FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does every developer using AlterNET Studio need a license?

Yes. Every developer that uses our products must have their license. A license is only required when developing and compiling applications that use AlterNET Software products; end-users or testers of compiled applications do not need an AlterNET Studio license.

Can I install the license on two different computers?

Yes. We provide three activations per license so a developer can install the license on his primary machine and another computer, such as a laptop. We provide the third one so it can be installed on a build server if needed.

Can I transfer my license to another developer?

Yes. It is recommended to deactivate your license (by running "LicenseActivation.exe -deactivate" from the AlterNET Studio's program folder) first and then activate it on another developer's computer. .

How do I activate my license?

Upon ordering your AlterNET Studio license, you will receive a License Key. Then you will need to run the license activation tool (located in Program Files (x86)\AlterNET Software\AlterNET Studio v.x\Bin\LicenseActivation.exe) and activate your license by entering this key. You can also activate the license at the end of the installation process.

Do you provide node-unlocked licenses?

In specific scenarios, such as using our software inside a protected environment, multiple build servers, or Azure Pipeline, we can provide a node-unlocked license, which can be copied to the specific folder on a development PC or a build server (ProgramData\AlternetSoft\Licenses by default). The location of the folder we scan for licenses can be changed by setting the following environment variable on your Windows system: ALTERNET_STUDIO_LICENSE_DIRECTORY. It is particularly useful in the case of Azure Pipeline, where access to the above folder is restricted.

Do I need to pay you royalties if I use AlterNET Studio components in my application?

We do not charge royalties for the redistribution of our components integrated into the applications in the form of binary assemblies. Please refer to the "Redistributables" section in our [License Agreement](/license) for the list of dlls you can distribute with your application. Please note that application that uses AlterNET Studio components needs to be compiled with a valid license to be distributed.

If you need to update the contact information associated with the license or need more license activations, please contact us at sales@alternetsoft.com

Please refer to our License Agreement for more information.

What benefits am I getting when I renew my subscription?

When you buy AlterNET Studio, you will receive AlterNET Studio annual subscription alongside your AlterNET Studio perpetual license, which entitles you to receive 12 months of free upgrades to any subsequent releases (major or minor). The price of an annual subscription is significantly lower than the price of the original license. After the 12 months, you may choose to renew the subscription and receive another 12 months of free upgrades. If you decide not to renew, you can continue using the last version you received.

Can I continue to use AlterNET Studio when my subscription expires?

Yes. You can continue to use AlterNET Studio, which you have licensed for as long as you need; however, you will no longer be getting upgrades to new releases. When a subscription expires, you need to rejoin AlterNET Studio Subscription should you wish to access more recent releases.

If you need to renew your subscription after it lapsed, please contact us at sales@alternetsoft.com.

I want to order AlterNET Studio. How do I proceed?

If you want to purchase one of our products, navigate to the Buy page and place your order.

I am an existing customer and would like to renew my subscription. How do I proceed?

On the Buy page, please navigate to the "SUBSCRIPTION AND RENEWAL" section, and choose one of the options: "Renew" or "Subscribe." Please note that you need to have an existing license with an active subscription to renew.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept payments by Visa/MasterCard and Apple Pay on our website. Alternatively, you can use PayPal, which handles additional credit card types.

We also accept purchase orders and wire transfers to our company's bank account, which take 3-5 business days to be processed.

Do you offer volume discounts?

We offer tiered discounts when purchasing 5+ licenses for your development team. Site and OEM licenses are also available - contact us for more information.

I have ordered AlterNET Studio. What happens next?

Upon ordering AlterNET Studio, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about your order. We will generate and issue a License Key within 24 hours after the purchase. You will need to activate your product with this key using the LicenseActivation.exe tool located in the Bin directory under AlterNET Studio's program folder or at the end of the installation process. You can also create a user account with the email address used in the ordering process - this will allow you to access your order history via our website.

For volume discounts, subscription re-joining, purchase orders, and any other questions related to the licenses, please contact us at sales@alternetsoft.com.

How can I get support, and what is the response time?

We provide support through the Support Forum or by email: support@alternetsoft.com Normally, we reply to all support questions within one business day, but support time may vary depending on the load on the support team. We provide pre-sale support for prospective customers and developers with valid licenses.

I found a bug found in your product. Will you provide a hotfix?

In most cases, we provide either a workaround or a hotfix for the reported bugs. For some bugs, we may require additional development and testing; in that case, we will try to incorporate the bug fix in the next service pack.

Do you provide a source code for AlterNET Studio?

Yes. The universal edition of AlterNET Studio comes with a complete source code, including a design-time code.

Can I modify the source code that you provide?

Yes, you can modify the source code. However, you will be responsible for maintaining the modified source code if you need to apply changes or fixes when we release new versions. Extensive changes may also limit our ability to provide support for modified sources. We do not provide our strong key for the assemblies you modify, so you will need to sign them with your strong key and update the .licx files.

Can I debug the AlterNET Studio source code?

Yes, you can. We provide PDB files along with the source code, which you can add to Visual Studio Symbol (.pdb files) locations at Tools > Options > Debugging > Symbols. Visual Studio will ask for the source code location when debugging our component libraries. You may also choose to disable "Enable Just My Code" and "Step over properties and operators (Managed only)" in Debugging General Settings for a better debugging experience. Please refer to this article for more details.

You can also reference our .csproj files in your solution, allowing you to stop on breakpoints in the AlterNET Studio source code.

Can I distribute my projects compiled with modified sources?

Yes, provided that you do not repackage and redistribute our libraries as competing products. You will also need to sign modified assemblies with your own strong key file, as we do not provide ours. You cannot redistribute our source code unless you request an OEM license and are granted written permission from AlterNET Software.

How do I build source code?

We provide complete source code with the Universal edition, including Visual Studio 2022 compatible solution files.

AlterNET libraries included in the installation are compiled with our strong key, which we do not distribute. We recommend using your strong key if you need to compile AlterNET source code. This key can be created using Microsoft .NET Framework SDK command-line utility: sn.exe -k StrongKey.snk Please refer to the Key\readme.txt file provided with your sources for further details.

Once you build the source, you can obtain the new public token using the same command-line utility: sn.exe - T AlterNET.xxx.dll

Then if you'd like to build and debug your projects with these compiled libraries, you will need to replace AlterNET's PublicKeyToken in appropriate .licx files within your project with the new one.

Note: Although our libraries can be used with Visual Studio 2019, our source code, including the source code of demo projects, can only be compiled with Visual Studio 2022.