Contentsa. Conventions
1. Note
2. Pre Installation
2.1 Java RTE
2.2 Unzip3. PC Installation
3.1 Installation Steps
3.2 Launching Express Designer
3.2.1 Launching from the Desktop
3.2.2 Launching from the CLI
3.3 Install Issues
3.3.1 Manual Shortcut Creation
3.3.2 Manual Icon Application
3.3.3 Manual Shortcut Copy to Desktop
3.3.4 Manual Shortcut Move to Start Menu
3.3.5 Register the File Type Extensions
3.3.6 Associate the File Types with Express Designer
3.3.7 Associate the Custom Icon with Express Designer
a. Conventions
BDI refers to the Basic Designer Interface
CDI refers to the Complex Designer Interface
CLI refers to your platform's Command Line Interface
Text in This Type refers to on screen buttons
Text in This Type refers to top level menu items
Text in This Type refers to specific menu selections, or input field labels
Text in This Type refers to file names
Text in This Type refers to text you enter into the CLI
Text in This Type refers to text generated by entering a CLI command
1. Note
Java installations are platform specific. The installation procedures try to be as accommodating as possible, but some platforms may require additional, custom steps to get them to launch Express Designer like a native application. As new methods of installation are tested on different platforms they will be incorporated whenever possible. In addition, the FAQ's page will be updated with install issues as they are discovered.The following discussion describes 2 methods of installation for the PC world and another, generic one, for all other platforms. The end result will be an application that can be run from a CLI and in many cases an application that behaves just like a native one.
2. Pre Installation
You should have been e-mailed a userID and password to obtain the product. If you don't have them, email us immediately. Otherwise, set your browser to http://alphse.com/aex/ready.html and enter the information. You must agree to the license. enter the UserID and password your were e-mailed and click the Log-in button. The page you get back will look like the one below and have a link to the Express.zip file.
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Regardless of platform, you will need a suitable Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on your system. Depending on your platform, you may also need an unzip utility - see below. It's likely you already have both on your system now.
2.1 Java RTE
Most likely, you already have a JRE of at least version 1.3.0 or above. If not, they are easy to get and are free. To see if have one open a command line window, like MS/DOS in the PC world, and enterjava -version.If you get an error, try,jre -version.If you still get an error, you'll need to install a JRE. Where you go to get it depends on your platform. For PC users, try CNet Download.com . For Sun Unix & Linux: Sun Download Center. Apple Mac users go to Apple®. Alpha users, now go to HP® . There are many, other sites as well.2.2 Unzip
If you are doing a PC installation and do not have a zip/unzip utility, you can avoid installing one now by downloading the self-extracting executable, instead of the zip file, then download the license file separately after the install is completed.
If you would like to have a zip/unzip utility, go to the WinZip® web site and download and install an evaluation copy. Or, go to Google® or ZDnet® and search for unzip. There are many sellers. None are expensive and some are free.Important: For production-related reasons, the Express.exe file contains a pre-expired license file (aex.key), while the Express.zip file contains your valid, personal license file, created when you ordered the product.
3.1
Installation Steps
As mentioned earlier there are two
methods of installation for PC users. One requires you to have an unzip
utility, the other doesn't, but requires an extra step. Either method will
allow Express Designer to behave much like other PC applications - i.e.
easy launch from the desktop, from the Start Menu
or via a double-click on an Express Designer file type (.aex,
.laex, .gaex).
To install via the self-extracting zip file,
To install when you have a previously
installed unzip utility,
Regardless of the method used,
at this point you should see the ExpressBDI
shortcut on your desktop. If you're installing the Standard, Professional
or Enterprise editions you'll also see the ExpressCDI
shortcut on your desktop (see figure
3-1).
Figure 3-1
It's possible the shortcuts will
be created on your desktop, but will not have the signature Express Designer
image. The product should still start by double clicking the icons. To
fix their appearance, see Manual Step 3.3.2.
3.2 Launching Express Designer
3.2.1
Launching from the Desktop
Double click on the ExpressBDI
icon to launch the product. Wait a few seconds. If the BDI window
appears, your installation is done.
Note: since the product must be
launched from a CLI, you will also see an MS-DOS window appear. Ignore
it, unless the product fails to start. In that case note the information
you see there to help determine the problem. The window should disappear
when you exit the the product.
3.2.2
Launching from the CLI
You can also launch Express Designer
directly from any MS-DOS window by entering :
java -cp Target Directory\Express.jar com.alphase.aex.bdiExample:
java -cp "c:\Program Files\aex\Express.jar" com.alphase.aex.bdiIf your Target Directory path contains a space, enclose it in quotes ("...").
