Gato: Installation

Requirements

Unix (Linux, MacOS X, BSD, ...)

Most distributions come with Python installed. You can check that you are all set up by invoking the Python interpreter in a terminal

  > python
  Python 2.6.4 (r264:75706, Mar 16 2010, 09:46:46) 
  [GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Inc. build 5490)] on darwin
  Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
  >>> import Tkinter
  >>> t = Tkinter.Tk()
  >>> 
Ctrl-D exists the Python shell. If there are problems, or you only have an outdated Python version available install Python and Tkinter packages with the package manager for your distribution.

If your Python is set-up, download Gato, unpack it and execute either Gato.py or Gred.py by evoking

  you@yourbox> python Gato.py
You can also manually create symlinks as follows. Make Gato and Gred executable for everybopd by changing the protections. Make sure that the directory where they reside has the right execute and read permissions and that the read permissions for all files in the directory are correct (A umask 022 before unpacking helps)
  > chmod 755 Gato.py Gred.py
Create symbolic links to the executables in a directory contained in your path with
  > cd dir_on_path
  > ln -s /whereever_you_put_gato/Gato.py gato 
  > ln -s /whereever_you_put_gato/Gred.py gred
so all users on the system can use gato and gred without worrying about paths or gato's files cluttered in all kinds of directories.

If you want to install Gato permanently, you can do so by using Python's setuptools and the provided setup.py in the Gato directory,

> python setup.py install
to install Gato in the default site-packages directory for your python installation. If you need to install it elsewhere you can control the install location by specifying an alternative prefix path and/or an alternative Python interpreter.
> /some/otherpath/python setup.py install --prefix=/yetanotherpath/

WebGato: So that HTML files containing animations can find all the JavaScript and CSS code symbolic links to directories Gato/svgs/js and Gato/svgs/css from the Gato distribution are needed. If you install Gato with setup.py you can use the provided script gato-create-js-css-symlinks. Otherwise, locate the directories and issue the commands

		> ln -s /.../Gato/svgs/css .
		> ln -s	/.../Gato/svgs/js .

Linux packages

For Gentoo there is a Gato package available at http://packages.gentoo.org/search/?sstring=Graph%20Animation%20Toolbox.

BSD

There is a port of Gato available under the name py-gato, see http://portsmon.freebsd.org/portoverview.py?category=math&portname=py-gato

MacOS X

Python with Tcl/Tk on MaxOS X 10.15 seems to run quite stably. As there are increasingly severe requirements for code signing and security (clearly, generally a good thing, just a bit cumbersome if you are not a fulltime dev), downloaded binaries will likely not work without jumping through some hoops.

MacOS X Version 10.4 and above come with and Tkinter installed. You can run Gato either using with or without X11, based on the Tk library (Tk for X11, or AquaTk) used. If you want to use Gato without X11 you need to start it with pythonw, otherwise you will just get an error message. From within X11 you need to use python. Updates to the Python which comes pre-installed on MacOS X are available from http://www.python.org/download. I advise updating to the latest Python 2.7.x version.

We also make a download available of Gato.app which runs directly on MacOS X 10.4 and above. Check the Download page. You find also more recent binary releases at http://schliep.org/CATBox/ as part of the CATBox distribution. Bear in mind possible code signing issues.

If you want to use X11 on MacOS X you can check whether you are all set up using example under the Linux instructions.

Windows

On http://www.python.org/download/ you can find a one (well, multiple) click installer which installs everything you need. After you have downloaded Gato and unpacked everything double-clicking Gato.py should start the software. You find a binary release at http://schliep.org/CATBox/ as part of the CATBox distribution.