Downloading DATAPLOT for Windows 95/98/NT4/ME

Alan Heckert Statistical Engineering Division Room 331, Building 820 National Institute Of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8980 (301) 975-2899 or FTS 879-2899 alan.heckert@nist.gov

Jim Filliben Statistical Engineering Division Room 353, Building 820 National Institute Of Standards and Technology Gaithersburg, Md. 20899-8980 (301) 975-2855 or FTS 879-2855 james.filliben@nist.gov

Note that the compatibility issues are related to the compilers used. Dataplot itself is not dependent on the variant of Windows you are using. This page is used to download the version of Dataplot used on Windows 95/98/NT4/ME platforms. For these platform, Dataplot is built using the Compaq 6.6 Fortran compiler (for the command line version) and the Lahey LF90 Fortran compiler (for the graphical interface version).

These versions of Dataplot may work on Windows 2000 or XP platforms. However, you may encounter the following problems.

1. The command line version generates screen graphics using the QWIN library (provided by the Compaq compiler). On some (but not all) XP platforms, you can get QWIN error messages when you first initiate the command line version. In some cases, Dataplot will continue running after these initial error messages. In other cases, Dataplot will terminate.

2. Lahey has recently announced that the LF90 compiler will not run if a recent service update is installed. As this is an older compiler, Lahey does not intend to fix this problem.

   Note that we use this particular compiler because it is compatible with Tcl/Tk under Windows 95/98 while the newer versions of the Lahey compiler and the Compaq compiler are not.

1. A command line version built with the Compaq Visual Fortran (previously the Microsoft Fortran compiler). This version is referred to as either the command line version or the Microsoft version.

2. A version with a graphical user interface (GUI) built with the Lahey Fortran compiler and the Tcl/Tk scripting language. This version is referred to as either the GUI version or the Lahey version.

I find it useful to keep both the command line and GUI versions installed. The command line version is useful for large data files, to run canned macros, and for those who are already familiar with the Dataplot command language. The GUI is useful for exploring what Dataplot can do, for new users, and for those who are infrequent or casual users of Dataplot.

The standard installation will install both the command line version and the GUI version.

Note: Dataplot is now also supported in the cygwin environment (this is a Linux-like environment that runs on Windows). This is discussed under the Unix implementations.

• The current version of Dataplot runs under Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP.

  DOS, OS/2, and Windows 3.1 are not explicitly supported. The Dataplot executable used by the GUI can run in a DOS prompt window. However, it does not support screen graphics.

• Pentium-level machines are recommended for running Dataplot. The command line version may in fact run on older hardware (386/486), but I recommend Pentium level or better for decent performance.

  If you have old hardware (e.g., 100MHZ or less), you may want to consider sticking with the command line version. My experience is that 200MHZ level machines give acceptable performance for the GUI version.

• Pentium-level machines should generally have sufficient RAM for the command line version. I would recommend at least 64MB of RAM for the graphical interface version for decent performance. Basically, RAM should not be an issue unless you have rather old hardware.

• You should have approximately 100MB of free space on your hard drive.

  I have setup installations to run off ZIP drives. This is one option if you have limited space on your hard drive (and a ZIP drive installed). Although I have in fact run Dataplot off a CD-R, I found the performance to be sluggish.

  Again, disk space should only be an issue on older machines.

• The command line version will run in standard VGA mode. At least SVGA mode is preferable.

  The GUI version requires a minimum of 800x600 to run. However, you will get a warning message at this level and some of the windows are minimized, so a resolution greater than 800x66 is preferred for the GUI.

• Dataplot supports Postscript and HP-GL output for printers. There is a special version of the HP-GL driver for LaserJet printers.

  For other printers, we recommend using Ghostview. We include links to Ghostview and Ghostscript below.

  The FAQS addresses printing in the Windows environment and importing graphics into other software programs such as word processors.

The PC version is distributed in executable form since most users do not have the necessary Fortran compilers. You can download the source from the Unix download pages if you are interested.

• setup.exe (approximately 22 MB). This file contains the basic Dataplot installation. Last updated 04/25/2006.

  The following previous versions are also available:

  • setup_08_30_2005.exe (approximately 22 MB).
  • setup_06_14_2005.exe (approximately 22 MB).

• tcl830.exe. This file contains version 8.3.0 of the Tcl/Tk utility.

• vfrun66ai.exe (approximately 2 MB). This file contains the runtime library for the Compaq Visual Fortran compiler.

• gs704w32.exe (approximately 6 MB). This file contains the version 7.04 of Ghostscript.

• gsv42w32.exe (approximately 1 MB). This file contains version 4.2 of Ghostview.

