Setting Up WebSPHINX

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WebSPHINX is written in Java, so it runs on a variety of machine platforms. It has been tested in the following Java environments. Instructions for each environment are found below.


Netscape 4.0

Setup

No special setup is required. The Crawler Workbench can be loaded directly across the network by Netscape 4.0, so go directly to the WebSPHINX examples to try it out.

Notes

All features of the Crawler Workbench are available under Netscape 4.0.

Warning: the Workbench requires more privileges than an ordinary Java applet. Its primary function (Web crawling) requires opening connections to other network hosts, and several other features (such as saving or concatenating pages) require write permission to your local disk. Whenever the Workbench requests permission to do something that a Java applet is not normally allowed to do, Netscape will pop up a dialog box asking you to give permission. Here's an example:

Once you have granted a capability to the Workbench, it remains granted for the duration of the browser session.

If you would prefer not to give these capabilities to an applet running in your Web browser, you can also run the Workbench from the command line using JDK 1.1 or JDK 1.0.2.


Internet Explorer 4.0

Setup

No special setup is required. The Crawler Workbench can be loaded directly across the network by Internet Explorer 4.0, so go directly to the WebSPHINX examples to try it out.

Notes

All features of the Crawler Workbench are available under Internet Explorer. There is one known bug in the Workbench on IE: for some reason, popup dialogs do not appear. Thus the Open and Save buttons have no effect on IE, since they are unable to pop up a dialog to request a filename. This bug will be fixed shortly.

Warning: the Workbench requires more privileges than an ordinary Java applet. Its primary function (Web crawling) requires opening connections to other network hosts, and several other features (such as saving or concatenating pages) require write permission to your local disk. For this reason, before the Workbench starts, Internet Explorer will pop up a dialog box asking you to give it permission to run.


Netscape 3.0

Setup

The WebSPHINX class library needs to be found on your classpath; otherwise Netscape will not allow it to contact other hosts on the network (which is, after all, its main purpose).

The setup procedure depends on your platform:

  1. On a Unix machine with AFS access, type:
    setenv CLASSPATH /afs/cs/user/rcm/www/websphinx/websphinx.zip
  2. On Windows 95 or NT:
    1. Download websphinx.zip to your local disk. For example, you might save it as c:\websphinx\websphinx.zip.
    2. On Windows NT: go to the Control Panel, click on the System icon, select the Environment panel, and set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip.
    3. On Windows 95: edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip, and restart your machine.
  3. Restart Netscape so that it uses the new CLASSPATH.
  4. Go to the WebSPHINX examples to try out the Workbench.

Notes

The following features are not available under Netscape 3.0:


JDK 1.1

Setup

The WebSPHINX class library should be found on your classpath. The setup procedure depends on your platform:

  1. On a Unix machine with AFS access, type:
    setenv CLASSPATH /afs/cs/user/rcm/www/websphinx/websphinx.jar
  2. On Windows 95 or NT:
    1. Download websphinx.jar to your local disk. For example, you might save it as c:\websphinx\websphinx.jar.
    2. On Windows NT: go to the Control Panel, click on the System icon, select the Environment panel, and set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip.
    3. On Windows 95: edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip, and restart your machine.
  3. Run the following command:
    java websphinx.workbench.Workbench
    The Crawler Workbench will appear in a new window.
  4. Go to the WebSPHINX examples to try out the Workbench. You'll have to manually copy the screenshots into your Workbench window.

Notes

The following features are not available under JDK 1.1:


JDK 1.0.2

Installation

The WebSPHINX class library should be found on your classpath. The setup procedure depends on your platform:

  1. On a Unix machine with AFS access, type:
    setenv CLASSPATH /afs/cs/user/rcm/www/websphinx/websphinx.zip
  2. On Windows 95 or NT:
    1. Download websphinx.zip to your local disk. For example, you might save it as c:\websphinx\websphinx.zip.
    2. On Windows NT: go to the Control Panel, click on the System icon, select the Environment panel, and set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip.
    3. On Windows 95: edit AUTOEXEC.BAT to set CLASSPATH to the local filename you used for websphinx.zip, and restart your machine.
  3. Run the following command:
    java websphinx.workbench.Workbench
    The Crawler Workbench will appear in a new window.
  4. Go to the WebSPHINX examples to try out the Workbench. You'll have to manually copy the screenshots into your Workbench window.

Notes

The following features are not available under JDK 1.0.2:


Send comments or questions to Rob Miller (rcm@cs.cmu.edu)