Escalator Boxcar Train - Software
Over the last years I have developed a new version of the graphical user interface, which runs natively under Mac OS X, Linux and Windows XP using the Qt widget libraries. The package is now integrated into a single executable. Instructions to download and install the package can be found below. The program is in an on-going state of development. A manual is a most-wanted feature, which I unfortunately can not write due to a lack of time. Please give the program a try and let me know your experiences. If you encounter bugs (you may!) please report them to me by email. You can test your installation of the windows version, using the test programs. For information about changes that have been implemented from one version to the next, please consult the CHANGELOG file.
Downloads
Mac OS X
EBTtool, Mac OS X version (last modified February
13, 2012)
This is the latest version that is
compiled on a Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard using
the open source Qt 4.7.4 and Qwt 6.0.1. The program
is dynamically linked. To be able to use the program you will have to install
the open source Qt distribution that can be downloaded from http://qt.nokia.com/downloads. Make
sure to download the newer, Cocoa version for both 32- and 64-bits
applications. At the time of this writing the correct disk image can be
obtained following the link:
http://get.qt.nokia.com/qt/source/qt-mac-opensource-4.7.4.dmg
Also, it is assumed that you install this Qt distribution in the default
location. Installation in a non-standard place will prevent the program from
running.
Windows
EBTtool,
Windows XP version (last modified September 15, 2011)
This is the latest
version that is compiled on a Windows XP machine using the Open Source
edition of Qt/Windows 4.7.3 and Qwt 6.0.1. The
program is statically linked and hence does not need the Qt and Qwt DLL files.
Linux
Please build
the package from the source code (link provided below). I do not have access to
a Linux machine any longer.
Test suite
EBTtest.zip
This zip file contains a model, run, graph and project
files for testing purposes. Follow the instructions in the README.
Source code
ebttool-src.tgz
or ebttool-src.zip
These files have identical contents and contain the source code of the entire EBTtool package. It is the latest version of the source
code, which is based on the Qt 4 Open Source widget library and Qwt 6. Follow the instructions in the COMPILE file to
compile the package for your own system.
Installation notes
Mac OS X
The latest binary version of the EBTtool was compiled on a Macbook Pro running Snow Leopard. To install the package mount the disk image and drag the EBTtool application folder to your /Applications directory (link included in the disk image). You start up the graphical user interface by selecting it from your /Applications folder.
One common problem that you may encounter is that the program generates a module for the wrong type of architecture. If after compilation the program does not correctly load and run a particular model, try adding the flag '-arch i386' or '-arch x86_64' to both the compiler options and the linker options (of course without the '-characters). This forces the compiler to generate either 32 or 64 bit code. These options can be set on the ‘Advanced’ tab of the compilation window.
If in addition to the graphical user interface, you also want to be able to compile and run models from the command-line you have to define the EBTPATH environment variable as ‘/Applications/EBTtool.app/Contents/Resources’ (for example, by adding the line ‘export EBTPATH=/Applications/EBTtool.app/Contents/Resources’ to your .bashrc file). In addition, you should add the directory ‘/Applications/EBTtool.app/Contents/MacOs’ to your PATH variable. This will, for example, allow you to use the 'ebt' script for compiling a model executable that can be run from the command-line. See the manual for a description of these scripts.
Windows
The binary version of the EBTtool was compiled on an i386 machine running Windows XP (Service Pack 3), using the Microsoft Visual C++ Express compiler. Download the distribution file, unzip it and place the directory where you find convenient. Keep this directory unaltered, i.e. it should contain the executable, the “integrator” and “templates” directories.
Some note of warning about where to place the directory with the EBTtool program and its subfolders: The program is developed on a XP machine with the US-English language. As such, it is not tested on machines that use foreign languages and we have indeed encountered problems on machines that use a language other than US-English. The program may, for example, not run properly if the complete path to the EBT directory contains non-standard ASCII characters, e.g. Japanese characters or accented characters. If you are working on such a machine, your safest option is to place the EBT directory directly at the root of your hard disk, i.e. in C:\ebttool. The same remarks may hold for where you place model and run files. If these are located in a directory, the complete path of which contains non-standard ASCII characters, the program might not function properly.
To start using the EBTtool, simply create a shortcut to the executable and place it on your desktop or start menu.
Installing and configuring the Microsoft Visual C++ Express compiler
To be able to compile models, you'll need the freely available Microsoft Visual C++ Express compiler. The most recent version of this compiler can be downloaded from:
http://www.microsoft.com/express/Windows/
After installation of the compiler, you will have to define a number of Environment Variables to be able to use the compiler from the EBTtool.
Open “Control Panel->System Properties”. Go to the “Advanced” tab and choose “Environment Variables”. Make sure that the upper panel contains definitions for at least the following 5 environment variables:
Environment variable definitions for a
default installation of Microsoft Visual C++ Express 2010:
|
Variable |
Value |
|
VCINSTALLDIR |
C:\Program Files
(x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0 |
|
SDKINSTALLDIR |
C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v7.0A |
|
INCLUDE |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\include |
|
LIB |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\lib;%SDKINSTALLDIR%\lib |
|
PATH |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\Common7\IDE;%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\bin |
Environment
variable definitions for a default installation of Microsoft Visual C++ Express
2008:
|
Variable |
Value |
|
VCINSTALLDIR |
C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Visual Studio 9.0 |
|
SDKINSTALLDIR |
C:\Program Files\Microsoft SDKs\Windows\v6.0A |
|
INCLUDE |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\include |
|
LIB |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\lib;%SDKINSTALLDIR%\lib |
|
PATH |
%VCINSTALLDIR%\Common7\IDE;%VCINSTALLDIR%\VC\bin |
If these variables are not defined, create new environment variables with these names or edit existing variables to include the paths that are appropriate for your installation.
IMPORTANT:
Make sure you correctly configure the
use of the compiler after starting the EBTtool. One
frequent mistake is that the temporary directory is not set, which causes
problems while compiling models. To correctly set the value of the temporary
directory select “Model->Compile” and click on the “Advanced” tab. Select
“Configure” and set the value of the “Tmp path”. This
is a directory in which the EBTtool compiles some
intermediate files. Hit the “Browse” button to the right of it and select an
appropriate directory, for example, C:\windows\temp.
Last revised: André M. de Roos, February 13, 2012