To test any defined pattern, click on its “Test” button. Doing so will make an URI request that includes the defined pattern (opens in new tab or window). This increases the pattern count and enables you to see exactly what happens when the pattern is included in a request.

Here is a screenshot showing BBQ’s one-click pattern testing:

BBQ Pro - One-Click Pattern Testing

What does this mean? It means that you can click the “Test” button next to any pattern to see how your site responds. To perform a test, follow these steps:

  1. Locate the pattern that you want to test
  2. Click the “Test” button

The response that you get upon clicking any Test button will depend on your plugin settings. For example, the default settings will return a 403 Forbidden response. Other responses are possible based on the plugin settings, “Status Code” and “Custom Message”. So if you see a blank page, your custom message, or something similar like a browser “not allowed” page, that means the plugin is working and the tested pattern is in fact blocked.

Note: the “test” buttons are available only for patterns defined under “Query String” or “Request URI”. To test User Agent Patterns, check out a free online user-agent tester, such as the handy tool at askapache.com.
Tip: you can set the status code that BBQ sends for blocked requests by visiting “Status Code” in the plugin settings.

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