We've all experienced occasionally running into issues with software and WebCopy isn't the easiest piece of software to use or configure. At the same time, it is provided for free "AS-IS" and Cyotek has limited time to respond to support requests or forum posts.
This post gives you an overview on how to report any issues you encounter while using Cyotek tools, in a way that saves time and effort on both sides. If your initial message is detailed with all the requisite information, it will help us to:
- Conduct a thorough diagnosis
- Offer a solution or come up with a workaround so you can continue with your work as soon as possible
- Log the information to be fixed in a future update
Before you post- Evaluate the issue. Are you using the feature as intended? Do you know the expected result? Have you checked the documentation (https://docs.cyotek.com/cyowcopy/current/)? Do you know if the website uses JavaScript and WebCopy's limitations (https://docs.cyotek.com/cyowcopy/current/crawllimits.html) in regards to this?
- Search (https://forums.cyotek.com/search) this forum and our Knowledge Base (https://www.cyotek.com/support/kb/cyotek-webcopy) to see if the issue is already known and reported
- Check the Known Issues (https://www.cyotek.com/cyotek-webcopy/known-issues) and Roadmap (https://www.cyotek.com/cyotek-webcopy/roadmap) pages to see if the issue is already known and if a pending fix is available
- Check the Upcoming Changes (https://www.cyotek.com/cyotek-webcopy/upcoming-changes) page - there may be a nightly build that addresses the issue
- Reproduce the issue again. Does it still occur? Do you know the steps? Are you able to reproduce it on your end repeatedly?
- Excluding current pre-release builds, are you using at least the latest stable release? Unsurprisingly, we don't support older versions
Create a post or ticketIf you are unable to solve the issue yourself, you can raise a support ticket or post a thread on this forum.
- Add a meaningful subject for your request
- Add detailed description of the issue based on the points mentioned above
- If possible, reduce the problem to the minimum possible to reproduce - we do not have the time or resources to scan giant websites just because you said a single unspecified image didn't copy
- Upload any important attachments such as the WebCopy project or screenshots
- Include the WebCopy version - sometimes behaviour changes between versions and a compatibility flag isn't always included, especially for experimental pre-release builds
- Be patient. We don't have the resource for timely responses and it may take some time. Spamming of multiple channels will no longer be tolerated and will result in an instant ban
I can't stress enough that requests should be detailed. So many helpdesk tickets don't include information and it is a waste of everyone's time and has a detrimental effect on response times for other users.
Often the support requests involve the inability to copy certain websites. This is also often due to the site using JavaScript to build the UI or a lack of understanding in how a website is constructed (e.g. using CDN's or other domains). Bear in mind while we will usually make at least a cursory attempt to investigate the site to rule out obvious issues, if the site is of an adult or illegal nature, or at our discretion, we will immediately close the ticket.
Edits:
- 20230329 - Added a note about including the WebCopy version and running current releases