Let’s get back to the question why you would like to use more than one log window. Open two log windows in your monitor. See the section above if you forgot how to do it. It also helps if you arrange them conveniently (using ‘Tile windows’).

You’ll notice that all messages are displayed in both windows. If you don’t get messages, try getting the log history, starting or stopping servers, causing errors, or otherwise threaten your servers until messages are produced.

So far, nothing new. Now select one of the windows and open the filter dialog. You can do this by trying one of the following:

•Select Log > Edit filters… from the menu.

•Click the Edit filters… button on the toolbar.

•Right click in the window and select Edit filters… from the popup menu.

 

 

The Filter dialog will now show:

 

 

Enter a filter name. This will also be the new title of your log window. Let’s say we are a database administrator and are interested only in errors that might be connected to the database system. We’ll name our filter Database problems.

Now we’ll have to create some filtering rules. Click the New button in the rules section. The Rule dialog will show:

 

 

We want to create a rule that will only let database errors pass. To do this we’ll first name the rule: ‘Database related errors’ seems to be a convenient name. Then we’ll select the ‘C’ and ‘E’ entries in the severity field. This means only errors and critical errors will pass this rule. But we don’t want to see all errors, only database related ones. So, we’ll select ‘D’ and ‘Q’ (logical and physical database causes) in the Cause field. The rule is now restricted to showing only database related errors and critical errors.

The Computer and Component fields won’t influence this rule since no items have been selected from these lists.

We’re ready. Let’s save this rule by clicking the OK button. To wrap things up: all selected fields in a rule must be true for the message to pass it.

Good, now we’re back in the filter dialog. The difference is, that our newly created rule shows in the list of available rules. Since we want to use it, we’ll mark it and select it for our filter, by clicking the Select button, or by double clicking on it:

 

 

Now the rule shows in the selected list below and will be used by our filter. The filter will let all messages pass that will pass any of the rules. Save your filter by clicking OK.

The log window will now be named according to the filter. Even though it still gets all messages, only messages matching the filter will be displayed. Try it. Clear both windows and get some messages (that’s the tricky part, I know). Notice that the unfiltered window shows all messages, while the filtered one restricts messages according to our selection:

 

 

Thus, you can sort your messages without having to fear overlooking the ones that are important to you.