Support : Publications : Chronolog Archives : April 2002

New DialogLink 3.0

Information professionals and power users, here's what you have been asking for: DialogLink 3.0. This new version of DialogLink, Dialog's telecommunication access package, is available on the Dialog Web site.

DialogLink has long been the preferred method of accessing Dialog by information professionals. Now the completely rewritten DialogLink 3.0 is fully compatible with Windows® 98, NT, 4.0, Millennium Edition, 2000 and XP. The new release offers many features—some favorites and others entirely new.

Some of the many features of DialogLink 3.0 include:

• Compatible with Windows®
  DialogLink 3.0 is a 32-bit application and is compatible with the Windows operating system. The standard RTF format of the Retrieve Buffer makes it easier to save Dialog results for post-processing as they can be manipulated using any Windows program that can handle the RTF format.



• RTF Formatting in the Retrieve Buffer
  DialogLink captures search sessions into a local buffer so that you can scroll back and forth to review the sequence of commands and system responses. The buffer is in RTF format, so the text and images are captured into one file. Text and images can also be saved in one RTF format file.



• Improved Look and Feel
  The new look and feel of DialogLink is cleaner and less cluttered than ever before. The menu bar contains a smaller number of icons, and featues like the type-ahead buffer are clearly delineated. Users of other Windows program will find the new DialogLink standardized commands intuitive and easy to use. See Figure 1: DialogLink search screen with the Type-Ahead buffer.



• Standard Windows Keyboard Shortcuts
  The new DialogLink 3.0 uses standard Windows keyboard shortcuts. Actions such as Save, Print, Undo, Cut, Copy, and Paste can all be done using the familiar and standard key combinations. See Figure 2: DialogLink Edit menu with common shortcut key combinations.



• Accounting in MS Excel
  DialogLink captures cost information locally from each search session so that it can be manipulated offline to create reports by accounts, subaccounts, and other sorting options. DialogLink 3.0 now captures cost information in a .CSV file that can be opened in spreadsheet applications. In addition, a template is provided that will generate reports in Microsoft Excel.



• Browse to Selected
  A neat new feature of DialogLink 3.0 is the "Browse to Selected" feature. Whenever a URL appears in the search results, users can link to the Web site by selecting the URL and clicking Browse to Selected in the Session menu. DialogLink launches the browser and links the user to the site. See Figure 3: DialogLink's "Browse to Selected" feature.



• Toolbar Buttons for Frequently Used Features
  DialogLink 3.0 has toolbar buttons for standard Windows and DialogLink 3.0 features, such as Clear, Mark, Connect, Disconnect, Begin New Client, Lock/Unlock Type-Ahead, and Capture.

Download DialogLink 3.0 free of charge from the Dialog Web site at http://www.dialog.com/products/dialoglink/. For those who do not have the new Windows operating systems, DialogLink 2.4 is still offered. Extensive documentation is provided for the product. Online Helps and an online PDF manual will answer questions you might have. In addition, a printed manual can be ordered at http://www.dialog.com/publications.