How to ask for technical support

NextGen has an integrated function for sending technical support requests. To access this function, simply click on the "Ask for support" button in the top bar of the program, under the "Help" category:

If your support request concerns the inability to open a file, note that "Ask for support" works also without an opened file. More info are available at the end of this article.

When the button is pressed, the help request window is shown:

The first step is to check if the answer to your question is present in the support articles on this site. The links to access the NextGen basic guide and the list of support articles are present on the screen. If the answer is not found, press Next to continue.

Fill in your contact information here. This information is stored, so you only need to fill it during the first support request.

This screen prompts you to describe the reason for your support request. To obtain a quick and effective response, it is essential to clearly describe:

• what is the problem you are encountering
• how to reproduce the problem
• on which component the problem is encountered

Remember that those who analyze the assistance ticket do not know the history of your calculation: they must quickly understand what it is and find a solution. A clear description drastically reduces response times, for example avoiding requests for clarification from us.

In the next screen you can attach additional files.

Warning: as indicated, the NextGen item you are working on is automatically attached

It is possible to attach PDF or Autocad drawing files, Excel files in which a calculation has been analyzed to be taken as a comparison, screenshots. In general, any additional material that can help pinpoint the problem is welcome.

The last step allows the request to be sent to our servers. In case of connection failure, the program saves a ZIP file on the desktop; you must manually send an email to support@sant-ambrogio.it attaching this file to start the assistance. The same operation can be performed manually by clicking on Save .zip instead of Send.

Shortly after submission, you will receive at the address indicated above a confirmation of our receipt of your request, which has been assigned a ticket number. If you don't get this message, it means something went wrong and we probably haven't received your request. Try again, saving the .zip file at the end of the procedure and manually sending it by e-mail.

Why use “Ask for support” instead of email or telephone

Support requests often go through other media, such as e-mail. In this case, the user usually adds the SIT file or a PDF of the item as an attachment in an e-mail message, or, worse, to send only screenshots.

This road, although practicable, is not recommended for the following reasons:

• In the case of private messages, it is not certain to send the request to the most suitable person to offer assistance; furthermore, this person may be unavailable and the request may remain unfulfilled for a long time
• In the case of messages sent to support@sant-ambrogio.it, your request is not assigned a ticket number and it is more difficult to track its progress
• No essential files are sent to Sant’Ambrogio in order to understand a problem: in addition to the item, for example, we need the program log, any custom user database and information about the user's license and system.
• The telephone request is understandably the fastest and the one that offers very low response times: despite this, it should be limited to those cases in which it is actually possible to offer an answer by voice (for example availability of certain functions) and not what is presented a problem. What normally happens in these cases is that the assistance service will still require sending via "Ask for support".

I can't open the file for which I need to request assistance

Once the program starts, the "Projects browser" window is displayed. Projects Browser has the same "Ask for support" button, that allows you to begin an assistance request without opening a file:

If you are receiving errors opening a file, please attach it when prompted:

Have you tried recovering a previous automatic backup? Check this article to know how to

How to request assistance by e-mail

There are cases in which the request must necessarily go through an e-mail message: for example, NextGen may be installed on a computer disconnected from the Internet, or the server receiving support requests may not be available. In these cases, the procedure is as follows:

• Create the request using the “Ask for support” function as illustrated above
• At the end, instead of clicking on the "Send" button, click on the "Save .zip file" button
• A "Sant’Ambrogio Support Request.zip" file will be created on the Desktop containing all the information necessary for the assistance service
• Send the file on your desktop to support@sant-ambrogio.it

Finally, if the request cannot go through NextGen since it is the opening of the program itself that creates problems, it is of course possible to send the request by e-mail, possibly accompanied by a screenshot of the error, to support@sant-ambrogio.it