Installation Instructions

Prerequisites

First, prepare the environment by installing prerequisites required for Chirun to function.

Linux (Ubuntu 18.10+)

These instructions are written with Ubuntu in mind, but other Linux system package managers should be able to be used, albeit with different package names.

  • Ensure Git, Python3 and virtualenv are installed:

    apt install python3 python3-virtualenv

  • Ensure a system TeX distribution is installed, such as TeX Live:

    apt install texlive-full

  • Install the packages pdf2svg, pdftoppm, pdftk and libyaml:

    apt install pdf2svg poppler-utils libyaml-dev pdftk-java

MacOS

  • Install a system TeX distribution, such as MacTeX from https://tug.org/mactex/

  • Install Homebrew by following the instructions at https://brew.sh

  • Use the brew command to install pdf2svg, pdftoppm, pdftk and libyaml:

    brew install poppler
brew install pdf2svg
brew install libyaml
brew install pdftk-java

  • Install virtualenv by running:

    pip3 install virtualenv

  • If you are not using the default Apple-provided build of Python 3 ( e.g. Python is installed under /Applications/Python 3.X, where 3.X is the version), ensure that the SSL CA certificates are installed by running:

    sudo /Applications/Python\ 3.X/Install\ Certificates.command

Windows

Chirun can be used by following the Linux instructions in WSL.

Further Windows documentation will be added in future.

Quick Installation

Follow these instructions to install the Chirun Python package. If you plan to modify Chirun or perform development work, follow the instructions in the Development Installation section instead.

First, ensure you have installed the prerequisites shown in the previous section.

Next, create an environment for Chirun to be installed in, using either the virtualenv or Conda instructions below.

Virtualenv

  • Create a Python3 virtualenv environment and activate it:

    virtualenv -p python3 chirun_env
source ./chirun_env/bin/activate

  • Install the Chirun Python package:

    pip install git+https://github.com/chirun-ncl/chirun.git

Conda

If you are using Anaconda or the Conda Environment Manager, run the following commands to create a new environment and install Chirun.

  • Create a Conda environment and activate it:

    conda create --name chirun
conda activate chirun

  • Install pdf2svg in the environment:

    conda install pdf2svg

  • Install the Chirun Python package:

    pip install git+https://github.com/chirun-ncl/chirun.git --upgrade-strategy only-if-needed

The command chirun is now available for use whenever the new environment is active. You should now continue to compile the sample course to ensure everything works.

Upgrade Instructions

Run the following command with the Chirun environment active to upgrade the installed version of Chirun:

pip install --upgrade git+https://github.com/chirun-ncl/chirun.git

Note

You may need to run the above command with an extra --force-reinstall argument if the version number has not been changed between updates.

Note

Run the above command with an extra --upgrade-strategy only-if-needed argument if you are using Conda.

Development Installation

You should only follow these instructions if you plan to modify Chirun or perform development work.

  • Create a Python3 virtualenv and activate it:

    virtualenv -p python3 chirun_env
source ./chirun_env/bin/activate

  • Clone the Chrirun Python package repository:

    git clone https://github.com/chirun-ncl/chirun.git

  • Enter the chirun package directory, cd chirun

  • Install all the requirements:

    pip install -r requirements.txt

  • Install the chirun tool into your environment:

    pip install -e .

The command chirun is now available for use. You should now compile the sample course and ensure everything works.

Development Upgrade Instructions

To upgrade the development installation pull the latest changes from this git repository and install any new requirements:

cd chirun
git pull
pip install -r requirements.txt