Technical Support

A Manifold product license includes access to self-support via Manifold web-based resources as well as two prepaid incidents of standard technical support by email. Additional technical support services may be obtained for a fee. Technical support is available only for the current release of Manifold System with the latest update installed.

Very important: To avoid wasting support incidents, please read the Contacting Technical Support page before attempting to obtain technical support. Please also read the Technical Support topic in Help for complete details on technical support policies that apply to your license.

Very important: You do not need a technical support token for most activation questions if you follow the instructions in the Activation Support page. Please read that page to learn how to get priority support for installation and activation questions without use of a technical support token.

Support Resources

• Activation Guide - Almost all activation problems are caused by failing to read and apply a simple set of instructions for using serial numbers and Activation keys. This short page provides an overview that solves 90% of problems. It includes a link to a short troubleshooting page listing eight errors that cause over 99% of problems.
• User Manual - The Manifold System user manual provides over 5000 pages of detailed information on every aspect of Manifold System. Hundreds of examples, including over one hundred detailed, step-by-step examples show how to use major Manifold facilities. See also the Help Topics page for an alphabetic listing of all user manual topics. Almost all incidents processed by tech support involve questions that are answered in the user manual.
• Product Downloads and Examples - The product downloads page includes links to numerous example files, programming examples, and other useful downloads, such as the object model. Study all published examples carefully in addition to careful reading of the user manual.
• georeference.org Forum - The Georeference forum provides a meeting place for the world-wide Manifold user community. Visiting the forum is a good way to make contact with other Manifold users. The forum allows users to share information and to voluntarily support each other. Note: the Georeference forum is a user forum - it is not a communications link to manifold.net technical support.
• Prepaid support incidents - Your Manifold System license fee includes two prepaid standard support tokens for technical support by email. See the discussion on this page as well as in the Support FAQ.
• Additional support products - Manifold licensees may purchase additional support incidents if desired. Technical support by email is available for a low fee per incident as standard support incidents or as developer support incidents. Limited standard telephone support within the US is available as well, for a significantly greater fee. For a complete listing of available support products, see the Products page.
• Third party products - Third parties such as GISadvisor.com publish outstanding products that help teach Manifold system fundamentals as well as advanced usage such as programming and IMS web applications. Third party products also are available that provide IMS templates to help create complex applications more rapidly.
• Enhanced Manifold products - Sometimes the easiest way to deal with a task is to acquire an upgraded Manifold license or a Manifold extension product. For example, tasks which cannot be accomplished in the limited memory space of 32-bit Windows may require a 64-bit Manifold installation. Consider upgrading for greater productivity. For a complete listing of Manifold products (including available upgrade products), see the Products page. For advice on which Manifold product to choose, see the What to Buy page.

Support Incidents

Manifold products are supported by email for a fee. Although Manifold technical support is very inexpensive, it is not free. Technical support is provided for a low fee via email. Technical support service products are sold that allow Manifold users to choose what level of support they prefer, from a single incident to ten incidents at a discount. Technical support incidents are available as standard support incidents or as developer support incidents. Standard incidents provide answers to routine interactive usage of Manifold. Developer support incidents provide answers to more technical questions, such as those involving programming, SQL, customization, IMS, License Server, Runtime licenses or Enterprise features. Technical support processes email inquiries during business hours on business days. See the Contact page for details on hours and holidays.

Most Manifold licenses will include two prepaid standard technical support incidents. Additional incidents may be acquired at very low cost; however, experience shows that those users who read the user manual in the recommended order and who participate in online user forums will never use a technical support incident, not even one of the two prepaid standard incidents provided with the license.

Each question asked of technical support constitutes a separate incident, regardless of whether the question is a trivial question or a sophisticated question. A technical support incident provides an answer at the lowest resolvable level of operation of Manifold. General questions will receive very general replies, normally a citation to a topic in the user manual or other general comments to help the user get started.

Using tech support as a replacement for reading the user documentation is not efficient: tech support incidents are used for highly specific question, and relate to one function or to the lowest separable usage level of Manifold in a specific task. If a particular issue or question is discussed in the user documentation, a response to a tech support incident will not reprint that documentation. Instead, the incident will cite topics to read and any subsequent discussion will assume you have read, in full, the topics cited.