3.3
Install Issues
After the install, if something
doesn't work, or look right, you can usually repair it easily by understanding
the install steps and performing specific ones manually. To begin with,
both PC installation methods execute the same two phases. Phase 1 copies
files to their appropriate locations and creates a setup.bat
file to be used in phase 2. Phase 1 is identical to the generic
install procedure, so at this point Express Designer can be started
using the CLI method even if any part
of phase 2 fails.
When phase 1 runs, you will see
something like this in your CLI:
Installing
Express Designer...
Target OS: Windows NT
Java RTE: 1.3.2
Current Directory: C:\aex1.2
User's Home Directory: C:\WINNT.0\Profiles\Administrator\
Moving files to c:\Program Files\aex\ ...
The 6th line displays your Target
Directory (in this example it's c:\Program
Files\aex\). This
information will be necessary in fixing most of the install problems.
Phase 2, is implemented by the setup.bat
file. Go to the Target Directory, mentioned above, to see the setup.bat
file that was created for your machine. It performs the following steps
for the BDI setup and, if required for your edition, once for the
CDI.
Follow the links, to see how to do each step manually.
Note, the step descriptions are
written for novice to intermediate PC users. More knowledgeable users may
wish to perform these steps in their own way.
3.3.1 Manual Shortcut Creation
3.3.3
Manual Shortcut Copy to Desktop
3.3.4
Manual Shortcut Move to Start Menu
3.3.5 Register the File Type Extensions3.3.6 Associate the File Types with the Express Designer
- Go to the target directory and enter :
associate .aex=ExpressDesigner.Basic- If your licensed for Standard Edition, or above, enter :
associate .aex=ExpressDesigner.Complex- If your licensed for Enterprise Edition, enter :
associate .aex=ExpressDesigner.Complex23.3.7 Associate the Custom Icon with Express Designer
- Go to the target directory and enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Basic(ExpressDesigner) Open="target-directory\bdi.bat" "%1"- If your licensed for Standard Edition, or above, enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Complex(ExpressDesigner) Open="target-directory\cdi.bat" "%1"- If your licensed for Enterprise Edition, enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Complex2(ExpressDesigner) Open="target-directory\cdi.bat" "%1" -type global4 Generic Installation
- Go to the target directory and enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Basic(ExpressDesigner) :ICON="target-directory\PCIcon.ico,0"- If your licensed for Standard Edition, or above, enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Complex(ExpressDesigner) :ICON="target-directory\PCIcon.ico,0"- If your licensed for Enterprise Edition, enter :
associate ExpressDesigner.Complex2(ExpressDesigner) :ICON="target-directory\PCIcon.ico,0"
Express Designer must be installed and run from a Command Line Interface (CLI) or similar facility that allows the main java program to be called with at least one parameter value - i.e. java com.alphase.aex.bdi.
The following steps assume an intermediate level of knowledge about your platform.To run Express Designer's basic design interface (BDI), the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) must know the fully qualified name of the class (i.e. com.alphase.aex.bdi) and where it can find the Target Directory which contains the Express.jar file. The qualified class name is always a required argument, but identifying the Target Directory can be done either directly, within the command line, or indirectly by assigning a symbol, or logical name to point to the file beforehand.
- Identify, or create, a directory to use as a temporary holding area (an empty one is best).
- Download and unzip the Express.zip file into the directory above.
- Open a CLI window and set your current, working directory to the directory above ( e.g. cd /root/MyTemp )
- Enter: java install
- When the File Selection box appears, select the directory you want to install the product in. The installer will create an aex subdirectory under it, which is known as the Target Directory.
Note: If java cannot find the install class, include the current working directory in the classpath argument (e.g. java -cp ./ install ). The exact syntax of the classpath argument will depend on your platform. Entering java with no arguments will usually display the accepted choices. Typically it's something like -cp or -classpath.To include the Target Directory directly, within the command line, invoke java from your CLI with the Target Directory followed by Express.jar followed by a space and the qualified class name - e.g.
java -cp /Root/bin/aex/Express.jar com.alphase.aex.bdi.
When the path to the Express.jar file is specified indirectly, you assign a specific symbol or logical name before invoking java - e.g. setenv CLASSPATH /root/bin/aex/Express.jar. Again, the exact syntax will depend on your platform. When done this way you just have to enter:java com.alphase.aex.bdito invoke the BDI. Some platforms, like VMS, will require you to specify the class name as a quoted string to preserve lower case - e.g.:java "com.alphase.aex.bdi"At this point it's best to create a symbol to invoke Express Designer in the future.
Unix example:alias exbdi java com.alphase.aex.bdiVMS example:exbdi == "java ""com.alphase.aex.bdi"""The CDI is setup and run in the same way as the BDI.