Setting Marker Properties in GxTail

Markers highlight all occurrences of a string of text or complex regular expression that you specify, in a background and text color combination that you can set. GxTail lets you set up to 20 highlighting markers. Many of these markers come pre-defined with useful values, but you can change them as required. You can also create sets of markers, called Marker Profiles, then load them as needed. A given marker profile provides a combination of markers that can be useful for troubleshooting a particular type of issue.

Use this procedure to set the properties of one marker.

Before You Begin

Ensure that at least one file is open in the active window.

Procedures

Set Marker Properties

1. Click Edit > Marker.

2. Optional: Read a profile into GxTail that you have already defined with the Markers & Profile dialog box by clicking the Profile list, selecting a profile, then clicking Load.

   Important: When you load a profile, all of the markers defined in that profile are loaded, not just the one currently displayed in the Marker box.

3. Click the Marker box and select a marker to configure from the list. The details for the current definition of that marker populate the dialog box.

4. In Marker Text, enter the text string or regular expression the marker will use to identify message text for highlighting. If you enter a regular expression, be sure to select the Regular Expression option.

5. Optional: Select other options as needed. For more information, see "Marker Properties Tab" in Help for GxTail Dialog Boxes.

6. Optional: Configure GxTail so that an email notification gets sent when the message text is detected.

   1. Select Enable in the Email Notification (Alert) area. (If Enable is dimmed, email services have not been configured. Click Set Up Email to configure them.)

   2. Select Send Once, unless you actually want GxTail to send one email for every occurrence of the text it finds.

7. Optional: Configure GxTail so that a script file (.bat or .cmd) or executable file (.exe) runs when the message text is detected.

   1. Designate the script or executable file by clicking the button under Trigger Script or Binary (Alert), then navigating to the file and clicking Open.

   2. Select Enable.

   3. Select Trigger Once, unless you actually want GxTail to run the script or binary for every occurrence of the text it finds.

8. Optional: If you want GxTail to send an alert email to the To Addresses configured in Customize > Email after an extended period of inactivity, enter a number of seconds in the Qty Seconds Inactivity Trigger Alert area. Be sure to also select the Inactivity Alert option.

9. Click OK.

Assigning Text to a Marker by Pressing One Key

If you only want to set one marker's Marker Text without changing any of its other properties, marker numbers 11 through 20 support this operation through a keyboard shortcut, as follows:

1. In the active log file window, select the text you want to highlight.

2. Press a number key (1 for marker 11, 2 for marker 12, and so forth; pressing 0 sets marker 20).

3. The selected text appears as highlighted in the marker's color scheme, in the active log file window.