Difference between revisions of "Documentation:Windows Section 6"

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<!--</wikitalk>--->
 
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===Bug Reports===
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==Bug Reports==
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<!--<indexentry "Bug Reports" "Reporting bugs">--->
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{{#indexentry:Bug Reports}}
 +
{{#indexentry:Reporting bugs}}
  
 
<p>
 
<p>
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Before submitting any bug reports, make sure that the bug is not in the list of known bugs
+
Before submitting any bug reports to our forums, make sure that the bug is not already listed on our [https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray/issues issue tracker] on GitHub.
−
below. Please remember that the POV-Ray users who provide assistance on our news server are  
+
Please remember that the POV-Ray users who provide assistance on our forums are volunteers who give their time for free so you
−
volunteers who give their time for free so you can enjoy this program for no charge. Keep this  
+
can enjoy this program for no charge. Keep this in mind when wording your message.
−
in mind when wording your message.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
 
<p>
 
<p>
−
MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE that the subject of your report isn't already covered in this document.  
+
Make sure that the subject of your report isn't already covered in this document.
−
Questions that are already answered either in this help file, any README's, installation
+
We also <strong>strongly recommend</strong> that you check out the online version of the  
−
notes, FAQ's, or other files supplied with this program will most likely not get the reply
+
[http://wiki.povray.org/content/Knowledgebase:POV-Ray_Questions_and_Tips POV-Ray Questions and Tips]
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you expect.
+
before submitting a report.
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
−
<p>
 
−
We <b>strongly recommend</b> that you check out the
 
−
[http://www.povray.org/search/redirect?VFAQ online version of the POV-Ray Questions and Tips]
 
−
before submitting a report. This is also a <!--<linkto "Questions and Tips">copy of the Questions and Tips included in this help file</linkto>--->[[Documentation:Tutorial Section 4#Questions and Tips|copy of the Questions and Tips included in this help file]]
 
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but we recommend viewing the online version if possible as it's being continually updated.
 
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</p>
 
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===Things that look like bugs but aren't===
 
−
<p>
 
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Windows 95 users with the Microsoft Plus Pack will note that, if they have full-window
 
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dragging turned on, the message window will clear during resizing. The window goes back to
 
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normal afterwards. This isn't a bug ; it's a feature. We deliberately turn the window off
 
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because otherwise it will flash annoyingly during the resizing since Windows sends lots of
 
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paint messages to us.
 
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</p>
 
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===Feature Requests are not bugs===
 
−
<p>
 
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The above may seem to be an obvious statement, but it's not so obvious that this section is
 
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unnecessary :(. Numerous people had been sending feature requests to the bug reporting email
 
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address, and this is in part one of the reasons why we no longer provide email support. If
 
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you  want to request a feature, discuss it in one of the povray.* groups on
 
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[http://www.povray.org/groups.html our news server].
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
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==="I don't like the way this works so it must be a bug"===
 
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<p>
 
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A number of people have written to the bug reporting address complaining about the way a
 
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feature is implemented (such as the tabbed editor). Such reports aren't bugs.
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
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<p>
 
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If you don't like the way a feature works, then either -
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
−
<ol type="a">
 
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<li>turn it off (if available ; for example, the toolbar and the editor can all be turned off),
 
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<li>don't use the feature, or
 
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<li>don't use the program.
 
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</ol>
 
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<p>
 
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Sorry if we sound harsh, but we can never please everybody so if we change it to suit you
 
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we'll annoy someone else. (Believe us, we know from experience - several times we've changed
 
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something according to user requests and then found an equal or greater number of users liked
 
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it the old way).
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
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===Known Bugs===
 
−
<p>
 
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If you select an entire group of files and then drop them into povray, the first and last
 
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files will switch places. This is a bug in the way things are handled by Windows and not a bug
 
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in POV-Ray for Windows.
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
−
<p>
 
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Other known issues can be found in the [http://www.povray.org/search/redirect?VFAQ POV-Ray Questions and Tips].
 
