pattern matches the example link. It turns orange when it does not and red when it will not compile.
  • It previews rewrites. Enter a replacement under Replace with and Bouncer shows the example link after the change.
  • It powers Save & Reopen. Click Save & Reopen and Bouncer saves the rule, then opens the example link where the rule sends it.

Bouncer stores the example link with the rule. When you edit the rule later, the same link is back in the field.

Section titled “Where example links come from”

You rarely need to type one. Bouncer offers a link at every place you notice a routing mistake.

  • The menu bar. Click the Bouncer icon, then click Create Rule from ”…”. The last link Bouncer routed becomes the example link. This is the only way to get the Save & Reopen button.
  • Activity. In Settings > Activity, right-click a link and click Create New Rule…. That link becomes the example link.
  • Find Routing Mistakes. In Settings > Rules, click Find Routing Mistakes. Each row has a Create Rule button that opens the editor with that link.
  • Paste one. Copy any address and paste it into Example link:. The field shows https://meet.google.com/abc-defg-hij as a hint.

For a walkthrough of the menu bar path, see Create your first rule.

Writing a rule without one

Section titled “Writing a rule without one”

You can write a rule with no example link. Switch to regex mode and type a pattern by hand. Bouncer accepts it.

But you lose the help. The When… list stays empty and says Paste an example link to see matching options. Nothing tests your pattern. The summary card says Paste an example link above to see a summary of this rule. And Save & Reopen has nothing to open.

Every other page in this section assumes you have an example link in the editor.