Knowledgebase

Symptoms

 I am a software Developer, using your Developer Toolkit SDK's and I need assistance ....

Resolution

Each day we receive scores of requests from some of the many 1000's of software developer's using our toolkits; here are some basic guidelines as to how to best help us to help you! Our experienced project developer's, with the skills required to assist you, are undoubtedly employed on tasks associated with providing our clients with the next generation of our advanced PDF and imaging toolkits - answering support requests diverts them from this and ensures we are unable to provide you with timely updates to our products, so we ask you to ensure their time is used as efficiently as possible, for the benefit of all concerned.

**Please note: we do not write code on behalf of our clients - we will check your code if you experience problems, but we will never write code from scratch for clients. This is impractical and we do not have the resources to provide clients with elementary 'hand holding' for the creation of their project needs. To use our products, you will need some fundamental development skills and experience, or you will likely be disappointed and frustrated.

Before Posting any support request ...
Please be sure you have, as a minimum, reviewed the examples already provided, read the manual for the product concerned and the specific topic functionality in the help/manual related to your need, and also searched the forums and Knowledgebase for previously asked and answered requests similar to your own, and you are using the latest available release/build of our products to ensure any issue or bugs already reported and fixed - have been tested on your system to ensure the issue you are experiencing has not already been resolved.

Having satisfied yourself the required information or help is not available already, how should you ask for help?
Unless the information is confidential, related to your license,or your serial number is required, please post your question in the appropriate product forum here so that a useful archive of questions and answers for the benefit of all is accumulated.

What information is required as a minimum?
1: Please advise the specific versions of our toolset (including the build number) and Windows being used (including any service releases) and also any 3rd party software involved or interacting with your application (e.g. MS Office). Further, we also need to know what developer tools you are using and the Version; e.g. MS Visual Studio (V?) C++, VB, VB.NET, C# etc.

2: We need, whenever relevant, sample documents or images involved in any conversion to PDF and/or the resulting PDF that displays the problem, or properties, about which you are asking for assistance. 

3: A brief but complete description of the problem, with simple step by step instructions on how we can reproduce the problem here. If we are unable to reproduce the problem, we are unlikely to be able to assist !

4: As a bare minimum, a code snippet of the relevant section of your application where the issue occurs and preferably a simple, complete sample application that we can run to reproduce the problem, you should include the project source, compiled application ready to run and any and all supporting 3rd party dll's and files we may need; again along with some simple instructions to install, run and reproduce the issue you are experiencing. If your project is complex, it may be possible to use one of our examples (modified as required) and send us this to run and examine.

When sending us files, always wrap all files sent in a single ZIP archive and ensure your license information is NOT included in any project source code; if it has to be, due to the nature of your problem, then please send your files to us by email to support@pdf-xchange.com and do NOT post on our project forums. Also, include a link back to any relevant forum topics in the body of your email for reference.

In most cases, this will allow us to at least review and understand your problem and place us in a position to either provide an immediate answer, or at the least ask relevant questions to progress your request in a meaningful way.

If you fail to provide the above and your need is such whereby, in our judgment, this is required prior to justifying the diversion of an experienced team developer from his daily tasks, we are likely to be unable to fulfill your requests until you have done so, so please save us all some time and allow us to help you in a timely and efficient manner by preempting this and ensure all the above have been fulfilled.

FINALLY, please note; all of our products are available and fully functional in evaluation downloads, prior to purchase. The only limitation to functionality is that 'demo' watermarks will be placed on all files generated, or modified, by the evaluation toolkit. No client,especially a developer client, should purchase any of our products without satisfying themselves the tool in question meets their needs and only having done so, should you proceed to part with any money. Only when your project is 100% complete using the evaluation download need you purchase. Your license strings, when provided after purchase, are then embedded in your project source code and your application should then be recompiled and all evaluation limitations will be removed - your application can then be distributed to your end user clients ready for use.