3. Test Before Sending

Always test rendering and validate output before sending to customers.

Preview Messages

Code
 
import { getTemplate, renderTemplate } from '@relay-works/templates';

// Always render and preview first
const result = renderTemplate(template, data);

console.log('Preview:', result.text);
console.log('Segments:', result.segments);
console.log('Characters:', result.characterCount);
console.log('Cost:', `$${result.segments * 0.02}`);

// Verify before sending
if (result.segments <= 2) {  // Keep costs reasonable
  await relay.messages.send({
    to: phoneNumber,
    message: result.text
  });
}

Validation Before Sending

Code
 
import { validateTemplateData } from '@relay-works/templates';

async function sendSafely(templateId: string, data: any, recipient: string) {
  const template = getTemplate(templateId);

  // 1. Validate data
  const validation = validateTemplateData(template, data);
  if (!validation.valid) {
    console.error('Validation failed:', validation.errors);
    return { success: false, errors: validation.errors };
  }

  // 2. Render and preview
  const result = renderTemplate(template, data);
  console.log('Preview:', result.text);
  console.log('Segments:', result.segments);

  // 3. Check segment count
  if (result.segments > 3) {
    console.warn('Message too long - consider shortening');
    return { success: false, error: 'Message too long' };
  }

  // 4. Send
  try {
    const message = await relay.messages.send({
      to: recipient,
      message: result.text
    });
    return { success: true, messageId: message.id };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('Send failed:', error);
    return { success: false, error: error.message };
  }
}

Development Testing

Use test phone numbers in development:

Code
 
const TEST_NUMBERS = {
  dev: '+15551234567',
  staging: '+15551234568'
};

// Send test messages
if (process.env.NODE_ENV === 'development') {
  await sendSafely('otp-verify', {
    code: '123456',
    company: 'Test Co'
  }, TEST_NUMBERS.dev);
}

Test Checklist

Before sending to production:

• ✅ Validate all template data
• ✅ Preview rendered message text
• ✅ Check character count and segments
• ✅ Verify cost estimate is acceptable
• ✅ Test with actual phone numbers
• ✅ Confirm message clarity and tone
• ✅ Check for typos or formatting issues

Automated Testing

Code
 
import { describe, it, expect } from '@jest/globals';

describe('Template Rendering', () => {
  it('should render OTP template correctly', () => {
    const template = getTemplate('otp-verify');
    const result = renderTemplate(template, {
      code: '482916',
      company: 'Acme'
    });

    expect(result.text).toBe('482916 is your Acme verification code.');
    expect(result.segments).toBe(1);
    expect(result.characterCount).toBeLessThan(160);
  });

  it('should stay within single segment', () => {
    const result = renderTemplate(template, data);
    expect(result.segments).toBe(1);
  });
});

Next Steps:

• Handle Errors Gracefully
• URL Shortening
• Validation