Installing DeCiDa

If you have pip:

pip install DeCiDa. Note that the scripts that should be installed in the python bin directory (dataview, plotter, ...) may not arrive there. And the home directory directories may not get set up properly. If this happens, simply download the distribution and copy these from the untarred folders.

Otherwise:

Download and prepare the distribution

  • unzip/untar the distribution:

    tar xvfz DeCiDa.1.0.5-tar.gz

  • cd into the distribution directory:

    cd DeCiDa-1.0.5

  • you may want to install the DeCiDa html documentation (in ./doc/html) to an appropriate place for future reference. use a browser to read the documentation, using the url file:// specification to point to the index.html file in the html directory.

  • manually modify the wrapper scripts in the distribution ./etc/wrapper directory (run_*), to point to correct tool locations.

    The wrappers have the following references to other tools. Adjust these as needed, as required by your local environment.

wrapper: expected tool location:
run_hspice /tools/hspice/bin/hspice
run_ngspice /opt/local/bin/ngspice
run_sspice /tools/silvaco/bin/sspice
run_spectre /tools/cds/bin/spectre

Installing under Enthought Canopy

  • install in the Canopy Python User Virtual Environment

  • be sure that User python is in your path:

    python
>>> import sys; sys.prefix

    you should see a path like one of the following:

    /Users/<user>/Library/Enthought/Canopy_32bit/User (MacOs)

/home/<user>/Enthought/Canopy_32bit/User (Linux)

  • install the distribution:

    python setup.py install

  • you will find a new directory .DeCiDa in your home directory containing various tool specific scripts, models and other data

  • the DeCiDa libraries are installed under site-packages

  • the DeCiDa applications are installed in the python bin directory so they should be in the user path (may require a shell rehash)

Installing under (2.7) python

  • be sure that python2.7 is in your path:

    python
>>> import sys; sys.prefix

    you should see a path like one of the following:

    /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7 (MacOS)

/opt/local/lib/python2.7 (Linux)

  • install the distribution:

    python setup.py install

Installing as a local library

  • DeCiDa can also be installed in a user’s directory without requiring sysadmin privileges.

  • select or make a directory for putting python libraries:

    mkdir ~/python/library

  • copy the decida library to the python library in your home directory:

    cp -R ./decida ~/python/library

  • edit the python resource file in ./etc/dot (.pythonrc.py). change the pylib definition appropriately to point to ~/python/library

  • copy the resource file to your home directory:

    cp ./etc/dot/.pythonrc.py ~/.

  • to use decida, import the user package, which imports ~/.pythonrc.py:

    >>> import user

  • alternatively, define the PYTHONPATH environment variable to include ~/python/library in the path

  • copy the applications to the user home bin directory:

    cp ./bin/* ~/bin

Test the distribution using the distribution tests

  • test the distribution with one or more individual tests:

    python
>>> import decida.test.test_Calc_1

    should display a calculator

    >>> import decida.test.test_Plotterx

    should display a plot and equation-set text-window

  • list all of the tests:

    python
>>> import decida.test
>>> decida.test.test_list()

    should print all of the tests

  • do all of the tests:

    python
>>> import decida.test.test_all

    this may or may not complete depending on the sequence of closing windows

  • the tests can also be run directly in the unzipped/tarred (pre-install) directory:

    cd DeCiDa-1.0.4/decida/test
test_DataViewx_4.py

  • test the applications installed in the python bin:

    twin

    should display a text-window (text-editor)