How To: Create Videos/Screenshots

Why would you want to?

When you encounter a problem in MDT2 and need help with resolving it, we encourage you to contact us via the support system. The more information that you give us when you report problems, the more positive and fruitful our investigations will be and, hopefully, the quicker a solution will be forthcoming.

Whilst we understand your frustrations, summed up by statements like "I can't see my pupil's progress", may alleviate your frustrations but doesn't actually give us anything to investigate.

We like screenshots and we really like videos, not because we're bored but because it helps us to see what you were doing and what happened when you did it.

We understand that sometimes a problem occurs once and once only and recording it is just not possible. In those cases, getting as much information from you in words is the best that we can do so we would encourage you to be as verbose as you like in describing what happened.

The more you give us, the less we will need to ask and the more chance there is that we'll be able to find the problem and fix it.

How do we investigate problems?

When we get a support request we take the details that you have provided and we look at the underlying data to make sure that everything looks as it should.

If it does not, we try to replicate what you have done by doing the same thing as you on our test system, using a similar device e.g., iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet, to see if we see the same problem. If we do, then we raise an issue internally and schedule the work to be done.

The most difficult type of issue to deal with is when the data looks correct and we don't see the problem that you do when we follow the same process. This means that the problem is specific to either your data, your device or the sequence of actions that you took.

We cannot reproduce the error - which does not mean that we don't believe you or that you are doing something wrong - and therefore we have little to go on. The app is complex with many, many lines of code and interdependencies so the possibility of encountering a unique set of circumstances which the app does not expect is always there.

Providing Screenshots

Why do you need them?

Your app is working largely from a copy of the data which was downloaded when you logged in. All the changes that you make are made locally and then uploaded to the central server when convenient - this is the syncing process.

This means that there is some information that the app is using which is only available on your device and we cannot see at our end. Sometimes we need to have a look at that information to make sure that the app is working on the correct data. We also cannot see precisely what you are seeing. It is in these situations that we may need screenshots to show us what we cannot see.

For example, if your device isn't showing a Save button which it should be, we need a copy of that to see if anything else is affected. Alternatively, there are phone and app settings which we may need you to screenshot for us in case there is something there which isn't what we we would expect.

How do I do that?

The procedure for creating a screenshot is different depending on the device that you are using (and some are easier than others). I'm going to detail here how to do it, but if this doesn't work for your device, simply search on Google specifying your device and how to screenshot and you will get a helpful video or description (probably).

iPhone and iPad

Volume Up and Power button at the same time

Android Phone and Android Tablet

Volume Down and Power button at the same time

You can then attach the created screenshots to us via email in the normal way.

Providing Videos

Why do you need them?

If a picture paints a thousand words, then a video paints a hundred pictures (yes, I just made that up!) If you can reproduce the error, then making a short recording allows us to see exactly what is going on and probably gives us the best chance of reproducing it exactly. Whilst you may be able to describe it very well, we may see things that you would not consider worthy of mention.

How do I do that?

The procedure for creating a video is different depending on the device that you are using and not as easy as creating screenshots. I'm going to attempt to describe here how to do it, but there is no standard way of doing it so you may find minor differences between what I have described and how your device works. You can always look up the specifics of your device via Google, searching for your device and how to create a recording. You should hopefully get a helpful video or description (probably).

Generally, we recommend that you keep any recording to less than 2 minutes in length, preferably 1 minute, to avoid any problems with sending it via the support system or by email.

iPhone and iPad

Screen recordings are available in the Control Centre which is accessed by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen. The icon for the recorder is shown below.

If the button does not appear in the Control Centre, go to Settings>Control Centre and select it and it will then appear.

Once clicked, the recording will start after 3 seconds to enable you to close the Control Centre.

To stop the recording, either access the Control Centre again or click the time in the top left corner of the screen (which will be shown in red to indicate that the screen is currently in record mode).

Send the resulting video to us in the normal way.

Android Phone and Android Tablet

Screen Recording is available in the Quick Access menu which you can access by dragging down from the top of the screen. Depending on how many items you have in the menu, it may be on the second page. If it isn't there, you can edit the available items by clicking on the Edit icon (the pencil). In Edit mode you can also move items around so that they appear in a more logical place for you (they've thought of everything, haven't they?)

When you click the record icon, you will be given the option of recording audio as well and/or showing the touches on the screen. We recommend setting the second option on so that we know what you are selecting on each screen.

Once you select start, there will be a countdown of 3 seconds and then the recording will start. To stop the recording, scroll down from the top of the screen and select 'Stop Recording'.

You can then attach the created video to us via email in the normal way.