# Simfit and Simdem configuration details (type 10)

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     Simfit and Simdem configuration details (type 10)
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     Note: configure.txt = information bulletin w_readme.i2

     http://www.simfit.org.uk

     Summary
     -------
     Note the following differences between the 32-bit and 64-bit packages.

     1) The 32-bit versions will run on either 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems.
        They will probably be installed in either
        the C:\Program Files folder with 32-bit systems, or
        the C:\Program Files (x86) folder with 64-bit systems.

     2) In 32-bit versions of Simfit the driver (i.e. program manager) is w_simfit.exe
        and the individual programs have the w_ prefix (e.g. w_simplot.exe)

     3) In 32-bit versions of Simdem the driver (i.e. program manager) is simdem.exe

     4) The 64-bit versions will only run on 64-bit operating systems.
        They will probably be installed in
        the C:\Program Files folder.

     5) In 64-bit versions of Simfit the driver (i.e. program manager) is x64_simfit.exe
        and the individual programs have the x64_ prefix (e.g. x64_simplot.exe)

     6) In 64-bit versions of Simdem the driver (i.e. program manager) is x64_simdem.exe

     The Simfit program manager (w_simfit.exe, or x64_simfit.exe) and the Simdem
     program manager (simdem.exe, or x64_simdem.exe) have a button [Configure] that
     can be used to configure the Simfit and Simdem packages by interactive editing
     of the configuration file w_simfit.cfg.
     The [Check] button on the [Configure] control allows users to check and repair
     paths to auxiliaries, and this must be followed by using the [Apply] button to
     install changes.

     Simfit users
     ------------
     The path to the Simfit driver (see item 15) must be correct,
     and the Simfit installation tree must be intact, or Simfit
     will not function correctly.

     Simdem users
     ------------
     The path to the Simdem driver (see item 15) is optional but,
     if this path is correct and the installation tree is intact,
     then several further functionalities are available. Simdem
     is a stand-alone library, and items 1 to 9 are not referenced.
     Where Simdem is being used in clusters, or with IDEs like NAG
     Fortran Builder or Silverfrost Plato, users should be able to
     download copies of the Simdem DLLs if they are not on the path,
     or this should be done automatically.

     Windows users
     -------------
     If you follow the default installation, then Simfit will
     be ready to use after minor interactive editing of the
     file w_simfit.cfg in the Simfit folder. You do not need
     to edit the file l_simfit.cfg, but this must have the
     instruction 0 %windows% on the first line to cancel all
     Linux specific actions.

     Location of w_simfit.cfg
     ------------------------
     The main configuration file w_simfit.cfg will be created
     and accessed from the \ProgramData\Simfit\user\cfg folder.

     Linux users
     -----------
     The files w_simfit.cfg and l_simfit.cfg will be created by
     Simfit in your Home directory and/or Simfit directory and
     these must be edited by using the [Configure] and [Advanced]
     buttons. You should switch off option 32 and, note that some
     items (e.g. 21) are ignored in Linux. For  more details read
     the document linux.txt.

     Advice
     ------
     Simfit does not use the Windows registry. Instead, all the
     configuration details are stored in ASCII text *.cfg files,
     the main Windows configuration file being w_simfit.cfg.

     When Simfit has been configured so that the paths to all
     auxiliaries are correct, and there are no missing programs, you
     should switch off the options to check for missing or incorrectly
     configured programs. This will considerably speed up the load
     time and prevent errors created by impatient double clicking
     of the desktop icon, and thus attempting to initiate multiple
     instances of the driver w_simfit.exe or x64_simfit.exe. This is
     because the DLLs and auxiliary files supplied with Simfit can
     only be linked  singly, and any attempt to run multiple copies
     of Simfit will cause execution errors.

     Advanced users who want to speed up data analysis should read
     about items 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36 and maybe
     switch them off.

     w_simfit.cfg
     ------------
     Simfit configuration options are changed using the [Configure],
     [Check], then [Apply] buttons on the main Simfit menu displayed
     by the Simfit and Simdem program managers. The configuration
     file w_simfit.cfg is then created each time you [Apply] a changed
     option. It configures Simfit for the Simfit folder from where
     w_simfit.exe or x64_simfit.exe is being run and, once you have
     a satisfactory configuration, you could save a copy to restore
     your chosen defaults. However, if you upgrade the program manager
     to a new type, you may have to delete the obsolete version
     of w_simit.cfg, so that a new default version can be created.

     Note that you can delete w_simfit.cfg at any time and Simfit
     will replace it with the current default version.

     Configuration parameters 1 to 9 (0 = false, 1 = true)
     -----------------------------------------------------
     Except for 2 and 3 these options are only effective on re-run.
     These options are not referenced by the Simdem package.

     Item 1: 0 ... display a minimised and subdued front page
             1 ... display a full size front page with Simfit logo
             The version number follows a % sign as, in 1 % 9.
             Start with 1 for a full page display but, if this
             becomes tiresome, set 0 for a simplified interface.
             This option is automatically suppressed in Linux.