The Ghostscript and Ghostview programs are not strictly required for running Dataplot. However, it is highly recommended that you download these programs as Dataplot uses them both for printing to non-Postscript printers and for generating certain types of bitmapped graphics (e.g., JPEG). If you already have a resonably current version of Ghostscript/Ghostview installed on your system, you can skip this step. Dataplot should work well with any relatively recent version of these programs.

Note: There may be occassions where you need to download new executables (e.g., to obtain a bug fix) without redoing the entire installation. The following two files can be downloaded:

• dplahzip.exe contains the executable used by the graphical user interface version

• dpmsfort.exe contains the executable used by the command line version

In particular, the following two problems can sometimes occur.

1. Our anonymous ftp site performs an "nslookup" command in order to identify the requesting site. The nslookup command is used to query internet domain name servers. If our ftp site rejects you, it is likely due to the failure of this nslookup query to resolve your internet name/address. If this happens, I cannot really provide any assistance. My only suggestion would be to talk to your local system administrators to see if there is some reason why your machine is not resolved by nslookup. It is unlikely that NIST will change its policy regarding the use of nslookup to resolve names anytime soon.

2. Our ftp server also has a 60 user limit. This limit is sometimes reached. If the ftp request is rejected, you may want to try connecting at a time when the site is likely to be less busy.

In general, I simply do not have the time or expertise to diagnose these types of problems. I can check to see if our ftp server is up, but not much beyond that.

If you are unable to download via the Web, you can do the following:

1. You can try using anonymous ftp directly.

   ftp  ftp.nist.gov
   user name> anonymous
   password>  your e-mail address
   >cd /pub/dataplot/pc/winntgui
   >binary
   >get  setup.exe  c:\setup.exe
   >get  tcl830.exe  c:\tcl830.exe
   >get  vfrun66ai.exe  c:\vfrun66ai.exe
   >cd   ../gs
   >get  gs704w32.exe  c:\gs704w32.exe
   >get  gsv42w32.exe  c:\gsv42w32.exe
   >quit
                

   I only recommend this if you are already reasonably familiar with using anonymous ftp.

2. I can send the Dataplot installation on a CD-R. This is much easier for me than trying to diagnose ftp/browser/firewall problems. There is no charge, just send a request to Alan Heckert. Be sure to include your mail address (not e-mail) and the desired platform.

   NOTE (1/27/2003): We are preparing to publish the NIST/SEMATECH e-Handbook of Statistical Methods and the Dataplot Reference Manual and software on CD within in the next few weeks. My division chief recently requested that I defer sending any more copies of the Dataplot Reference Manual/software on CD-R until the "official" CD is published. If you request the CD, then I will add your name to the list of people to recieve the CD.

Run the following files to perform the Dataplot installation. You can either open a DOS prompt window and type the commands listed or you can use Windows Explorer and double click on the indicated files. All the files below use automatic installation programs (e.g., Install Shield), so just respond to the menu prompts.

• C:\SETUP.EXE - this performs the basic Dataplot installation.

  The "Typical" installation installs Dataplot in "C:\Program Files\NIST\DATAPLOT". If you want to install in another drive (or use a different path), select the "Custom" installation.

  The installation program will create desktop shortcuts for both the command line version and the GUI version of Dataplot. It will also add them to your "Start/Programs" menu.

• C:\VFRUN66AI.EXE - this installs the Compaq Visual Fortran runtime library. This uses an Install Shield "ftp://ftp.nist.gov/pub/dataplot/pc/winntgui/tcl830.exe"> tcl830.exe. This file contains version 8.3.0 of the Tcl/Tk utility.

• C:\GS704W32.EXE - this installs version 7.04 of Ghostscript.

• C:\GSV42W32.EXE - this installs version 4.2 of Ghostvies. Note that you should install Ghostscript before Ghostview.

• C:\TCL830.EXE - this installs version 8.3 of Tcl/Tk.

  If you have a more recent version of Tcl/Tk, then skip this step. If you have an older version of Tcl/Tk, then we strongly recommend that you upgrade to this newer version.

• For Windows 95/98/ME, the amount of initial environment memory needs to be set.
  1. Start up the Windows Explorer.
  2. Locate the file C:\Program Files\NIST\DATAPLOT\DP.BAT (or whatever drive you installed Dataplot on)
  3. right click on "DP.BAT" and select "Properties".
  4. Select "Memory".
  5. Select "Initial Environment" and set it to "4096".
  Setting the "Initial Environment" memory is not needed on all Windows 95/98 machines. However, if it is not set, you may get a message indicating a lack of environment space when you try to start the GUI. The exact error can vary on different Windows platforms.

  On some platforms, you may get the message that XDP_MENU or XDP_CODE is undefined.

