Dialog Files

See also: New, Open, Save, Print

A dialog file (*.LOG) contains a record of one or more consultation sessions in ESTA. It's possible to create, open, save and print a dialog file. When a dialog file is created or opened, a window for the contents will appear on the screen. Whenever you consult the knowledge base, a history of the consultation will be added to the dialog window.

It is up to you to decide how much of the consultation you want to be recorded in the dialog file. When a dialog file is created, ESTA will ask you to check the items, you would like to be included in the dialog file. The items are: pictures, question/answers, advice and the title. As default question/answers and advice are checked.

Only one dialog file can be present on screen at a time. Thus if you create or open a new dialog file, ESTA will prompt you for saving the current dialog if one exists, prior to starting with the new one.

The dialog window records a consultation as a whole and provides an excellent type of documentation. It's a good idear to give the dialog file the same root name as the current knowledge base.

NOTE

When a dialog window is open and covering a large portion of the screen while the knowledge base is being consulted, the screen can flicker a bit as the system moves back and forth between the dialog and the consultation windows. For this reason you may wish to iconize the dialog window, opening it only when the consultation is not active and you want to work with the dialog file.