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

Rob Scharein, 29 March 2000

INSTALLING GLUT

If you haven't already installed GLUT (see the KnotPlot download page), do so first. You need to place the glut32.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.

The GLUT DLL file may be obtained from one of the GLUT web sites listed below, or you can use the copy included in the resource\win32 folder under the KnotPlot home.

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

KnotPlot download page: http://www.pims.math.ca/knotplot/

GLUT site: http://reality.sgi.com/opengl/glut3/glut3.html

GLUT for Win32 site: http://www.xmission.com/~nate/glut.html This is the place to get the glut32.dll file from.

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, simply copy the KnotPlot folder on the CDROM 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.

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

--- 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 (WINDOWS 95 ONLY)

This section APPLIES ONLY TO SOME WINDOWS 95 SYSTEMS. If you have Windows 98 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.