Messaging 

Messaging lets you send text, light and sound messages between computers in the office. There are two ways to send messages: from the Messaging area or using Messaging Buttons in the lower left toolbar. These two tools work together but are setup separately.

The Messaging area in the lower half of the Manage module is one way to send messages.

The four columns list the message elements that are already setup. Several message elements come preset in EZ2000 Plus Dental, but you can customize or add new ones. See Messaging Setup below.

Send a Message
To send a message, click one item in each column. For example: (to) Doctor - (from) Front – (Extra) Spouse - (Message) Line 1.
Clicking an item in the Message column immediately sends the message to all computers in the office along with any lights and sound attached to the message elements. In the example, a voice on the other computers would say "Doctor, Spouse, Line 1."

To send a text message instead, click on the To and From columns, type the message in the Text Message field, then click Send Text. The only sound that goes out with text messages is the name of the person you are sending the message to. The recipient then needs to go to the Manage module on their computer to view and acknowledge the message.

Messages can also trigger a Messaging Button.

Acknowledge Messages
Received messages appear in the Message History until they are acknowledged. By default, all users are shown in the list. Filter messages using the To User dropdown. This is useful if you start using messaging heavily for to-do lists. If your needs grow beyond what messaging can handle, consider using Task Lists instead.

Eventually every message should be acknowledged. Click on the message, then click Ack. To select multiple messages, press the Ctrl key while clicking on the messages. If the message triggered a messaging button, you can also click on the lit button to acknowledge it. Ack'd messages do not usually appear in the list since nobody cares about them anymore. To see acknowledged messages, check the Include Acknowledged box.

Setup Messaging
In Messaging Setup you can define the message elements used in Messaging and Messaging Buttons.

In the Main Menu, click Setup, Messaging.

There are three types of message elements: Users, Extras and Messages. The first column, Users, is shared by both the To and From elements. Click the Up/Down arrows to move an element up or down in the list. Click Add, or double click on a message element to edit.

Type:  Determines which column the element appears in.

Text:  The element's label as it shows in the list.

Sound:  Attach a sound .wav file to a message element. Typically it is just someone saying the text of the element. 
- Play: If a sound is already attached to the item, click Play to hear it.
- Delete: Remove the sound from the element.
- Launch Recorder: Record your own sound (see below).
- Import: Import a .wav sound file.
- Export: Export the current .wav sound file.
Several sound files are preloaded into Open Dental.  There are also 12 additional prerecorded spoken messages (e.g. Hygienist 1, Patient Arrived) available for download: Sounds.zip. If you use sounds, make sure your computer volume is turned up. 

Light Row and Color:  Lights are another response that can alert a user when a message is received. Light settings can be set for message elements, which in turn can be attached to Messaging Buttons.
- Light color: Determines the messaging button light color when this message element is used. Light colors are usually defined for users (e.g. “doctor” is blue, “asst 1” is pink.)
- Light row: Determines which row in the messaging button toolbar lights up when this message element is used. Rows are usually defined for elements that are specific to a location in the office. Thus, when the message element is assigned to a messaging button, the correct row lights up (e.g. To Op 1 lights up row 3).

Recording Your Own Sound
This information only applies to Windows XP.  Newer versions of Windows do not have this feature; you will have to find another sound editing software.

It takes a little bit of work to get a recording just right. You should get a standalone microphone that plugs into your computer. Practice getting the sound and loudness right. Talk into the microphone in a quick, clear, medium loud voice without letting air blow on the microphone. When you are ready to record, follow these steps:
1. Click Launch Recorder.

2. Click the red Recording button, talk, then click the Stop button. 
3. Trim the beginning and end of the recording so that there is not annoying dead space. First, trim off the beginning. Test and adjust your estimated beginning repeatedly to make sure it will not get clipped at all. Once you know exactly where to trim, to go the Edit menu and click "Delete Before Current Position". Then, carefully do the same for the end. The end is very sensitive to clipping. The trailing sound can extend 0.10 to 0.20 seconds beyond its obvious end. Make sure to include the whole thing.  
4. Save the file in a temporary location as a .wav file.
5. Import the sound to attach it to a message element and save it in the database.