TFDI: Reporting Problems

[Asid]

Reporting Problems
Posted on July 27, 2014 by Collin Biedenkapp

Resolving bugs in the application’s code can be a tedious process, but there are several things you can do to help us do so faster. There are a few things to keep in mind:

•   Bugs are not always caused by part of the application obviously connected to it.
•   Bugs tend to be very specific, and can vary between users.
•   There is no way to test a fix for a bug we cannot reproduce.
•   With this understanding, there is more than a simple description and the version number of the problem that can help us fix the bug. Things that will help us solve your problem faster include:
   o   Event viewer logs (see below), exception messages, or error messages
   o   Situation specifics such as flight location, aircraft, antivirus software, etc.
   o   A screenshot of the problem (if possible)
   o   Your smartCARS log file (a guide to finding them is available here: https://tfdidesign.com/knowledgebase/5/Finding-and-Benefiting-from-smartCARS-Logs.html)
   o   Steps you can take to reproduce the problem
   o   Operating system and hardware installed to the computer

There are some problems that are caused by obvious problems (such as an incorrect label) that do not require this level of detail, but as a rule, the more information you can give us, the easier it is to track down the cause of the issue, and the faster it will be fixed. Posts in this forum do not require moderator approval as we want users to be able to read other support requests immediately. This reduces the chances of the same issue being reported multiple times, and fosters potential discussion among users regarding the issue, which can lead to the discovery of additional helpful information.


Unhandled Exceptions

An unhandled exception screen looks like this:



If you see this, please click details, and copy the information in the text box. Paste these details into your bug report/support request

Event Viewer Logs

As mentioned above, event viewer logs can contain detailed reports about an application crash. To get to the event viewer log, go to your start menu, type “Event Viewer”, and click on Event Viewer.



Then, in the window that opens, click the arrow next to “Windows Logs”.



1. Double-click on “Application”. In the screen that comes up.
2. Search for entry with “Error” in the “Level” column.
If the error details are at all relevant to the product you’re experiencing a problem with, please copy and paste those into your bug reports as well. Also, there may be more than one; if so, please copy them all.