Installing Physlets Locally

Note: If you have used a previous version of this file (prior to Jan 2006) - you need to download the new version below (new server!). You can put it in the same place as the old one (but delete the old application!).

Introduction: I have written a program (in Delphi 5) to sychronize the PHYSLETS that I have on my web site with a directory on your local machine. The first time you run it, it will pull about 1 meg onto your machine ... any future updates will be quite small (only the pages themselves, not the java applets, since they are fixed). It should only take about 10-15 minutes over a reasonable modem - obviously much faster depending on the quality of your connection to the internet (on campus, much less than a minute!).

Why do this? Well, one of the benefits of the web is that changes/improvements can be made quickly. Also, these applets run just fine locally, you don't have to be connected to run the physlets. Putting these two ideas together, I said "The students should be able to run the stuff locally, but also occasionally connect to see if there are updates ... and they shouldn't have to work hard to get the updates." Thus, I wrote this program.

First caveat - the machine must be able to see the Internet (during this process) .. any refreshes will obviously be done over the internet. Also, you have to start the program (or put it in your startup folder) .. it is not an "active desktop" type program.

Second caveat - The program will recreate (or refresh) all of the files (and directory structures) into the directory/folder where it sits. One problem seems to be that it doesn't like to sit up in the DESKTOP as a folder ... so, you would have to put this in a directory/folder underneath the main C: drive.

1) Create a folder under the main C:\ folder (I suggest using LTU_PHYSICS, but that is not required). [Open Windows Explorer - select the main C: folder - click on the FILE menu, and select NEW, then select FOLDER. It will prompt you for a name for the folder.]
2) Download the executable file shown to the right, and copy it to that new directory/folder (in my case it is "ltu_physics").	Refresh Physlet Application (400 Kb)
3) {Assuming you still have your internet connection open} Double-click that program file - it will display a status box, and download all the appropriate physlet files.
4) Recommendation - Make a shortcut to that file on your desktop, so you can run it from the desktop whenever you want. (Easiest way to do that is to right click on the program file, hold the mouse button down, and drag over to the desktop and let go. Select CREATE SHORTCUT from the pop-up menu.) [Remember, you need to have a live connection to the internet when you run the program.	Note: The main physlet index file would be here : [your folder] \physlets\main\index.shtml This would be the main file to use (and you might want to make a shortcut or a bookmark to that file).
5) Possible Suggestion users that are automatically "on" the internet when you boot the machine -You might want to add a shortcut in your STARTUP folder - that way it will refresh itself each time you start the laptop! In this case, right click on the START button, and choose Make a shortcut to that file on your desktop, so you can run it from the desktop whenever you want. (Easiest way to do that is to right click on the program file, hold the mouse button down, and drag over to the desktop and let go. Select CREATE SHORTCUT from the pop-up menu. Then go BROWSE to find the file you downloaded above.) [Remember, you need to have a live connection to the internet when you run the program.] You also might want to right-click on that new shortcut in the start folder, and select PROPERTIES, then under the RUN item, set it to MINIMIZED - that way it will just stay down on the taskbar out of your way.
6) How Best to Use this refresh program - Whenever you want to make sure you have the updated list of all the Physlets, run this refresh program (remember you must have a live internet connection). If there have been no changes, the program will close quickly.

How to install physlets locally to your own machine (laptop/desktop)