VanDyke Software

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Maximizing the Value of the Connect Dialog

Note: This tip is for use with SecureFX® and SecureCRT® for Windows®.

The Connect dialog for SecureCRT for Windows and SecureFX is built around named sessions allowing you to configure, save, and recall a number of session options. With the Connect dialog, you have several straightforward ways to organize and manage sessions that can save you time and effort, especially if you connect to many hosts or run shell and file transfer connections to the same server.

This tip assumes that you know how to use the Connect dialog to add a new session, open a connection, and edit a session. It also assumes that you are familiar with right-clicking on a selected item to choose from available commands. The next step is to acquaint you with the Connect toolbar buttons and context (right-click) menu commands.

The following are some key Connect dialog options to help you set up, organize, and make session connections.

• User Arranged Tree — The sessions are sorted in alphabetical order by default.  If you select User arranged tree from the right-click menu, you can drag a session to any position in the tree, including within a folder.
• Save expanded folder state — When this global option is set, the expanded and collapsed state of the folders is remembered when the Connect dialog is reopened.
• The Copy & Paste toolbar commands (and the CTRL+C and CTRL+V hotkeys) allow you to use a session as a template, paste it to one or more locations, then rename and modify it.
• Open in tab check box — This main dialog option causes any selected session to open as a tabbed session in the current window (SecureCRT only).
• Connect options — Right-click on a session to choose Connect Terminal, Connect File Transfer, or Both.
• The Create shortcut button or command places a shortcut on the Windows desktop that will start up SecureCRT or SecureFX directly into the selected session, or several sessions if you multi-select.
• Use SHIFT+Click or CTRL+Click to select multiple sessions or folders from the tree, then press the Connect button to open all at once.
• If you have lots of sessions, the Find button helps locate a session by session name, folder name, hostname, or description.

Here are a few quick tips:

• To jump to a session entry, type in the first letter (or first few letters) of its session name.
• To quickly access Session Properties, highlight a session, then press ALT+ENTER.
• Press CTRL+F for Find Session.

Here is an example of how to connect multiple sessions in tabs using the Connect dialog:

1. Select the User Arranged Tree and Save expanded folder state options.
2. Create copies of sessions you run together and group them in folders.
3. Select a folder or group of sessions, then press the Connect button — they will all open at once.