A map project file opens but I can't see or work at its content. What should I do?

The first step is to read the user manual to learn the basics of working with whatever version of Manifold you're using. Besides immediately solving simple things, learning the basics will help you describe what you're doing in sufficient detail so others can help you.

If you've learned the basics, then the most efficient way to get help is to tell the folks on this forum exactly what you've done, what you've tried to fix the problem, and to provide full details. What you've written so far does not provide necessary details. For example, you don't mention what version of Manifold you're using.

A minimum start in terms of details is to provide at least the same detail here in the forum that you would provide to tech support if you purchased support. See https://manifold.net/tech/contacting_tech.shtml for a useful list of information you should provide.

Manifold System Universal

Build 9.0.182.1

CPU Inter(R) Core(TM) i7-9700 CPU @3.00GHz

Physical memory: 1,38TB

RAM:32,0GB

Windows 11 Pro

64-bit

I've done nothing wet solve the problem

OK, that's a good first step. But you still haven't provided essential information people need to help you.

Don't make this like pulling teeth. Read the recommended material and providing all of the information it says you should provide. Don't just skim it and stop skimming when you think you have enough. Read all of it.

For example: "This question should be specific and include complete and detailed information on anything you did from which the question arises. For example, if the question has to do with importing a particular file, state exactly how you have attempted to import that file including a step-by-step description of each command or dialog you have used and the settings employed in each such command or dialog."

Tell people here everything that you are doing. What "map project?" Is it a .map, a .mxb? Is it local or remote? What is it supposed to contain? Does the project contain data that is linked or imported or a mix? How, exactly, do you "open" it? What do you mean you "can't see it"? Does the program not run? What do you see? What have you tried, step by step and what happens?

If you don't know the basics, like the difference between a .map and .mxb or importing and linking, say so. That will alert anybody responding to your post that they should not take that for granted.

Thank you very much for your patience with my lack of knowledge. Before I posted here, I had already read the menus you mentioned.

I’ve actually been working with that .map file for months, I didn't create it, The project has been shared among several colleagues. One day, when opening it, the content suddenly stopped appearing in the Project menu. I have always worked on it locally on my PC. The .map contains a mix of local and linked information.

Since I had a backup that was about a month old and more recent, partial data exported elsewhere, I’m now reconstructing the project, cleaning up duplicated information along the way. I really appreciate your help. Thank you so much.

Can you post it here or provide a link to it so others may give it a go?

Hi Dimitri and jsperr, thanks for your interest in answering this question. I will try to be more explicit about the problem that occurred. After saving the information in the project I was working on, which was about 8 GB, when I opened it again, both the layer and project panels were blank. When I tried to link to this project from a new blank project I get an ‘invalid page reference’ error. Is there any way I can recover the information?

The project has some links to other projects and online image providers, but this is the first time this type of error has occurred. The project also contains some confidential information, so it is tricky to send the link with it, but if that is the only way to try to recover the information, I can try to do so.

PS - I tried to contact the tech support but after reading the link I'm not sure what ticket should I buy, is there anyone with experience reaching to tech support while trying to solve this sort of incidents?

I tried to contact the tech support

OK. How did you try to contact tech support? The procedure for doing that is set out, step by step, in the Contact Technical Support page. Did you use that procedure to contact tech support, or did you do something else? That's a pretty comprehensive page so it's not likely that somebody here in the forum can add something that the page does not explicitly discuss.

Should you be contacting tech support? That depends if you're ready to use the resource effectively.

To resolve problems with projects not opening the way you expect you have to provide very detailed information. For example, I asked if the project contains data that is linked or imported or a mix, and you said it has some links in it. OK, good. That's important information.

The next question would be for you to enumerate with full details everything that is in the project that is linked. Why? Because it's extremely common for people to use links in projects that once worked but no longer work for some reason that has absolutely nothing to do with Manifold. For example, people sometimes link to servers to get data and everything works fine until it doesn't, and then after some detective work they realize that they went over the limit for free data the server operator offers under a free access plan.

If you want tech support to help you, the more information and the more detail you give them the fewer tokens you'll end up buying and spending. For example, if they ask you to provide all details on what is in the project and what is linked and you respond "the project has some links to other projects and online image providers" you've just positioned yourself to spend another token, because they'll have to ask you, again, to specifically list all the links, etc.

To get into the right, focused on details, frame of mind, I wouldn't suggest buying and spending tokens but to first sharpen your approach to this problem by providing full details in this thread. That won't be wasted effort, because usually the problem in such cases is something known only to you or to your organization, and making the effort to describe all the details will often reveal that something.