Technical Support - Manifold System Release 5.00

[Release 5.00 has been very obsolete for many years - this page is archived material provided for historical interest and for those very few users who for some reason continue to run antique software!  As this page gets even older and older the links on it may no longer work.]

The Installation page of this section provides an on-line reprint of the installation instructions shipped with Manifold as well as some notes on installation troubleshooting. Check the obvious first: do you have a Microsoft browser installed?  See the Requirements page to make sure your system can run Manifold.  If installing on NT, 2000 or XP, do you have Administrator privileges?  Make sure to exist all other applications and background processes. Some "virus protectors" do such a great job of protecting the system they end up interfering with installations.  If all else fails, check the online support FAQ and online documentation.   General questions?  Read the online support FAQ

Searching for an answer to a problem?  Check the Help file first.  Make sure to check the Troubleshooting section in the Appendices book.  Answers to questions that are in the Help file are not reprinted in the FAQ.

For questions on serial numbers and Activation keys, see the Activation Key and Serial Numbers help topic.

For general questions on Manifold System Release 5.00 see the online edition of the User Manual. 

SQL Server Desktop Edition users must also download and install Microsoft's SQL Server 2000 Service Pack 3.  This service pack incorporates security updates (published long ago!)  that prevent transmission of the "Slammer" Internet worm through MSDE 2000 or SQL Server Desktop Edition that is bundled with Manifold System.

Service Pack 3 (SP3) is Available

Service Pack 3 (SP3) is available.   All Manifold System Release 5.00 licensees should download and install SP3.  You must have SP3 installed to receive Technical Support from manifold.net. 

SP3 highlights include:

• Export to SDTS - SDTS is the standard US Federal Government format.  Manifold can now write drawings or surfaces to SDTS.

• Improved SHP file import and export  - SHP routines now use Manifold-written .dbf drivers for much higher speed and greater flexibility.

• Resizable panes - Panes may be resized when docked or undocked.

• Print to scale - Greatly enhanced print routine accuracy and support for scaled views in print layouts.

• Syntax highlighting - Script windows now show Visual Basic or Javascript syntax in different colors.

• Improved Command Console - The command console dialog now uses an Enterprise style toolbar and commands.

• Ready for Debugger and Enterprise Editions - Installing SP3 installs a system that is ready to upgrade to the Debugger option or to Enterprise Edition.  The documentation includes chapters on Enterprise Edition and Debugger as well, for users who are curious about these advanced features.

• Numerous improvements and bug fixes -  See the SP3 Release Notes for a complete list of improvements, over 120 in all.   Note: Release notes are formatted for viewing in Notepad, without line breaks.  Download a copy by right-clicking on the link and choosing Save Target As... to save to your local disk as a text file.

SP3 also includes all updates that were provided in the previous Service Packs including:

• Compilation using Visual Studio .NET - Manifold is the first professional GIS to take advantage of Microsoft's new .NET generation Visual C++ compiler, for faster performance and dedicated optimization for advanced processors such as Intel's Pentium IV.

• Hotlinks - The ability to double-click on an object in a map and automatically launch an Internet Browser to view the associated web site, an image, documentation, etc.

• Improved Print Layouts - Print layouts now include snap to grid, multiline text layout alignment and other improvements that make it a lot easier to produce professional quality print output.

• Improved Legends, Scale Bars and North Arrows - Legends now provide greater flexibility than ever before, with the ability to create horizontal as well as vertical layouts.

• Alignment tools for objects in drawings - Use these to line up and otherwise align objects in drawings for a well-ordered look when using Manifold for CAD style editing.

• Automatic Legends for surfaces, images and labels - Create cool legends for thematically-colored surfaces and images.

• Layer transparency for Windows NT and 95 - Previously available only in Windows XP, 2000, Me and 98, SP1 adds this wonderful capability to NT and 95.

• New topics and examples in Help  - Manifold's documentation continues to expand with numerous detailed additions.

• Double-click for Info - Fast readout of data attributes for objects by simply double clicking an object or CTRL-double-clicking to raise the Fields display for that object.

• 150 listed improvements - See the SP1 section in the the SP3 Release Notes for a complete list of improvements, over 150 in all!  No wonder GIS users say that Manifold's service packs deliver more new improvements for free than the new product versions sold by other GIS vendors! 

If your Manifold System Release 5.00 license has already been permanently installed, you will not need to use a new Activation key to install SP2.

• Download SP3 (30 MB)

• Read the SP3 Release Notes

You must have a previous Manifold installation from the Manifold CD to use SP3.  If you are not a licensee, you will not be able to use SP3.  If you are a new customer and have not yet installed Manifold System, please install Manifold System from the Manifold CD first and then download and install SP3.

Scripting Examples

See the Free Stuff  page for scripting examples.  

Tutorials and Case Studies

TIGER/Line Tutorial:  Building a Manifold Base Map using a TIGER/Line Data - A super tutorial on using free TIGER/Line 2000 GIS data set from the US Bureau of the Census written by Bob Heitzman, an experienced Manifold user who really knows TIGER/Line.

Visit the Intersection Overlays Example page for a new case study, a Release 5.00 example that  that uses Transfer Rules, Split with, Clip with (Intersect) and Spatial Overlays commands to split intersecting areas along all boundaries, including internal boundaries of either layer, and transfers data fields to the resulting intersected areas. This is a small, but sophisticated example suitable for intermediate users who are expanding their use of Spatial Overlays.

Manifold-L

Manifold-L is an email discussion list for Manifold System users operated by www.directionsmag.com.   It's a great resource for discussion Manifold issues with other users.  See the Manifold-L List Guide  for a guide to using Manifold-L.  We encourage all Manifold users to participate in this list.