Instructions for Penn State University Soil Characterization Laboratory Database System
- Download the distribution file and place it in a temp directory. For the purpose of this discussion, we will use C:\PEDTEMP.
- The distribution file is a self-extracting archive file. Run the distribution file to extract the two files it contains. This can be done from a DOS command prompt: From the C:\PEDTEMP directory type PEDON and strike the ENTER key. This will extract two files, an EXE file and a BAT file.
- From the command prompt, run the INSTALL.BAT file (type INSTALL and stike the ENTER key). This also can be done from Windows by browsing to the C:\PEDTEMP directory and double clicking on INSTALL.BAT.
- A message will come up indicating that the system will be installed on your C drive (hard disk) under the directory pedon unless you change the location of the installation.
- If you need to install the system on a drive other than C, e.g., D, type in INSTALL D:\pedon and the system will be installed on the D drive under the directory pedon.
System Comments
- DOS 3.3 or higher is required.
- Expanded memory is needed (minimum 1 meg). In DOS this is done by using HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files (see your DOS manual for details). In Windows 95/98 the memory settings should be taken care of automatically. Simply create a shortcut. To do this, right click on the desktop and from the resulting menu chose NEW, then SHORTCUT. Choose BROWSE and then browse to the C:\PEDON\MENU.EXE. Name the shortcut PEDON. In Windows NT or Windows 2000, you need to create a shortcut, and configure the shortcut for expanded memory. To do this, right click on the desktop and from the resulting menu chose NEW, then SHORTCUT. Choose BROWSE and then browse to the C:\PEDON\MENU.EXE. Name the shortcut PEDON. After the shortcut is created, right click on the short cut and choose properties, then memory, and set the expanded memory setting to at least 1024k.
- An environment variable needs to be set. The variable should be CLIPPER=F35 In DOS and Windows 95/98, add the line SET CLIPPER=F35 to the C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file. In Windows NT and Windows 2000, go the Control Pannel, select SYSTEM and choose the ENVIRONMENT tab. Add a variable called CLIPPER and set the value to F35.
- To operate the system, see the information given in Ciolkosz and Thurman (1992) and Ciolkosz (2000a) in the references of the Background section of this Web site.
- The system does not contain a statistical or graphics capability. In order to do statistics or graphs of data, the data must be output to a package external to the system.
- The system is provided with Pennsylvania's county names and numbers. If another state and other counties data are to be entered, the Pennsylvania data must be deleted through the Code screen of the system. Type over the Pennsylvania county names and numbers.
- The password for the system is soils.
- The calculated hydraulic conductivity data has not been tested and should only be used with great caution!!
- Zeros (0s) in some data fields indicate no data not the value of 0
- This program was developed for the DOS environment. As a result, native support for printers is very limited. One way to take advantage of printers not directly supported by the program is to print reports to an ASCII text file, and then bring that file into a word processing package like Microsoft Word or WordPerfect. To insure that all columns in the reports line up properly, the font should be set to some form of Courier, (or other non-proportionally spaced font). The point size should be set to 7 point. You may also need to maximize the left and right margins for best results.
- To get ACSII reports into PDF use the following:
- Open the ASCII file using Word
- Set the orientation to landscape
- Set page margins to minimum size
- Select all the text and change the font to Courier 9
- Assuming you have Acrobat Pro, or another PDF writer solution…Print the file to pdf format.
- Some users with newer computers may report problems with the system not making or printing reports. The problem likely lies with an environment variable. Since this program dates back to the DOS days, there is at least one environment variable that needs to be set. Assuming that you are using Windows XP, do the following:
- Right click on your "My Computer" icon
- Select "Properties" from the resulting menu
- Click on the "Advanced" tab
- Click the "Environment Variables" button
- On the 'System variables' section of the resulting window click "New"
- On the "Variable name:" line enter Clipper
- On the "Variable value:" line enter f35
- Click on the OK buttons until all the windows are closed
- Reboot you computer
- The Pedon system should now work correctly.
User's Agreement
When the system is installed, it is understood that if the data or system output is used in a publication, proper reference will be made to the source.
Assistance
For further information or assistance, contact:
Dr. Edward J. Ciolkosz(814) 865-1530
email: f8i@psu.edu