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There is a <!--<linkto "Questions and Tips">copy of the Questions and Tips included in this help file</linkto>--->[[Documentation:Tutorial Section 4#Questions and Tips|copy of the Questions and Tips included in this help file]] but we
 
−
recommend viewing the online version if possible as it's being continually updated.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
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<p>
 
<p>
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To do this, go to the GUI Extensions menu, and deselect 'Use Extensions'. Then exit and  
+
To do this, go to the GUI Extensions sub-menu of the Options menu, and deselect 'Use Extensions'. Then exit and  
 
restart POV-Ray for Windows. The GUI Extensions menu should then state 'No Extensions Loaded'  
 
restart POV-Ray for Windows. The GUI Extensions menu should then state 'No Extensions Loaded'  
 
(it may already do this if you've got none installed). Then attempt to duplicate the problem  
 
(it may already do this if you've got none installed). Then attempt to duplicate the problem  
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</p>
 
</p>
  
−
===Spelling===
+
===Crash Upload Utility===
−
<p>
+
<p> In order to assist the team in tracking down crashes, Structured Exception Handling and mini-dump generation capabilities have been added. After an unhandled exception POVWIN will now offer the option of creating a mini-dump (brief or full) for submission either manually or via the crash upload utility which is installed with the program. If you want to draw immediate attention to a crash it is strongly recommended that you also post a comment in the [http://news.povray.org/povray.bugreports/ povray.bugreports] or [http://news.povray.org/povray.windows/ povray.windows] forum and provide the crash report ID supplied by the upload utility.
−
As stated in the introduction, we use international English spelling in many parts of POV-Ray
 
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for Windows. This means that many words that are normally spelt with a 'z' in American English
 
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(such as minimized) are spelt with the English 's' (e.g. minimised). (We have actually received
 
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flame email from folks who told us we couldn't spell).
 
−
</p>
 
−
 
 
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===Bug Reporting via Email===
 
−
<p>
 
−
Unfortunately, email bug reporting is no longer available due to the abuse of this facility by
 
−
a number of users. You may only report bugs in POVWIN by using the newsgroups mentioned in the  
 
−
next section.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
−
===Bug Reporting via our News Server===
+
===Bug Reporting via our Bug Tracking System===
 
<p>
 
<p>
−
Bug reports may be lodged about POVWIN by posting them in the appropriate group on
+
Bug reports may be lodged about POVWIN by using the [https://github.com/POV-Ray/povray/issues issue tracker] on GitHub. The issue tracker is monitored regularly by the POV-Ray development team and they will address any properly-lodged bug reports in the most timely manner possible.
−
[http://www.povray.org/groups.html our news server].  The newsgroups
 
−
are monitored by a dedicated group of folks known as the POV-Ray [http://tag.povray.org Technical Assistance Group], or 'TAG' for short. The TAG will take note of any properly-lodged bug reports and pass them on to the developers. They, and other users, will often lend new users a hand in getting up to speed.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
 
<p>
 
<p>
−
You may like to remember, however, that no matter where you end up getting assistance from,  
+
You may like to remember, however, that no matter where you end up getting assistance from, users who show that they have looked in the documentation and read the [http://wiki.povray.org/content/Knowledgebase:POV-Ray_Questions_and_Tips POV-Ray Questions and Tips] first, will be much more likely to receive the response they want than someone who obviously has not done their homework. It's also important to check that the bug hasn't already been reported - if it has, and is still open, don't add a new report - if you have relevant information not already in the existing report, consider adding a comment.
−
users who show that they have looked in the docs and read the Questions and Tips etc will be much more  
 
−
likely to receive the response they want than someone who obviously has not done so.
 
 
</p>
 
</p>
  
−
<p>
+
<p>Any messages or reports sent to us may be re-posted in our forums, bug tracker, or our web site if we consider it appropriate to do so. We will in such cases of course remove any obvious identifying or personal information first.</p>
−
Any messages or reports sent to us may (not necessarily will, but may) be reposted by us in  
 
−
our newsgroups, on USENET, or on our web site. If you do not wish your communication to be
 
−
posted in this manner, please do not send us any.
 
−
</p>
 
  
−
<p>
+
<p>You should not expect any reply to bug reports. If you wish to follow the progress of a bug, it's best to use the bug tracker (be sure to configure your account to receive notifications of replies to your bug). You can also request to be emailed when there are replies to an existing bug report.</p>
−
You should not expect any reply to bug reports.
 
−
</p>
 
  
 
<p>
 
<p>
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<ol>
 
<ol>
−
<li>The version number of POV-Ray for Windows. You can see this by selecting About from the
+
<li>The version number of POV-Ray for Windows. You can see this by selecting About from the Help Menu.</li>
−
Help Menu.
 
