overview
graphical interface
batch mode
rewriting the model
resources

Resources

Using the ECCO Modelling Software

The ECCO software is written in java, a general-purpose programming language that is supported by most computer systems. Java is owned (and, unusually for a programming language, the name is trademarked) by Sun Microsystems, who supply 'java development kits' enabling java programs to run on common computer platforms. In addition to java itself, I have made use of a number of tools developed in java by other people or groups. I have bundled some of these into the ECCO software, but others have to be installed separately, where they are needed. These latter are all explained below.

All required tools to run ECCO on Windows or Linux are supplied on the CD. I have added links to the distributors websites as well, in case the CD is faulty or missing. Some of the tools are the outcome of free software projects like ECCO, and hence tend to be frequently updated. The versions given here are sufficient to run ECCO, but later versions (usually indicated by a higher version number) should also suffice. The exception to this is my Uncle Unc project, of which ECCO is a part. Future versions should contain significantly improved versions of the ECCO software.

	Java Programming Language Java is a general-purpose programming language able to run on most modern computing devices. The ECCO model software is written in java, and any use of it requires java to be installed. The other resources listed here are java programs developed by third parties, Java is a trademark of Sun Microsystems Ltd. Sun release a free 'java development kit' that allows java programs to be run on popular platforms. It may already be installed on your computer. If not, versions for the two most popular platforms are contained on the CD. Installation on Windows Look on the CD in the folder 'resources' for the file 'j2sdk-1_4_0-win.exe'. Double-clicking on the file explorer will launch an interactive installer program that will ask you a few questions (the default values are generally acceptable). Follow the instructions, and once the program has completed, you should be able to run java programs on your machine. Installation on Linux Look on the CD in the folder 'resources' for the file 'j2sdk-1_4_0-forte-ce-3_0-bin-linux.sh'. Open a console, cd to the directory where you wish to install java, and execute the program e.g. 'sh ./j2sdk*sh'. You will need to accept the license agreement as per the windows install. If you wish to invoke java from any directory (which is assumed for some of the scripts in the other packages), then you must either add the java installation's bin directory to $PATH, or make a symbolic link to the [java install]/bin/java program in /usr/bin or similar. (The 'kaffe' java compiler that ships with many linux distributions may do the job, but I haven't tried, and would recommend Sun's version of java for linux. Before installing, you may wish to check whether you have a java runtime installed by typing 'which java' at the console. If a program is found, type 'java -version' to determine whose it is. If you do find kaffe, it is probably advisable to remove it using your systems packaging utilities e.g. rpm, apt, graphical package manager, before installing the sun jdk.) Installation on Other Platforms Mac OS X comes with a java development kit pre-installed. Verify this by typing 'which java' and 'java -version' in a console window, it should report java version 1.3, which is more than adequate. Java support on older versions of Macs was more limited, I believe, mainly available from a company called Metrowerks. I have little experience of Macs, but am willing to do some running around the internet to find out if anyone requires such information. Users of other platforms presumably know what they are doing, or have a support department that does. Again, mail me and I will help if I can. NOTE The java development kit must be installed before anything else. The CD also contains a documentation zip file that gives detailed descriptions of all the standard java classes. It is not necessary to install this in order to run java, but I thought I would include it for the curious.
	ECCO Installer This is a special packaging of the required bits of Uncle Unc and Jython that runs as a java program that will install the modelling tools for you. To use it, you will first need to run the java installer above. Installation on Windows, Linux, Mac etc. Download the jar file from the hyperlink above to a convenient location. If you're using Windows, it should be represented as a 'executable jar file' once the java development kit is installed. Double-clicking on it should launch the graphical installer, which then runs in a fairly intuitive manner. If you can't get your file explorer or equivalent to launch it for you, open a console or DOS window, cd to the directoryu where the downloaded jar is located, and type 'java -jar eirecco-install-[xyz].jar' (where [xyz] is the version number of the installation program. If that doesn't work, let me know! The installer is a general-purpose product that follows a standard pattern, asking you to accept a license for the software, view a 'readme' file containing useful information, select a directory, etc. The installer software is called IzPack - it's a free software project similar to the ECCO simulator, and I'm very grateful to its developers for making my own programs so much easier to use. Running the Model The installer will create batch files and unix shell scripts in the top-level installation directory, called runEcco and runEcco_batch, for the graphical and batch modes respectively. If you're using windows, use the batch scripts, if you're using unix (or MacOS X), use the shell scripts.
Everything beow this line is 'techie' stuff. If you only want to run the graphical and batch programs, and don't enjoy staring at a computer screen for long hours, you can spare yourself much pain by stopping reading now!
	Uncle Unc This is my own code library, including the ECCO simulator, the model in its original dynamo form and as pre-compiled java, and much else that isn't directly related to ECCO modelling. I include it all because the graphical ECCO simulator uses several other parts of the library, notably the graphics user interface. Installation on Windows, Linux, Mac etc. This is only necessary if you feel technically competent enough to tackle compiling your own models, so go to sourceforge and have a look at the instructions in the downloadable archives. I run a mailing list for uncle unc developers, so sign up there and ask me questions if you get stuck.
	Jython Python is a simple but powerful programming language that is designed to be flexible and very easy to learn. Jython is an implementation of the python language in java, and can be run on any java-enabled platform. It provides a rapid way of prototyping java code, and interacting with live java code 'on the fly'. I used it to quickly develop a script that runs ECCO models in batch mode, and you will need to install jython if you wish to save data from the model for use in a spreadsheet. Jython is Free Software, developed by a team of volunteers across the internet. Installation on Windows, Linux, Mac etc. The program that installs jython on a computer is itself a java program. It is located on the CD in 'resources/jython-21.class'. To install this on any platform, type in at the console, shell or DOS prompt 'java jython-21'. Alternatively, on Windows (and with some other file explorer programs) you may be able to simply double-click the class file in order to execute it. Once the program is running, it will perform a graphical installation. Generally, the default values are sufficient. Once installed, you may need to set your system PATH in order to access the jython command from any folder.
	Ant Ant is required only if you wish to recompile the model yourself. Ant is a 'build tool' that makes compiling java code much quicker and easier than the tools supplied with the sun (or any other) JDK. Ant itself is written in java, and will work on any platform that supports java. Ant is used to build the Uncle Unc code and to compile the models generated by the parser program. Instructions on how to install Ant are provided on their site, and instructions on how to build Uncle Unc using Ant are provided in the file eirecco/README.src.html. Ant is Free Software, developed by a team of volunteers across the internet. Installation on Windows, Linux, Mac etc. The most recent build of Ant at time of writing is included on the CD under 'resources/jakarta-ant-[version number]-.zip', for your convenience. This version is sufficient to build Uncle Unc, but more recent versions may introduce other functionality. I won't go into great detail on installing Ant, mail me if you run into difficulties.