Installing metaABM

Easy

If you use the latest Eclipse 3.5 (Galileo) releases you can ignore all of the below. Sit back and watch this helpful video instead!

Installing MetaABM in 60 Seconds

Here's the only update site you need: http://eclipse.metaabm.org/updates/release

Otherwise

MetaABM is designed to work within the Eclipse system, leveraging the Eclipse platform to provide users with sophisticated development tools. Eclipse is a powerful and complex environment and the instatllation process can be challenging for new users. Post a message in the forums if you run into any issues. There are two options under the Eclipse Ganymede release. You can install the plugins from our update site, or download the plugins and copy them into the new dropin directory. The first option is preferred as it allows you to automatically download the latest features, but the last option is simpler and you might try it if you have trouble with the plugin install. For those of you who must use Europa, the current release version of Eclipse can install MetaABM by following the last instructions. (Please note that we no longer recommend using the dropins approach. If you want to install manually you can grab an archived update site from http://metaabm.org/downloads/eclipse/MetaABMSDK.zip and use the plugins and features included.)

Installing with Simphony

If you want to use metaABM with Repast Simphony -- as most users do! -- the process is exactly the same, except that you need to install Simphony as well. Simphony is now fully integrated with the Eclipse environment, so you can simply use the Simphony updates. Please see: Repast Plugin Install for more information. As of this writing, the Repast update site is not 'live'. We suggest you use the downloadable site at: https://sourceforge.net/project/platformdownload.php?group_id=1703&sel_ platform=9689

Note that the metaABM tools for Simphony depend on Simphony, so you will either need to install Simphony first, or enter both update sites at the same time.

Installation Options

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Installing Plugins

We recommend the current Eclipse Ganymede (version 3.4). See below if for some reason you are stuck with Europa.

1. If you do not already have Eclipse Ganymede installed, navigate to the Eclipse Download Site and grab the latest version of the Ganymede. We recommend the release for Software Architects but you can use any of the other versions. If you can't find this on main site, go to http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/packages/. Select "Eclipse IDE for Software Architects and Modelers". Hey, its less than 300 MB! Previous versions of Eclipse are not recommended.
   
   Actually, you don't need nearly all of the items here. Its just much simpler to get them all in one bundle. If you are an advanced user, the only dependencies are EMF and GMF, see below.

2. Unzip Eclipse to an appropriate place.

3. Launch Eclipse, creating a workspace when you do so.
   

4. After Eclipse launches select the Help:Software Updates.. menu.

   

5. The next dialog allows you to work with software "plugins" for Eclipse. In any case, all you have to do here is click "Add Site.." button. (There will be a number of items in the middle area of the dialog but you can ignore these for now.)

   

6. In the next dialog, add the location of the metaABM update server: http://eclipse.metaabm.org/updates/release

   

7. Click ok, and add sites for the following locations as well. The second one might not be necessary and you could try the install without it.

   • http://www.openarchitectureware.org/updatesite/milestone/site.xml
   • http://download.eclipse.org/releases/ganymede

8. If you are installing Repast, you can add the Simphony update site now as well.

9. When the update sites have finished loading you should be able to open the metaABM and OAW sites and select all of the metaABM tools as well as (only) the open Architecture SDK. Then click the "Install.." button.

   

10. If everything goes well, after some machinations (this may take some time so be patient) you should finally see the following screen. Click restart and the install should be finished.

    

11. Please see the Eclipse p2 Web Page for more details on using the Eclipse P2 update manager..

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Installing for Europa (See note for Simphony users.)

Most users should try to install the Ganymede release to take advantage of new features. If you must use Europa (Eclipse 3.3) the process for plugin installation is fairly similar to Ganymede but may be troublesome as there are dependencies on some ganymede components and the Europa update process can be much more difficult.

1. Follow the instrutions for Ganymede until step 3). Instaed of above, choose "Software Updates:Find and Install.."

   

2. Next, select "Search for New Features".

   

3. Click the "New Remote Site.." button. Using this dialog, add the same sites as in steps 4 and 5 above.

   

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What Next?

Regardless of the install method you chose, if everything went well you should be able to open the metaABM perspective. Try this (see more details in the setup documentation):

• Select Open Perspective.. from the Window menu and choose metaABM. If for some reason metaABM isn't listed in the menu items, select Other.. and it should appear in the list of all perspectives.

  

Now that you have metaABM installed, you can use the bundled metaABM documentation.

• Select Help Contents from the Help menu. A browser window will open with the Eclipse documentation.

  

• (If you are already using the Eclipse documentation, you're now down the rabbit hole.)

  
You can also access help from within Eclipse by selecting "Dynamic Help" from the same menu, selecting "All Topics" at the bottom of the help screen, and finding the metaABM entry.