• If you did not install Tcl/Tk in the default location (C:\Program Files\Tcl), you need to edit a line in the DP.BAT file. Details are given in the README file.
• The README file discusses several configuration issues. Specifically,
  1. Options for the shortcuts.
  2. Customizing the Dataplot startup file DPLOGF.TEX.
  3. Customizing the configuration file for the GUI.
  Details are provided in the README file. Note that Dataplot should run without modifying these files. You may want to take a quick look (to see what things can be changed) at first and then come back to them after you have more experience with Dataplot.

C:\Program Files\NIST\DATAPLOT\DPLAHEY.EXE
DEVICE 1 DISCRETE

Enter the following command:

LET A = PI**2

THE COMPUTED VALUE OF THE CONSTANT A = .9869605E+01

PLOT SIN(X) FOR X = 0 0.1 6

Test Dataplot's HELP command (for documentation) by entering

HELP

A good general test is to execute the command

CALL MINITEST.DP

EXIT
STOP
HALT
END
QUIT
BYE

You should see some white text on a black foreground in the "Graphic1" window. If you only see a black window with no text (and no prompt), this indicates that your monitor is in "true color" mode. If this is the case, click on "x" in the upper right corner to kill the Dataplot run and do the following:

• Specify the -true switch when you initiate DATAPLOT.EXE. Right click on the Dataplot shortcut, select Properties, and add the "-true" option to the Target line. If it is already set, try removing it.

If the second graphics window was not automatically opened, at the Dataplot prompt enter the command

DEVICE 1 QWIN

CALL MINITEST.DP

phone: 301-975-2899
e-mail: alan.heckert@nist.gov

• Your platform (NT, Windows 98, etc.).
• The installation steps you followed.
• What specifically is the error you are getting.

• You don't see any text when you type in the command window.

  This probably means that your monitor is in "true color" mode. The fix is to put the following 2 lines at the beginning of the C:\DATAPLOT\DPLOGF.TEX file (the order of the commands is important):

  SET QWIN COLOR DIRECT DEVICE 1 QWIN

  Note: Starting with the 3/29/2002 version, an alternate, and preferred, way to do this is to specify the -true switch when you initiate DATAPLOT.EXE. Typically, you would add this to the command line on the shortcut. This method is preferred because it sets the true color mode in Dataplot a bit earlier. The result is that you do not lose some of the initial printing to the screen that occurs in the previous method.

• Did you install Tcl/TK?

• For Windows 95/98/ME users, did you set the amount of environment memory for the DP.BAT file? This is the most common problem for the GUI version.

• If you did not install Dataplot in the "C:\DATAPLOT" directory, did you edit the "DP.BAT" and DPCOMM.BAT" files to reflect the correct locations? Also, you need to modify the XDPCWNNT and XDPCWN95 files in the C:\DATAPLOT\FRSCRIPT directory.

If you have WinZip, you can download the Unix tar file. Otherwise, you can do the following:

ftp ftp.nist.gov
user>anonymous
password><email address>
cd /pub/dataplot/other/src
prompt off mget *.f
mget *.INC
mget *.c
quit

The Dataplot code is written to be portable. Most 32-bit Fortran 77/90 compilers should be able to compile Dataplot. However, there are two issues you need to be aware of.

1. In order to generate screen graphics, you will need to have a graphics device driver for the compiler. Most 32-bit Fortran compilers will come with some type of graphics library, so the coding should not be too difficult.

   One complication in the Windows world is that graphics is often intertwined with Windows and GUI's. For running Dataplot in a command line mode, you typically need a "text" window for entering commands and a "graphics" window for generating plots. The Microsoft/Visual Fortran (Compaq/Intel) compiler provides a "QuickWin" mode which handles this quite nicely. However, the Lahey compiler uses the Winteractor library. Although this is in fact a nice graphics library, it does force you to write your application as a GUI. This does not work well for Dataplot. I have no experience with ABSOFT, the other major PC Fortran compiler.

2. Related to the above is the issue of compatibility with Tcl/Tk. If you want to use the GUI, then you want to build Dataplot in a "console" mode since Tcl/Tk needs control of the windows. However, even in console mode there may be compatibility problems between Dataplot Tcl/Tk. For the Microsoft version, the console mode of Dataplot works with Windows NT, but not Windows 95/98. The console executable built with the Lahey LF90 compiler works in all the Windows platforms supported. I have no experience with the ABSOFT compiler.
3. System specific statements are contained in DP1.FOR file. This defines machine constants, file operations, issuing DOS commands, etc. It is generally straightforward to develop a working version of DP1.FOR for a given compiler.

Date created: 6/5/2001
Last updated: 8/10/2007
Please email comments on this WWW page to sedwww@cam.nist.gov.