3.1 Compatibility

The SpeciesChecker software is written in Java, which means that it can be run on any system that has the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on it. It is recommended that it be used with Windows, as it was developed and tested under the Windows 98 operating system and the interface’s appearance is optimized for Windows. However, the software will run under Linux, Solaris or any other operating system with the JRE installed on it. It is required that version 1.3 or higher of the JRE be installed.
 

3.2 Installing the Java Runtime Environment

If your system already has the JRE installed, you may skip this section. If not, you will need to install it in order to run SpeciesChecker. It can be downloaded for free from the java.sun.com web site. At the time of release of this document, the precise URL is http://java.sun.com/products/jdk/1.2/jre/download-windows.html. Choose the language and operating system that is appropriate from this site, and then download the JRE.

When the download is complete, follow the given installation instructions. Make sure that you follow the necessary instructions to make it possible to run Java in arbitrary directories. Under Windows 98, this means adding an entry such as C:\JDK1.3\BIN; to your path variable in  your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The necessary instructions will be provided when you download the JRE.

If you are unsure if you have the JRE installed on your system, you may wish to follow the instructions in Sections 3.3 and 3.5. If you are able to run SpeciesChecker as outlined in Section 3.5, then you already have the JRE installed on your system. If not, then you will need to download and install it, as explained above.
 

3.3 Installing the SpeciesChecker Program

All of the SpeciesChecker files are contained in the spchk.zip file. The files contained in this file can be unpacked using WinZip, Stuffit Expander or any other free archiving utility. The files can be unpacked to any directory that you like on your system.
 

3.4 Guide to Bundled Files

You will find the following files and directories upon extracting the SpeciesChecker files from the spchk.zip file:

• ClassFiles - a directory that contains SpeciesChecker program files. You do not need to use this directory, as all of the necessary classes are also found in the sc.jar.
• Documentation - a directory that contains the SpeciesChecker User Manual, Final Project Report, Mid-Project Report and Project Outline
• Help - a directory that contains the SpeciesChecker on-line help files in HTML format
• README.txt - a basic guide to installing and running SpeciesChecker
• SampleCompositions - a directory that contains sample compositions that can be opened and analyzed with SpeciesChecker
• sc.jar - the SpeciesChecker program file
• SourceCode - a directory that contains the SpeciesChecker Java source code
• SCPref.spr - an encoded file that contains the SpeciesChecker preferences

3.5 Running the SpeciesChecker Program

One of the files that is extracted is called sc.jar. This is the file that should be run in order to use SpeciesChecker. You can run it either by double clicking on it or by typing the following line at a command prompt, such as the DOS prompt:

java -jar sc.jar

As an alternative, you may also move into the ClassFiles directory and type the following from a command prompt:

java SpeciesChecker