     Item 2: 0 ... save f$?????? and f$??????.tmp files on exit
             1 ... delete f$?????? and f$??????.tmp files on exit
             Simfit creates temporary files with names like
             f$123456.tmp which are not normally of any interest
             and should usually be deleted at close-down.
             Almost always set 1, except for expert users who want to
              inspect and possibly archive data from temporary files.

     Item 3: Unused from version 7.2.2 onwards

     Item 4: 0 ... silent start up
             1 ... display advisory messages on start up
             Set 1 for group use so that everybody gets a chance to
             appreciate the Simfit philosophy, but individual users
             will read the messages once then set 0 to switch off.
             Advanced users should set this to 0.

     Item 5: 0 ... no check for missing Simfit files
             1 ... display program file missing error messages
             The only reason to set 0 is to speed up initialisation,
             or where users know why certain files are missing.
             Advanced users should set this to 0.

     Item 6: 0 ... no check for running from the Simfit folder
             1 ... flag unsatisfactory simfit configuration
             This should be set to 1 as unpredictable results may occur
             when running from outside the Simfit folder. Expert users
             with several dedicated versions containing special editions
             of some Simfit programs may wish to have one remote driver
             to switch between installations, and could try setting 0.
             Advanced users should set this to 0.

     Item 7: 0 ... no check for missing auxiliaries
             1 ... check that user-specified programs exist
             Set 1 unless some files have been deleted or not specified
             because they are never going to be used.
             Advanced users should set this to 0.

     Item 8: 0 ... no check that PS-viewer exists
             1 ... check that PS-viewer exists
             Misguided users who do not appreciate the power of Simfit
             PostScript facilities and are content to just use Windows
             graphs (which, should always be svg, png, or enhanced
             metafiles, emf) may set 0 to switch off PostScript checking.
             It is a serious mistake not to install a PS viewer like
             GSview, as this provides many additional and powerful
             graphical procedures to Simfit users, even if PostScript
             printing is not available. Note that, with Gsview installed,
             PostScript files can be printed on any printer.
             Advanced users should set this to 0.

     Item 9: 0 ... no check that the PS-printer driver exists
             1 ... check that the PS-printer driver exists
             As for Item 8.

     Configuration parameters 10 to 12
     ---------------------------------

     Item 10: percentage of monitor to be used for plotting
              Overflow or small on-screen graphics can be adjusted, but
              usually a value between 70 and 90 should be satisfactory.

     Item 11: percentage expansion of text and menu fonts
              Overflow or small list box or tutorial fonts can be adjusted,
              but usually a value between 90 and 110 should be satisfactory.

     Item 12: number of lines before table output pauses
              With large fonts and/or small displays this will have to be
              set to 30 or less, but with small fonts and/or large displays
              40 or more may be preferred.

     Configuration parameters 13 to 24
     ---------------------------------

     Item 13: your chosen editor (path/filename)
              This would usually be Notepad.exe in Windows, but could be
              gedit, kedit, kwrite, vi, emacs, etc. in Linux.

     Item 14: your chosen explorer (path\filename)
              This could be a disk explorer, an internet explorer, or
              in fact any other file handler or browser, e.g., in Linux
              it could be konqueror or nautilus.

     Item 15: path to the Simfit or Simdem program files

              For Simfit this would usually be, e.g., C:\Program Files\Simfit\bin,
              or else C:\program Files (x86)\Simfit\bin with 32-bit Windows.
              Simfit will only function correctly if this path is correct, i.e.,
              the Simfit driver is C:\Program Files\Simfit\bin\x64_simfit.exe.

              For Simdem this would usually be, e.g., C:\Program Files\Simdem\bin,
              or C:\program Files (x86)\Simdem\bin with 64-bit Windows.
              Simdem will only function correctly if this path is correct, i.e.,
              the Simdem driver is C:\Program Files\Simdem\bin\x64_simdem.exe.

              If neither Simfit nor Simdem is installed, a blank string can be set
              to inhibit further checking for the Simfit or Simdem drivers.
              However, a blank string disables several Simfit and Simdem functions
              which rely on the package installation tree. In particular, some files
              will be treated as local files unless specifically given full paths.
              Also, the ability to install NAG library and other test data sets will
              be disabled if item 15 is not the path to a Simfit or Simdem driver.

     Item 16: The folder where Simfit results are placed
              ...\ProgramData\Simfit\user\res

     Item 17: The folder where Simfit users can store files created by simfit
              ...\ProgramData\Simfit\user\usr

     Item 18: The folder where configuration files are stored
              ...\ProgramData\Simfit\user\cfg

     Item 19: Reserved for future developments

     Item 20: This can be the fully qualified path\filename for Ghostscript
              e.g., C:\Program Files\gs\gsA.BC\bin\gswin64c.exe in Windows,
              where A.BC is the Ghostscript release identifier. However,
              Ghostscript is now supplied as a DLL, and there is no need to
              install the Ghostscript package.

     Item 21: The folder where temporary files are placed, i.e. where the
              environmental variable %TEMP% points.

