Instructions for installing KnotPlot on Windows 95/98/NT/2000 machines

Rob Scharein, 13 November 2000


INSTALLING GLUT

If you haven't already installed GLUT (see the KnotPlot download page),
do so first.  You need to obtain the glut32.dll file and place
that DLL file in one of two locations:

  --- the directory you install KnotPlot in (typically 
      C:\Program Files\KnotPlot).
      In this case, only KnotPlot will have access to
      the glut32.dll file (assuming you start KnotPlot in 
      the directory where glut32.dll resides).
      This option is fine if you don't plan on running 
      any other GLUT-based software.

  --- the standard system directory where DLLs are installed.
      In Windows 98 this is C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.  This is where
      I have my glut32.dll file sitting, because I run a lot
      of different GLUT-based programs. 

If you have Windows 95, see the section later in this
file for information regarding OpenGL.




INSTALLING THE DISTRIBUTION

KnotPlot will not run without its set of support files, the
"KnotPlot Distribution".  This distribution contains all the
knots in the Rolfsen catalogue, plus many demos and other
special goodies.  To install it, obtain the file `kpdist.zip' 
from the KnotPlot download site.  Unzip the contents to 
a suitable home, for example 

   C:\Program Files\KnotPlot

This folder is the "KnotPlot Home".
After you install the distribution, if you look in the 
KnotPlot home folder, you should see a number of
sub-folders, including

    basic   demos   resource   special

plus several others. 

If you don't install the distribution, KnotPlot will complain
about not being able to find its home, and it will exit.

It's possible that you might install KnotPlot to a directory
other than C:\Program Files\KnotPlot, and in this case you 
have to let KnotPlot know where its home is.  In Windows NT/2000,
this is simple, you can set the environment variable KNOTPLOT_HOME
to point to wherever the KnotPlot home actually is.  There
is a similar mechanism under Windows 95/98/ME.

An alternative to setting the environment variable is to simple
put the knotplot.exe into the KnotPlot home folder.  When KnotPlot
starts up, it tries to find the home folder in the following
locations:
 
    --- the value of the KNOTPLOT_HOME environment variable, if defined

    --- the current directory

    --- the folder C:\Program Files\KnotPlot

KnotPlot uses the first of these that it can find.  



INSTALLING KNOTPLOT 

If you're reading this, you already have the knotplot.exe file.  Just
put that file any suitable place (the KnotPlot home folder is a good
location).  If you installed the distribution in the C:\Program Files\KnotPlot
location, then it doesn't matter where the knotplot.exe file lives, 
since it will find the KnotPlot home by default. 

If you've installed the KnotPlot home someplace else, say 

   D:\progs\KnotPlot

and you prefer having the knotplot.exe file in, say 
 
   C:\bin

or whatever, then what you might want to do is either:

    --- set a KNOTPLOT_HOME env var to  D:\progs\KnotPlot

or 

    --- make a shortcut to the knotplot.exe file, and edit
        the "Start in" field of the shortcut's properties 
        to read D:\progs\KnotPlot




INSTALLING OPENGL ON SOME WINDOWS 95 SYSTEMS

This section APPLIES ONLY TO SOME WINDOWS 95 SYSTEMS.
If you have Windows 98 or ME or NT or 2000, you already have OpenGL
installed, and you can ignore everything in this section.

Some older Windows 95 machines don't have OpenGL installed.
If your machine is one of these, you should obtain the DLL files

    glu32.dll   and   opengl32.dll

from Microsoft and install them in the appropriate location. 
You'll be able to tell that you don't have the DLL files, because
you will get an error when running KnotPlot if you don't have them.


