Modifying Message Analyzer Aliases

If you want to modify an existing Alias, you will need to open the Alias Editor dialog, which is the same dialog that enables you to create a new Alias. To backtrack for a moment, when you create a new Alias, you access the Alias Editor dialog by right-clicking the field value of a data type in the Analysis Grid viewer that supports aliasing and then selecting the Create ‘<columnName>’ Alias menu item to display the dialog. However, to modify an existing Alias, you can only use either of the following methods to open the Alias Editor dialog:

• Right-click an existing Alias in the Aliases drop-down list that is accessible from the Message Analyzer global Tools menu or the global toolbar, and then select the Edit item in the context menu that appears.

• Click the Aliases drop-down list and then click the Manage Aliases command. From the Manage Alias dialog that displays, right-click the existing Alias that you want to modify, and then select the Edit item in the context menu that appears.

Using the Context Menu Commands

Whenever you right-click an existing Alias, either in the Aliases drop-down list or in the Manage Alias dialog, the following commands are accessible from the context menu that displays:

• Edit — click this command to open the Alias Editor dialog, as previously indicated. The values and settings that you can specify in the Alias Editor dialog are described in Creating Message Analyzer Aliases. Note that after you edit and Save changes to a currently enabled Alias, your modifications are automatically applied to the current message set, without Message Analyzer displaying the Aliases Changed information bar that prompts you to refresh data views. If you edit and Save changes to a currently disabled Alias (see Enabling and Disabling Message Analyzer Aliases), your modifications are saved but they are not applied to the current message set until you manually select the Alias to enable it.

• Create a Copy — click this command to open the Alias Editor, where you can work with an exact replica of an existing Alias, to either Save as is or modify as necessary. By providing an Alias template, this command enables you to quickly create a new Alias based on similar data from an existing one. When you select the Create a Copy command and edit the copy of an existing Alias, the following guidelines may apply:

  • Enforcing Unique Alias Values — Message Analyzer enforces the restriction that the Value of each applied Alias must be unique, as previously specified. However, if you Create a Copy of an Alias and modify it such that its Value matches that of another Alias, and you Save it, Message Analyzer simply adds that Alias to the Aliases drop-down list and sets it to the disabled state, while preventing it from being applied to the current message set. If you attempt to enable this Alias, Message Analyzer blocks application of the Alias and displays a Duplicated value message to indicate the inherent restriction.

  • Saving Exact Alias Copies — if you Save an Alias copy as-is, it is added to the Aliases drop-down list, but it is not enabled, again because Message Analyzer enforces the restriction that the Value of each Alias must be exclusive.

  • Saving Edited Alias Copies — if you modify a copied Alias and Save it with an Alias name that is different than any other Alias name, but its Value is the same as another existing Alias, the saved Alias is added to the Aliases drop-down list and is disabled. This gives you the flexibility to create multiple Aliases with different names for the same Value; however, you can only enable and apply them one at a time.

    If you modify a copied Alias and Save it with an Alias name that is identical to an existing Alias name, but its Value is different than that of any other existing Alias, Message Analyzer adds it to the Aliases drop-down list in the disabled state. However, you can enable and apply this Alias by simply selecting it in the drop-down list, at which time Message Analyzer displays the Aliases Changed information bar to prompt you to refresh your data views. After you click the Refresh Views button on the information bar, the Alias is then applied to the current message set, which includes all sessions and viewers.

• Delete — click this command to permanently remove an Alias from the Aliases drop-down list. If you Delete an Alias that is the only one in a particular Category, the Category will be removed as well. Whenever you delete a currently enabled Alias, Message Analyzer displays the Aliases Changed information bar to prompt you to refresh your data views. After you click the Refresh Views button on the information bar, the Alias is then applied to the current message set, which includes all sessions and viewers.