Imaging

The desktop app can watch one folder on the computer next to your imaging software. Every new JPEG, PNG or DICOM image your imaging software exports there is sent to your practice's Images to file, where someone files it to a patient. Smileline never files an image on its own, and never deletes or changes a file in that folder.

Imaging works the same in every country Smileline serves. It needs the desktop app downloaded from smileline.io: the Mac App Store version can't watch a folder.

Set up a computer

An owner or manager sets each computer up once.

The computer now belongs to your practice. Only people signed in to your practice on that computer can send its images; anyone else, or someone signed out, gets nothing, and the window shows why. Setting the computer up for another practice clears its folder, its programs and its list of files.

An owner or manager can stop a computer sending images at any time from Settings › Practice with Revoke. Stop using this computer for imaging in the window does the same from the computer itself.

Choose the folder

Click Choose folder… under Watch folder and pick the folder your imaging software exports to. A shared network folder works.

• Files already in the folder are listed as Already in the folder and are not sent. Click Send these too to send them.
• From then on, a new file is sent once it has stopped changing. Files in subfolders and shortcuts are ignored.
• Waiting to send, Sent and Filed show where each file is. A file counts as sent only once Smileline confirms it holds the exact bytes; until then your folder keeps it, and the app tries again.
• Two computers watching the same shared folder send each image once between them: Smileline keeps one copy of the same file.

While you're signed out, or Smileline can't be reached, the window says so and nothing is sent; your images wait in the folder.

Files Smileline doesn't take

• Too large: a file over 32 MB stays in your folder, listed as Too large for Smileline (41 MB, limit 32 MB): it stays in your folder. The limit is the server's memory, not a cost.
• Not recognised: a TIFF or BMP file, or a file whose name says image but whose contents aren't JPEG, PNG or DICOM, is listed with the reason. Click Send for review to send it anyway: it's kept under Kept for review in Images to file, where you can download or discard it. It is never filed as an image.

Move filed images

On Windows you can turn on Move filed images to a ‘Filed by Smileline’ folder. Once an image is filed to a patient, the app moves it into that folder beside your watch folder, after checking it is still the same file. If it can't, it leaves the file where it is and tries again later.

Imaging programs

On Windows, the Imaging programs section lists Planmeca Romexis, Sidexis and CS Imaging. Click Choose program… to pick the program's launcher on this computer; the app checks it is installed under Program Files and signed by its maker. Forget removes it.

This lets Open in… on a patient's record open the program on this computer (see Clinical chart › Open in…):

• Planmeca Romexis opens on the patient.
• Sidexis and CS Imaging open without a patient, and Smileline copies the patient's number for you to paste.

A computer opens only its own site's imaging programs: a patient's number in another site's program, or in one that has been archived, is never sent to it, because there it could belong to someone else.