Installation

GIFTGenerator was largely developed on Windows and Linux platforms. However, since that application is Java based (built with Java 8 Update 131) the application is cross-platform. As such, there are installers for the three primary operating systems: Windows, Linux (multiple flavors), and Mac OS.

Because GIFTGenerator was built with Java 8 it is recommended that a Java 8 runtime environment is installed on your computer. At the time of this writing the Java 8 JRE can be found here. It is not thought to be the case that there is much, if any at all, Java 8 specific logic in GIFTGenerator but if you're having issues running the application with an older version of Java upgrading would be the best place to start.

It is important to note that the install directory (Documents folder on all OS') files should remain untouched. These files are the core of running GIFTGenerator. Similarly, if you are having problems with GIFTGenerator and we can't find your log and configuration files, since they been moved or modified, it will be very difficult for us to assist you.

Quick Links

• Windows
• Linux
• Mac OS
• Download Installers
• Other Documentation

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Windows

If you already have a Java Runtime Environment installed (JRE, link above) the installation process is extremely easy. Found in the zip file from the installer download is a batch file (file extension .bat). A batch file is essentially a list of commands one would typically key into the Windows Command Prompt. The installer for GIFTGenerator is just that, a short list of commands to be executed on your Windows system. In the spirit of full disclosure, here is a list of the operations performed by the batch file:

• Create a directories called 'GIFTGenerator', 'GIFTGenerator\bin', and 'GIFTGenerator\ico' in your Documents folder.
• Copy the files found in the zip file to these new locations to create an easy-to-find install directory.
• Create Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts for GIFTGenerator with the help of a Visual Basic script.

Once these basic operations are complete you're good to go! To launch GIFTGenerator either double-click the icon created on your desktop or press the Windows Key and type 'GIFTGenerator' in the start menu, this should bring up the blue gift icon of GIFTGenerator and allow you to click and launch the application.

Also included in the downloaded zip file is a README.txt file. If you need some basic information on the fly this brief document provides a general overview of the installation operation.

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Linux

Perhaps the most advanced installer in the group, the Linux installer goes the whole nine yards from checking and upgrading your version of Java (with permission) to installing the application. The installer is a .sh file which can be run from the Linux terminal or, if your document explorer is setup correctly, double clicked to install GIFTGeneartor. Running the shell script will perform the following actions:

• Check your current version of Java, if one is installed.
• If no version of Java is installed, or an old version, the script will ask if you'd like to install Java 1.8
• If yes, a Java package will be installed if your system uses the package managers apt-get, yum, or dnf.
• Create directories '~/Documents/', '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/', '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/bin/', and '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/ico/'.
• Copy GIFTGenerator's files to these directories to create an easy-to-find install directory.
• Create a file in /bin/bash/ called 'giftgenerator' which will launch the application by typing 'giftgenerator' in the Linux terminal (this requires sudo priveleges).
• Create an entry on the desktop so GIFTGenerator can easily be launched from the desktop shortcut.

Once the installer is finished GIFTGenerator can be launched from the desktop shortcut or by typing 'giftgenerator' in the Linux Terminal and pressing enter.

I want to just double click the installer...

To be able to just double-click the shell script and cause it to execute some preferences must be set. In Ubuntu, this Stack Overflow question and answer provides valueable insight on how to set this up. Rather than recreate the tutorial here it's perhaps wiser to redirect to the question.

Although not all Linux distributions will be like Ubuntu, many will require actions similar to those outlined above. For your particular distribution, a quick Google search should provide you enough insight, with the link above as a good starting point, to get this functionality set up.

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Mac OS

The install script for MacOS is very similar to that for Linux system due to the background of MacOS. The installer can be found in the downloaded directory as install.command. The .command file can be launched via double click in Finder or in the terminal as a script. The install script does the following:

• Check your current version of Java, if one is installed.
• Create directories '~/Documents/', '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/', '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/bin/', and '~/Documents/GIFTGenerator/ico/'.
• Copy GIFTGenerator's files to these directories to create an easy-to-find install directory.
• Create a file in /bin/bash/ called 'giftgenerator' which will launch the application by typing 'giftgenerator' in the terminal (this requires sudo priveleges).
• Create an entry on the desktop so GIFTGenerator can easily be launched from the desktop shortcut.

Once the installer is finished GIFTGenerator can be launched from the desktop shortcut or by typing 'giftgenerator' in the Terminal and pressing enter.