Bug reports and feature requests

NextATC writes its main diagnostics to NextATC.log in the plugin folder. On startup it preserves one previous session in .previous_session. Bug reports automatically include available current and previous NextATC logs, including Traffic and AutoFly logs when present. The review lists the collected files; previous logs can help after an unexpected shutdown but do not prove a crash. For a report sent from Unicom, also attach NextATC.log from the same affected session when available.

Open Plugins → NextATC → Bug / Feature Request. The in-plugin reporter is a benefit for Patreons and checks the supporter entitlement again when a report is sent. Choose whether you are reporting a bug or requesting a feature before entering the details.

In the plugin, a feature request without screenshots is sent directly, without creating a ZIP or opening the package-review step. If screenshots are included, review the prepared ZIP before sending.

What is included#

• Bug reports include your description, current-flight logs with credentials, account identifiers and personal paths removed, and only explicitly allowed settings. They also include every GeoJSON diagnostic file created during the current flight; older GeoJSON files are excluded. Feature requests include no logs, settings or GeoJSON diagnostics.
• Both types can include up to ten PNG screenshots from the current flight. Screenshots are included unchanged, so inspect their thumbnails carefully.
• No Patreon email, login token, password, API key, IP address, install ID, or personal home-folder path is intentionally included.

To add a screenshot, press Take Screenshot Now. The reporter briefly hides while X-Plane's native screenshot function saves the PNG, then returns to the same dialog with the new thumbnail selected. Untick any image you do not want to send: its thumbnail disappears and its slot becomes available, but the PNG saved by X-Plane is not deleted. All ten thumbnails stay in one grid; after ten, remove one before taking another. You can close the reporter at any time and come back later without losing the draft, preview or screenshot choices.

If User Debug is off, the first reporter screen shows a large warning. Enable it in Options before reproducing the problem or taking screenshots so the report contains the most useful diagnostic detail.

Before anything is sent#

When a package is needed, NextATC creates NextATC-bug-report.zip or NextATC-feature-request.zip under the plugin's bugreport folder. You can inspect exactly what will be sent with Open Local Folder; that report folder contains only the ZIP. Then press the send button when ready. Closing the window only hides an active job and Cancel stops it. Upload completion is always shown in the OSD without reopening a closed reporter. The local ZIP remains available until you remove it.

Automatic uploads are limited to 100 MiB and three reports in a rolling 24-hour period. Patreons retain access to existing report conversations on the website; a new automatic report requires an active Patreon supporter entitlement.

Sending a report from Unicom#

Active paid Patreon supporters can also send a report from the website, on the New report page of Unicom. Log in with Patreon first. Membership is checked again when you send it; free, trial and gifted memberships do not grant new-report access.

Choose Bug report, Feature request or Support request, give it a subject and describe what happened, what you expected, and how to reproduce it. A web bug report requires the affected readable X-Plane/Log.txt; incomplete automatic detection of version or flight details does not prevent submission. A feature request needs no log. Review logs and screenshots for private information before uploading: the plugin's automatic diagnostic sanitization does not apply to a file you attach manually.

Your account supplies the reporter identity. After sending, the report appears in My bug reports, My feature requests or My support requests, where you can follow the conversation. If the connection fails after sending, check those sections before sending another one. Existing report conversations remain available even if your paid membership ends.

Support requests#

A support request is a question to Antonello about setting up or using NextATC, open to the same paid supporters as reports. In this version you send it from Unicom with New support request: the reporter inside NextATC offers bug reports and feature requests. Attach Log.txt and NextATC.log of the session when they help. If it turns out to be a bug, it becomes a bug report with the same number (SUP-12 becomes BUG-12).

Tips for a useful report#

• Send one report per problem.
• State the departure and arrival airport, runway, parking position, flight phase, the last action you pressed and the approximate time.
• For a synthetic aircraft that does not move, add its callsign and the stopped: reason shown in its Nav Display tooltip; see Traffic.
• Do not delete the plugin folder before reporting: NextATC.log, the previous-session logs and settings.ini are stored inside it. NextATC keeps only one previous session, so send the report before flying further sessions.

Screenshots of the Nav Display#

Take Screenshot Now hides the reporter and captures what is visible behind it. Close the reporter, open the Nav Display on the page you want to show, reopen the reporter and press the button. The bindable command NextATC/bug_report_toggle opens and closes the reporter; it works only with an active Patreon supporter entitlement.

Log locations#

NextATC.log and NextATC.traffic.log are in X-Plane/Resources/plugins/NextATC/. X-Plane's Log.txt is in the X-Plane root folder.