Downloading files from the ISB website

The following hints apply to the Netscape web browser. Similar functions will be available in other browsers, but I do not have the time to test those. If you have any comments or additions, please let me know.

Try this first

To view a file, simply left-click on the link and see what happens. Usually your browser will do something intelligent.

To save a file on your local disk, right-click on the link and select "Save link as..." to store the file that the link points to.

If you have problems, read on...

Plain text files

These files can be viewed simply by left-clicking on the link, which is shown in blue and underlined. Then use the File-->Save As function of your browser to save it on your disk.

Some common text file extensions:

.BAT -- MSDOS command script, commonly used for installation of programs, or running a sequence of programs. Will only execute on MSDOS and Windows compatible computers. To execute in MSDOS, type the name of the file without extension. In Windows, double click on the file, or use the "Run command" function.
.m -- Matlab script or function. Requires Matlab from MathWorks Inc.
.c -- C source code. Should run on all platforms, please notify the author in case of problems.
.h -- C header files. Used in combination with C source code.
.f -- Fortran 77 source code. Will be accepted by all platforms, but notify the author in case of problems.
.FOR or .FORTRAN -- VMS Fortran source code. Found in some of the contributions by Herman Woltring. Try to compile and manually edit the source where problems occur. TYPE and ACCEPT statements should be converted to PRINT and READ. Comments should be placed on separate lines, starting with "C".

DOS vs. UNIX text files

DOS text files have CR-LF, carriage return and line feed (= CTRL-J and CTRL-M) at the end of each line. UNIX text files have LF (= CTRL-J) only at the end of each line. When a document is in your browser window, it has already been translated to your operating system, and File-->Save As will work properly. Translation may not occur if you use right-click and "Save Link As...", so avoid this for text files. Most text files on the ISB site are stored in UNIX format.

You may experience problems with text files that are stored in a file archive (.tar, .zip etc.). This has, for instance, been reported with the KineMat software package. Matlab programs will execute correctly, but you may see strange characters at the end of a line when you open the file in a text editor. Also, some programs (such as MSDOS grep) do not work properly when CTRL-M is missing. To convert a UNIX text file to DOS, open it in EDIT (the old MSDOS text editor) and save it again. To convert a DOS text file to UNIX, use this UNIX script. (download this file using right-click since the script contains the CTRL-M character which you *don't* want translated!).

Wordprocessor files

We try not to use wordprocessor files on this site, but some MSWord documents may be found. If this is a problem, let us know and we will try to convert the file to HTML. Contributors, please submit your documentation in one of the following formats (in order of preference:)
1. HTML
2. RTF
3. Plain text

Binary executable programs

The ISB web site generally does not store executable programs, with the exception of DOS/Windows programs and some utilities for UNIX.

If you left-click on an executable, you may get garbage on the screen. So, to be safe, always download executables using the right-mouse button and the "Save Link As..." function.

Most UNIX binaries can not be recognized by their file extension, so we will make sure the link is indicated as such. Some file extensions found on the ISB web site:

.EXE -- MSDOS/Windows executable. To execute in MSDOS, type the name of the file without extension. In Windows, double click on the file, or use the "Run command" function.
.mexsg -- Matlab function binary for SGI

UNIX executables cannot be recognized by their filename extension, so use right-click if a link is indicated to be a UNIX executable.

File archives

File archives are binary files that contain several files packed together, sometimes using a compression algorithm. Browsers usually recognize the file type and use plug-in software to decompress and unpack the files. File archives are not readable in the browser, so if the browser does not recognize the file type, use the right-click, select "Save Link As..." and then process the file manually.

In case of problems, read on for more details. Some common filename extensions:

.ZIP or .zip -- Commonly used on DOS/Windows platform. To unpack the files, use an "unzip" program. Various versions can be found for free on the Internet, for Windows as well as UNIX platform. For Windows, try WinZip. On UNIX, first see if UNZIP is already installed by typing "which unzip". If the program is not installed, get it from the Internet. Here is an executable for IRIX (SGI UNIX). Here is C source code for generic UNIX.
.gz -- Commonly used on UNIX platforms. To unpack the files, use the "gunzip" program which is probably is already installed on your UNIX computer. Else, find one on the Internet. WinZip will also decode .gz files.
.tar -- Commonly used on UNIX platforms. Every UNIX system has 'tar' installed. To decode a file "foo.tar", type:
```
   tar -xvf foo.tar
```
WinZip will also decode .tar files.
.Z -- Commonly used on UNIX platforms. A .Z file contains just one file, but it is compressed to save space. To uncompress, use the UNIX command "uncompress". On Windows, you can use WinZip. Sometimes .tar files are compressed, which results in an extension .tar.Z. A file foo.tar.Z is decoded as follows:
```
   uncompress foo.tar.Z

   tar -xvf foo.tar
```

Image files

Some documents on this site use .gif files for illustrations. You may download these (right-click and "Save Link As..." and use them for your own work, if you acknowledge the source.

The file format for CT data files is documented on the page where the files are described.

Other files

Other file formats are explained in the accompanying documentation. If anything is missing, please let me know.

Commercial/legal issues

Unless indicated otherwise, all material stored on the site can be used without restriction for non-commercial purposes. The author of software or owner of data should be contacted if commercial use is intended.

Last updated: February 14, 2001
by Ton van den Bogert

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