  
−
<li>Your operating system. It's surprising how many people fail to provide this basic piece
+
<li>Your operating system. We need to know what version of Windows you are running.
−
of information. We need to know what version of Windows you are running
 
  
−
<li>Your computer ; what processor and how much memory.
+
<li>Your computer ; what processor and how much memory.</li>
  
−
<li>A complete description of the problem and what led up to it. It will make it a lot easier to  
+
<li>A complete description of the problem and what led up to it. It will make it a <strong>lot easier to track a bug down</strong> if you can include a scene file that will cause the problem. If the file is large, try removing parts until you have the minimum scene file that will cause the problem.</li>
−
track down if you can include a scene file that will cause the problem. If the file is large,  
 
−
try removing parts until you have the minimum scene file that will cause the problem.
 
 
</ol>
 
</ol>
−
 
−
<p class="Warning">
 
−
Note: If posting on the news group or emailing someone for support, <i>never, ever</i>
 
−
include file attachments without asking first. The only exception is posting to a specifically designated binaries group on the POV-Ray news server.
 
−
</p>
 
  
 
<!--<wikinav>--->
 
<!--<wikinav>--->

Latest revision as of 11:11, 1 October 2016

This document is protected, so submissions, corrections and discussions should be held on this documents talk page.


Bug Reports

Before submitting any bug reports to our forums, make sure that the bug is not already listed on our issue tracker on GitHub. Please remember that the POV-Ray users who provide assistance on our forums are volunteers who give their time for free so you can enjoy this program for no charge. Keep this in mind when wording your message.

Make sure that the subject of your report isn't already covered in this document. We also strongly recommend that you check out the online version of the POV-Ray Questions and Tips before submitting a report.

Bugs and GUI Extensions

If you have installed any GUI Extensions (or used any software that may have installed them), make sure you see if the problem exists with the extensions disabled and unloaded.

To do this, go to the GUI Extensions sub-menu of the Options menu, and deselect 'Use Extensions'. Then exit and restart POV-Ray for Windows. The GUI Extensions menu should then state 'No Extensions Loaded' (it may already do this if you've got none installed). Then attempt to duplicate the problem again.

Crash Upload Utility

In order to assist the team in tracking down crashes, Structured Exception Handling and mini-dump generation capabilities have been added. After an unhandled exception POVWIN will now offer the option of creating a mini-dump (brief or full) for submission either manually or via the crash upload utility which is installed with the program. If you want to draw immediate attention to a crash it is strongly recommended that you also post a comment in the povray.bugreports or povray.windows forum and provide the crash report ID supplied by the upload utility.

Bug Reporting via our Bug Tracking System

Bug reports may be lodged about POVWIN by using the issue tracker on GitHub. The issue tracker is monitored regularly by the POV-Ray development team and they will address any properly-lodged bug reports in the most timely manner possible.

You may like to remember, however, that no matter where you end up getting assistance from, users who show that they have looked in the documentation and read the POV-Ray Questions and Tips first, will be much more likely to receive the response they want than someone who obviously has not done their homework. It's also important to check that the bug hasn't already been reported - if it has, and is still open, don't add a new report - if you have relevant information not already in the existing report, consider adding a comment.

Any messages or reports sent to us may be re-posted in our forums, bug tracker, or our web site if we consider it appropriate to do so. We will in such cases of course remove any obvious identifying or personal information first.

You should not expect any reply to bug reports. If you wish to follow the progress of a bug, it's best to use the bug tracker (be sure to configure your account to receive notifications of replies to your bug). You can also request to be emailed when there are replies to an existing bug report.

The minimum information to include in your bug report is

  1. The version number of POV-Ray for Windows. You can see this by selecting About from the Help Menu.
  2. Your operating system. We need to know what version of Windows you are running.
  3. Your computer ; what processor and how much memory.
  4. A complete description of the problem and what led up to it. It will make it a lot easier to track a bug down if you can include a scene file that will cause the problem. If the file is large, try removing parts until you have the minimum scene file that will cause the problem.


Menus Speed Considerations


This document is protected, so submissions, corrections and discussions should be held on this documents talk page.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.povray.org/content?title=Documentation:Windows_Section_6&oldid=8796"