Running Wandora

Revision as of 21:18, 15 April 2013

This chapter expects that you have already successfully installed Wandora. Ready to run Wandora application. First, check system requirements. If your system is suitable for Wandora, browse shell scripts in bin directory and choose the script for your memory footprint.

To get your hands dirty you might want to try example projects found in samples folder. If you are not familiar with the Wandora I suggest you take a look at the Quickstart. Wandora documentation is here.

Wandora's shell scripts

Wandora startup scripts locate in bin directory. By default the bin contains several bat and sh scripts. Bat scripts are for Windows based operating systems while sh scripts are used in Linux and Unix type platforms.

• SetClasspath contains all classpath settings of Wandora. You should not execute this script directly.
• SetR contains all required settings for R language environment. You should not execute this script directly. If you want to use R environment with the Wandora application, you should check the settings in the SetR.
• SetProcessing contains all required settings for Processing integration. You should not execute this script directly. If you want to use Processing in the Wandora application, you should check the settings in the SetProcessing.
• Wandora sets JRE's memory to 1G and runs Wandora. This is the default script used to start Wandora application. Also, it executes all helper scripts described above.
• Wandora-mini sets JRE's memory to 256M and runs Wandora. This script is handy in environments with a minimal memory footprint.
• Wandora-huge sets JRE's memory to 1.4G and runs Wandora.
• Wandora-4g sets JRE's memory to 3G and runs Wandora. Script is targeted to 64 bit operating systems with a memory size of at least 4G.
• Wandora-8g sets JRE's memory to 7G and runs Wandora. Script is targeted to 64 bit operating systems with a memory size of at least 8G.
• Wandora-16g sets JRE's memory to 12G and runs Wandora. Script is targeted to 64 bit operating systems with a memory size of at least 16G.

If your operating system is not Windows or Linux or Unix you may need to customize scripts before successful execution of Wandora is possible.

Running a shell script with memory settings beyond your physical memory ends up the Java refusing to start the application. You should always use a script with memory settings lower than your physical memory.

Execution rights in Linux and MacOS

We are developing Wandora in Windows. As a consequence shell scripts used to run Wandora application may have invalid execution rights. To make Wandora's shell script runnable in Linux you have to change it's execution rights with a command:

chmod a+x Wandora.sh

Then you can execute the script with commands

cd ./bin
./Wandora.sh

Notice, your current directory must be bin. If you are a Mac OS user, please read also chapter Tuning Wandora for Mac OS below.

Command parameters

Wandora eventually runs with Java command

 java -classpath %WANDORACLASSES% org.wandora.application.Wandora

where %WANDORACLASSES% (or $WANDORACLASSES) is a shell variable defining all class paths for Wandora. Java class org.wandora.application.Wandora builds the main frame of the application. It also supports command parameters. You may attach XTM, LTM, RDF, N3 or WPR (Wandora project file) document name as a command parameter to the run command to load the document at startup. For example

 java -classpath %WANDORACLASSES% org.wandora.application.Wandora my_topicmap.xtm

imports XTM document my_topicmap.xtm to Wandora at startup.

Multiple JREs

Notice the used Java command

 java -classpath %WANDORACLASSES% org.wandora.application.Wandora

contains no path prefix. Command refers to the first Java version found in your computer system. Sometimes, when you have multiple Java virtual machine installations, the command may refer to older (than 6) Java version. This causes the Wandora execution to fail. To check which Java runtime environment the command refers you may use command

 java -version

If Java refers to older version, you should tweak general path settings of your computer or adjust Wandora's startup scripts. You could add absolute path for the Java 6 in front of Java command, for example.

Tuning Wandora for Mac OS

To make Wandora runnable in MAC OS with a double mouse click, rename Wandora's startup script Wandora.sh to Wandora.command as shown below.

Then edit the startup script and add line

cd $(dirname "$0")

before source commands. Added command selects the script folder as the current directory. If you want to place the startup script outside Wandora's bin folder, add line

cd /Users/akivela/Desktop/wandora/bin/

to the script instead. Here the absolute path /Users/akivela/Desktop/wandora/bin/ should address the bin folder of your Wandora installation. Next screen capture views the Wandora.command in default text editor after changes.

Now you should be able to run Wandora application by double clicking the Wandora.command.

Next you, as the Mac OS user, might want to change the icon of Wandora.command. Select the Wandora.command, and choose menu option Get Info. Mac OS opens an info window as viewed below.

Notice the icon viewed top-left of the window. Download Wandora's Mac OS icons here (TODO). After you have extracted the icon file, you can drag and drop it to the info window, over the default file icon, and Mac OS changes the icon of Wandora.command startup script.

Now you can close the info window.

And double click the icon to run Wandora.