This is the readme file for the Shield Nickel Viewer.

The Shield Nickel Viewer (SNV) provides high resolution
photos and other assistance in attributing the many
shield nickel varieties.  Please review the online
help after installation.

SNV is a Java application.  This means that you MUST
have a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) installed on
your computer before this software will function.

Because SNV is a Java application, it should work
for you on any platform - Windows, Mac, Linux, or
any other system for which a compatible JRE is
available.

For Windows and Linux, although there may be multiple 
JRE providers, I recommend the free JRE available from 
Sun at:

http://www.java.sun.com/

Please download and install version 1.7 or newer of 
the JRE.  

For older Macintosh users, a JRE comes built-in to Mac
OS X so Mac users should be in good shape.  Newer Mac
users should download and install the appropriate JRE.

If your Sun JRE is installed correctly you should be
able to issue the following command in a command
window:

    java -version
    
and get a response showing the version number of
the installed JRE.  (This may or may not work
with the Mac JRE - somebody let me know, please.)

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Windows Installation from the Web (Trial Package)

Download and run ShieldNickelViewer.exe.  You
will have a choice of installation directory,
and whether launch icons are installed on the
desktop and in the Programs menu.

The trial package has everything setup automatically,
so there is no further configuration to perform.

To uninstall, use the Control Panel Add/Remove
Programs feature.

---------------------

Windows Installation from DVD

Put the SNV Program Disk in your DVD drive. The SNV 
installation program should start to run automatically.

If for any reason the installation program does not
run automatically, open the DVD drive and
run the "Setup" program.

During setup, you will have a choice of installation 
directory, and whether launch icons are installed on 
the desktop and in the Programs menu.

Valid users of SNV will have been provided a license
key by email. The first time you run SNV if the license key 
file is not found in the installation directory SNV will
prompt you to enter the license key.  It is recommended
that you copy and paste the license key instead of 
trying to type it in.  (Highlight the license key by
sweeping over it with your mouse, hit Control-C or 
Edit/Copy, then click on the SNV dialog box for the
license key and hit Control-V to paste the license in.)

Launch SNV either by double-clicking the desktop
icon or using the Start menu, depending on where
you asked the installation program to place icons
for you.

    If you receive a message that says "Java not found.  
    See readme".  Click 'Yes' for Java website, 'Cancel'
    to install from SNV Disk", it means that an appropriate
    Java Runtime was not found on your computer.
    Click "Cancel" to exit the warning message.
    Put the SNV Program disk back in your DVD
    drive if you removed it previously, navigate to
    the JRE subdirectory of the disk, and double-
    click the JRE installation program in that 
    subdirectory. Alternatively, if you wish, click
    "Yes" to exit the warning message, and you will
    be taken to Sun's website to download Java. 

    If you need a JRE that is not provided on the DVD,
	please download it from Sun's website.

After SNV launches successfully, you will see
a splash screen while the data files load, and
then you will see the main SNV screen - a list
of available varieties.  
     
To uninstall, use the Control Panel Add/Remove
Programs feature.

---------------------

Mac Installation from the Web (Trial Package)

Note: If you are a Mac user and wish to install the
trial package, you must contact me first to make 
arrangements to do so.

Follow the directions on the download web
page to run the installer.

The trial package has everything setup automatically,
so there is no further configuration to perform.

To uninstall, use the Uninstall program that 
gets installed in the installation folder.

---------------------

Mac Installation from a CD

This section to be written.

---------------------

Manual Installation
    
Note: If you wish to perform a manual 
installation, you must contact me first to
obtain the files.

If you are running on a system other than 
Windows or Mac (or if you choose to manually 
install SNV), the manual installation is very 
easy.  There are no registry changes or other 
system tweaks that need to be made.  These
steps apply whether you have a trial version
from the Web or a DVD version.  

1.  Create a directory on your hard disk where
    you wish to install the program.

2.  Copy the contents of the "program" directory 
    to the directory you created in 
    step 1.  Make sure you copy including
    subdirectories, so that the bin/doc directory
    is also copied.  (Do not create a directory
    named "program" on the destination - just copy
    the files to the installation directory.)

3.  Copy the license key file "install.key" to
    the directory you created in step 1, or be
    prepared to paste license key into the 
    dialog box when SNV first runs..
    
4.  Using the snv.cmd file that you copied to the
    installation directory as a template, create
    a launch file for SNV.  For example, under
    Linux, assuming you have installed the JRE
    to the default locations used by the JRE
    package, you probably want to do the following:
	
    a. Rename snv.cmd to snv
    b. Set snv executable (chmod +x snv)
    c. Add the path to the JRE to command line
       so it looks like this:
	   
    /usr/java/j2re1.4.2_04/bin/java -jar ShieldNickelViewer.jar 


4.  Using a plaintext text editor (such as notepad
    under Windows or vi under Linux) edit the file
    ShieldNickelViewer.ini that you copied to the 
    destination directory.
    
    Do not use a formatting text editor such as
    Microsoft Word unless you are careful to save
    in plaintext format.

    If you prefer not to edit the INI file by hand,
    use the built-in preference editor.  The first
    time you run SNV, choose File/Preferences, and 
    the program will provide you with a dialog box for 
    editing the INI file. Locate the box labelled
    "CD Directory" and change its value to the data
    directory on your CDRom drive.

5.  To uninstall, simply delete the files you copied
    to your hard disk.
    
---------------------

If someone would like to write installers for Macintosh
or Linux systems and donate them to the cause, it would
be greatly appreciated.  :-)

Howard Spindel updated 3/22/2015