     Item 22: your chosen PS view/print program (path\filename)
              In Windows this would be GSview, but in Linux it could
              be any of the built-in PostScript viewers, such as
              evince, ggv, kghostview, etc.
              If this is absent but Ghostscript and pdf viewing are available,
              the *.eps file will be used to generate a temporary PDF file.

     Item 23: your chosen PDF reader (path\filename)
              In Windows this would be, e.g. SumatraPDF, or Acrobat Reader, but
              in Linux it could be any of the built-in pdf readers, such as
              evince, kghostview, acroread, kpdf, etc.

     Item 24: your chosen Calculator (path\filename)
              Thge deafult is the Windows program Calcl, but Any calculator
              program will suffice.

     Advanced configuration parameters 25 to 36 (0 = false, 1 = true)
     ----------------------------------------------------------------

     These would normally all be set to 1 except for Linux users who
     would normally switch off items 32 and 33.

     If spaces are present in file names it may be necesary to surround
     the filenames by quotes as, for example, in the command

     gsview32.exe "C:\Program Files\Simfit\doc\w_manual.pdf"

     to prevent file names with spaces being broken up into tokens.

     Item 25: 0/1, quoted filenames passed to editor

     Item 26: 0/1, quoted filenames passed to PS-viewer

     Item 27: 0/1, quoted filenames passed to Ghostscript

     Item 28: 0/1, quoted filenames passed to PS-printer

     Item 29: 0/1, quoted filenames passed to PDF-reader

     Item 30: 0/1, paint background for executing program
                   The background colour painted before an executable is
                   called may prove irritating to some users, or may not
                   work correctly under Windows emulation in some OS, so
                   setting 0 will suppress it.
                   This is automatically suppressed in Linux

     Item 31: 0/1, provide the option to View/Open/Cancel each time a data
                   file is selected. Advanced users may wish to set this
                   to 0 to speed up data analysis.

     Item 32: 0/1, display all Windows-specific messages.
                   Advanced users should set this to 0.
                   Note that several warning messages are only meaningful
                   to the Windows Operating System and have no value under
                   Linux/Wine, where users should always set this to 0,
                   i.e. switch off

     Item 33: 0/1, display ... Now input a file formatted like *.* advice
                   each time a procedure is selected. Advanced users may
                   wish to set this to 0 to speed up data analysis.

     Item 34: 0/1, provide the option to type in data values directly as an
                   alternative to using File/Clipboard. Advanced users may
                   wish to set this to 0 to speed up data analysis.

     Item 35: 0/1, display ... First time user messages, e.g. alternative
                   file formats when using program Simplot. Advanced users may
                   wish to set this to 0 to speed up data analysis.

     Item 36: 0/1, provide the option to cancel quitting from advanced graphics
                   displays in order to continue with further editing, saving
                   configuration or graphics files, etc.  Advanced users may
                   wish to set this to 0 to speed up data analysis.

     Advanced configuration parameters 37 to 45
     ------------------------------------------

     These are millisecond wait-times to refresh after calling CreateProcess
     and usually the defaults should be sufficient.

     a) The case wait = -1
     If -1 is set, CreateProcess will be invoked until the executable
     terminates. This should be suitable to drive even the most
     difficult executables, usually those like older versions of GSview
     which read a file and start a thread with another executable, like
     Ghostscript. Unfortunately this causes suppression of screen refresh
     which can cause annoying persistent screen splash if executables
     are moved or re-sized. It also prevents executables such as Adobe
     Acrobat Reader being minimized to the task bar during Simfit
     operations.

     b) The case wait = 0
     If 0 is set there will be no wait and this will be correct for
     processes that may need to be minimized during simfit operations,
     like Acrobat reader, Notepad, explorer, or the calculator.

     c) The case iwait > 0
     A value of 100 will use a 100 millisecond delay before refreshing and
     this could be a good compromise for GSview, etc.

     d) Defaults
     The recommended defaults are 0, except for GSview and possibly Simfit
     and some other executables when 100 (or even -1 in extreme cases) may
     be better.

     Item 37: PDF-viewer
     Item 38: Calculator
     Item 39: Resrved for future use
     Item 40: Editor
     Item 41: Explorer
     Item 42: PS-viewer
     Item 43: Simfit programs
     Item 44: Arbitrary programs
     Item 45: PostScript printer driver

     Advanced configuration parameters 46 to 48
     ------------------------------------------

     The Simfit editor has, by default, 15 rows (down) and 6 columns (across).
     If the matrix being edited fits into this frame, then the frame is
     adjusted to the size of the matrix and no scroll bars are added. If the
     matrix being edited does not fit into the default frame, then scroll bars
     are added to adjust the offsets into the matrix which permits editing of
     distant matrix values projected into the editing frame. Users with wide
     monitors may wish to increase the number of columns (across) and users
     with large displays may also wish to increase the number of rows (down)
     before scroll bars are added. The dimensions acceptable will also depend
     on the user's font size, and can be discovered by experimentation.

     Item 46: Maximum editor rows before scrolling
     Item 47: Maximum editor columns before scrolling
     Item 48: Use DGI+ antialiasing if this number is greater than or equal to zero
              This is automatically disabled in Linux.