Everyday I learn something new about RadBlue tools that make using them easier and easier. I’ve always thought they were user-friendly – even when I didn’t work here. (Yep, I was a customer first.)

As a usability-obsessed user, I believe that usability should always be the goal. Let me focus on the work I’m doing and NOT the vehicle I’m using to do it. (Hopping off the soapbox now.)

This week I learned that many RadBlue tools have right-click menu options that are not readily called out. Of course, each tool sports the standard copy/paste/screen selection features – those are pretty standard.

One of the coolest features I have already talked about in a previous blog post – the column auto re-size feature in the Message Transcript (and, in fact, most table displays throughout the tools). But did you know that when you select a row in the Message Transcript, and then right-click, you can export the selected data to a G2T file that can be imported into RAS for analysis?

Here’s a few more right-click things to try:

• On the SmartEGM layout in RST, right-click on the Player Display to set the player message duration and to see the last 50 messages.

• Easily manage EGMs in RLT with right-click options that allow you to edit EGM details,  start or stop Tiger scripts or reset all EGM settings in just a couple clicks.

• Use the right-click options on the CVT Test Session screen for file tree navigation.

• Use the right-click options on the CVT Test Results panel for file tree navigation and display expansion, editing comments in test results and exporting test case data out to a nice neat file.

I’m sure there’s more. But I’m still learning!

Do you have a right-click favorite not talked about here? Let me know about it!

Why use GSA Message Validator? 

To quickly see if an XML message is valid according to the GSA specifications.

Where do I find the GSA Message Validator?

On the Tools menu. Select the GSA Message Validator option or press F4 to bring up the window.

A Screen Review

GSA Schema Selector: Choose which version of the GSA schema the validator will use when checking the XML text snippet.

Format Content: Make the XML more readable while working in the GSA Message Validator.

XML Message Window: Paste or type the XML text being validated into this window. You can edit it right on the screen.

Validate Button: Press the Validate button to determine if the text is compliant.

Validation Results Window: Review the validation message information in this window to determine why a message has been deemed Not Valid.

[Editors Note: Maile is in no way suggesting that you shouldn’t read the documentation. You should. It’s useful (if I do say so myself). Seriously. Check it out.]

Have you ever changed the SmartEGM configuration in RST, and then the application wouldn’t launch?  Yep, I did that today!  Here’s what I learned…

• RST doesn’t like any host configuration that is trying to use the Host ID of 0 (zero) EXCEPT the EGM. Ever. Period. Not kidding. Don’t try this at home.
• The RST has a built-in user feature that maintains SmartEgm configuration data.

The RST application uses the Smart EGM configuration file and copies the current information to a new file and saves the file with the name of the file and ‘-updated’ is added to the description. This allows the RST application to ‘remember’ its EGM data place. Examples of data remembered is credits on the credit meter, host configurations, and other aspects of the session in RST. This captured data of the EGM file is designed to make continuous use of the tool more effective for the user.

So…-updated configuration files?!  Great feature! Unless you configured something incorrectly like I did today. Here’s how to recover if you get this message:

1. From the Windows Task Manager, kill the RST.exe application.
2. Go to the RST installation directory, and navigate to smart-conf > smart egm.
3. Locate the smartegm-config-gsa-central-updated file, and delete it.
4. Verify using Windows Task Manager that RST.exe isn’t running.
5. Restart RST from the desktop icon.
6. The RST should launch with the Standard RadBlue SmartEGM configuration.

Voila! The application should launch successfully and no one needs to know!