Almost all questions can be answered by careful reading of the User Manual. The User Manual provides immense detail on every aspect of Manifold, and includes many dozens of major examples and hundreds of step-by-step procedures. Do not waste technical support tokens on questions that may be easily answered by reading the user manual.

How to Buy Technical Support Services

Purchase technical support products via the the Online Store. Purchase the technical support product and you will receive by email tech support tokens of the number and class (standard or developer) you purchased. You can then use them when contacting tech support by email.

Contacting Technical Support

Very important: To avoid wasting your included two incidents, please read the Contacting Technical Support page before attempting to obtain technical support. Please also read the Technical Support topic in Help for complete details on technical support policies that apply to your license.

Links to Additional Information

Please visit the following links for additional information on technical support services.

• Status Page - Enter a support token to verify it is unused and to check the token type (standard, development or voice). Checking the status of a support token before using it to contact tech support will avoid wasting time in case the token has been already used or is the wrong type.
• Activation - A quick guide to activating your Manifold license.
• Activation Troubleshooting - Provides a quick troubleshooting checklist that solves 99% of activation problems.
• Activation Support - How to contact tech support for priority assistance with any serial number or activation question. No tech support token is required for activation questions using the given procedure. Activation questions for Runtime licenses require a developer level support token.
• Contacting Technical Support - How to contact technical support. How to use tokens and important information that must be provided to enable tech support to respond quickly and constructively.
• Manual Activation Page - Can be used to manually obtain an Activation key if a proxy server or other network problem prevents your system from automatically fetching an Activation key over the web.
• Bug Reports - How to send in a bug report. All bug reports are welcome.
• Downloads - The latest installation downloads as well as other useful downloads, such as example files, Manifold Spatial Extender for SQL Server, Release 8 Object Model poster, programming examples, image server modules and more.
• Image Servers and Geocoding Servers - Free image server and geocoding server modules for use within Manifold and the Manifold Toolbar. Don't miss the incredible usefulness of image servers, one of the most popular features in Manifold System.
• Manifold System Updates - Manifold licensees may download and install routine updates at no charge. Routine updates provide bug fixes in between major releases and often provide new features as well. Manifold System will automatically check for new updates and will report if a more recent update has been made available.
• Using RSS for Update Notification - Manifold System will automatically check for updates when you launch Manifold; however, if you don't use Manifold frequently and would like a backup way of hearing about announcements, RSS is a great way to do so. This page shows you how.
• Technical Support Products - A list of all technical support products.
• Online Store - Buy technical support products online with your credit card.
• Support Info - Part of the standard Terms and Conditions making sure everyone understands neither tech support nor bug fixes should be expected to be free.
• Support FAQ - Frequently asked questions regarding technical support.
• Manifold on the Web - A Help topic discussing the online Manifold community.
• Vista Administrator Login - Users are sometimes surprised to learn they don't have true Administrator rights in Vista. This short page describes how to login using the real Administrator account.
• Windows Installer Notes - Tips on solving problems with Windows Installer in case of de-installation errors.
• Email Problems - Few things are as annoying as not getting messages you expect to get, yet the wide use of spam filters means that you might not be getting an important email from manifold.net. Read this page for important tips on how to make sure you will get the emails you expect.
• Suggestions - Tips on making effective suggestions to get what you want into Manifold. Vote early and vote often!.

Other Manifold.net Contacts

Please use tech@manifold.net only for technical support contacts accompanied by a valid tech support token, or for an activation question that follows the requirements of the Activation Support page. Please send all inquiries not of a technical nature, such as licensing or general business questions to sales@manifold.net.

All questions of a technical nature sent to other manifold.net email addresses will be routed to tech support. Sending email questions of a tech support nature to sales or to individual manifold.net staffers will delay the response and may waste tech support incidents.

Questions?

Please contact us at sales@manifold.net. We would like you to be happy with your licensing of Manifold products, so please do not hesitate to ask any questions before placing an order.

Suggestions to improve Manifold are always welcome. Please see the Suggestions page for tips on making effective suggestions.