Getting support
This wiki contains help documentation for VoxCommando. Please consult it before seeking help on the forum. If you notice a glaring gap in the documentation, feel free to politely alert us to this so that we can try to address the problem. The program is under constant development, which makes it challenging to keep pace.
That said, the primary support portal is the User Forum.
Note: VoxCommando's development is a labour of love, meaning that we have day jobs as well. We unfortunately do not have the resources to respond 24/7 to questions that have been answered before or that are clearly explained in the existing documentation and video tutorials.
We want to support users new and old as best we can, but this must be within reason. Please see our support policy.
Contents
How to Get Help on the Forum
Use this search bar to search for answers in the wiki and the forum.
Before You Ask
Make sure that your question is about VoxCommando or VoxWav. If your question is exclusively about another program that works with VC, it's usually best to seek support from them.
Before posting, please make a sincere attempt to find an answer by:
- learning the basics of the program first. There are many video tutorials and guides in the wiki.
- paying attention to what your history panel shows in VC when you are having problems. Does it recognize the correct command? Look more closely at orange lines. You can roll over individual history panel entries with your mouse to see more details.
- reading through relevant FAQs (there is an FAQ page on our wiki).
- searching the extensive wiki documentation.
- searching the forum or the youTube video tutorials.
- thorough inspection or experimentation, and keep track of what you're doing so that when you do post you can provide information on what worked and didn't work during your problem-solving attempts.
When You Ask
- Tell us what version number of VC you are using. (Seriously. Please do this.)
- Tell us exactly what error messages say, if you see error messages in the history window or pop-up windows.
- Be prepared to respond to our follow-up questions. We ask because we need that information in order to help you.
- Post the XML for the command or command group you are trying to use, if it's not working as expected -- especially if it is a command that you made or edited.
- If a command is not working as expected or you're receiving error messages, enable logging under Options, re-create the problem, and then attach the *complete* log file to your post (to attach a file, click "additional options" under the forum message box). Please upload the complete log. It's OK to delete private data as long as you're careful.
- Describe the problem's symptoms in order of occurrence (see "specific tips" below).
- Describe what your goal is. (There may be a better way to solve your challenge.)
- If you're using a VC2 release, specify if you're running VoxCommandoSP.exe instead of VoxCommando.exe.
- Once your problem has been solved (whether based on the answers you received or something else), follow up with a brief note on the solution. This is important to other users who may be experiencing similar problems. Please don't write "never mind I figured it out" without telling us what you figured out.
- Post your question in the appropriate section of the forum (e.g., posts on the XBMC board should pertain to XBMC-specific VC topics).
- Use meaningful, specific subject headers. Please don't post all your various questions in one thread with a meaningless header.
- This is a global community and some of us may need to use Google Translate to fully understand your post. Write in clear, grammatical, correctly spelled language, including trying to use proper punctuation and capitalization. ** Colloquialisms, slang, bad grammar, and abbreviations do not translate well. **
- You should feel comfortable posting in your native language whether or not it is English. We encourage this unless you are fairly fluent in English, as it will be easier for us to understand your problem. However, no matter the language, try to write well so that we can correctly interpret your question.
- Please be polite. Thank you.
Other Specific Tips
- Don't just tell us that something "is not working" or that "nothing happens". Be specific.
"My car is not working" could mean the tires are flat, the engine runs but then sputters and dies after you start it, the engine makes a chugga-chugga sound when you turn the ignition but won't start, there is no sound when you try to start the car, the car idles but won't shift into gear, etc. In other words:
- What does "not working" actually mean?
- Step by step, describe what actions you are taking, and then what you see (or hear) occurring, when.
- "I want to accomplish X. I do this, and I see this, then I do this, and this happens."
- "I said this voice command exactly as follows: "The Phrase I Said," expecting it to do X, but instead it did Z. In the history panel, when I say the voice command, it shows Y (image attached, or here is my log)."
- Tell us exactly which version number of VC you're using. "Latest version" is not a valid version number. (Please don't expect us to remember your particular setup based on an earlier thread. We won't.)
- If you followed instructions on a site or in a post (here or elsewhere), please link to the specific resource.
- If you used someone else's xml on the forum, be specific about which xml (ideally, include the link to the exact post). That said, if you then changed something in the command, you should post your version and not delude us into thinking you're using that XML exactly as is.
- Acknowledge exactly what you tried, rather than saying "I did what was in the post." For example, a post might tell you to copy XML, place a payload file somewhere specific, and enable a particular plugin. Acknowledge that you did all of those steps -- if indeed you did all those steps (if not, there you go, you've probably just solved your own problem).
- When it's potentially relevant to your problem, tell us which specific speech language you're using, which exact products you're using with VC, etc. (e.g. "I am using VC version 1.5.1 on W7 64-bit with XBMC Frodo 12.2 installed on a different Windows 7 PC talking to Vox over my network, and I am issuing commands via VoxWav Free"; "I am using microphone x plugged into input y and audio is coming from my monitor speakers only".
In general, avoid vague allusions such as "I followed the instructions," "I copied the xml" etc. without specifying what exactly you did or what exactly you copied, what you tried.
About PMs (Private Messages)
This is a RULE, NOT A GUIDELINE:
We're begging you, *PLEASE* do not send private messages or e-mails to VC users or the developers for a technical support question. Often the question and answer will be useful to others, and if we respond privately we will just have to duplicate our efforts in the future for other users.
An exception is if you need to share private data of some kind, for example with regard to license activation and your e-mail address.
Credit
The guidelines above are largely based on those posted elsewhere online. Grateful hat tips to:
