Firstly, a few caveats.
This software is in BETA mode, which means that it is still being tested. I offer no warranty whatsoever to either the functionality of this software or to the suitability for your purpose. While there is no deliberate malicious code in there from me (I can't speak for Microsoft), please be aware that I offer no warranty and you might have that one-in-a-million hardware configuration that causes this program to erase your hard drive, fry your monitor and electrocute your dog.
Configuration requirements
There is no point proceeding beyond here if:
1. You do not have read and write permission to a folder on your computer at "c:\temp". The software writes temporary files to this location, and if you do not have access to it, or the folder does not exist, then the program will not work properly. If you do not have a folder c\temp, then please create one now.
2. You are not permitted to create folders in the "c:\Program Files" area. This program must be written to a folder called c:\Program Files\JHR Systems\Aoristic analysis. If the program files are not placed there, the program will not work. This is because the Excel macro relies on absolute links.
3. You have a Mac or an old PC. The software is written in the latest Visual Basic.NET version 7 architecture from Microsoft. Macs or older PCs will not be able to cope. The Excel spreadsheet that has the macros that runs the who thing is also written in Excel 2002. Backward compatibility is always a tricky thing with Microsoft...
4. You are not prepared to accept the caveats mentioned earlier.
5. You don't accept that this is free software without a hint of support.
The software - an overview
The software consists of two main parts; an Excel spreadsheet with macros that can be called from Excel, and a set of other executable files. While I could have written the whole thing in Excel, it would have been quite slow, and I anticipate making the routine available for ArcView and MapInfo in the future. It is written in the latest .NET framework from Microsoft which is good and bad. Good because it will work across many system configurations, bad because few people will as yet have the required visual basic files on their computer. This therefore requires two download and set up versions.
For those who think that they already have the required VB version 7 files on their system, there is a 4Mb download. This will mainly be for people running Windows XP home or Windows XP Pro.
For those with older operating systems who have not recently installed a Microsoft product, there is the painful 16Mb which has everything in it including the kitchen sink. I would only suggest going the whole hog with this if you have tried the 4Mb version and it has not worked. I would have liked to make the whole thing simpler and smaller, but I'm not Bill Gates.
Installation instructions
1. Start by downloading the 4Mb version of the software.
It arrives as a zip file. Unzip the contents to a temporary folder.
2. Run setup.exe.
The program files will be automatically installed to c:\Program Files\JHR Systems\Aoristic analysis.
If you have previously tried to install this and have an existing folder at this location, it will be overwritten automatically.
3. Go to this folder and double-click the spreadsheet "Aoristic analysis.xls".
4. Follow the instructions on the screen (the 'Instructions' worksheet) to install the macro. You may get a warning that macros have been disabled. To get around this problem, in Excel click Tools > Macros > Security... and change the setting level to Medium or Low. Close the spreadsheet and reopen it. Should work fine now. If you have an old version of Excel, then the program may not work. At this point there is little you can do but upgrade Excel.
Testing the executable file:
5. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the c:\Program Files\JHR Systems\Aoristic analysis folder.
6. Double-click on the Aoristic.exe file. If all is well, it should give you an error message telling you that "(01) Aoristic program failed." and that there were not enough parameters in the calling routine. Do not worry, this is a good sign and the error is simply because the program must be called through Excel.
If you get any other sort of error message, this is probably because you do not have the full VB.NET architecture in place. Sorry, but at this point I suggest that you download and install the 16Mb version and return to the start of these installation instructions.
Download Aoristic analysis for Excel
Right click on any one of the four links below and select "Save target as..." (Internet Explorer). Netscape has a slightly different wording but either way, save the file to a local disk.
4Mb version that assumes you have the .NET framework - zip file
16Mb version that installs the .NET framework - zip file
Feedback
Feedback, especially nice complimentary stuff, to jhr@jratcliffe.net.
