Ronald D. Kriz*, Associate Professor
Randy T. Levensalor**, Graduate Research Assistant
* Engineering Science and Mechanics, and ** Computer Science
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, Virginia 24061
Newtwork Programming Interface Builder (NPIB) is a Graphical User Interface (GUI)
tool that educators and researchers can use to create, maintain, and archive
numerous parametric studies based on their legacy computer simulations. With NPIB
users can create an interactive and collaborative Web-based working environment.
Although NPIB uses standard Java, it is designed so that the community of
scientists and engineers can build an NPIB working environment without knowledge
of Java programming. However installing NPIB and creating a working environment
on an existing Apache Web server, requires a basic understanding of shell scripts
and configuring unix system level environmental variables in each user's public_html
directory.
For educators NPIB provides a format that instructors can use to develope
interactive modules based on computer simulation legacy codes that students can
access and learn across a platform independent Java environment of a Web server.
Instructors can more accurately monitor and evaluate students progress.
For researchers NPIB provides a format that scientists and engineers can
develope a collaborative environment where participants can submit, monitor, and
share computer simulation results running in real-time on a heterogeneous network
of different remote-site computers unique to each researcher.
tar -xvf npib.tar
Example: mkdir /usr/local/npib
Example: cp ssh.exp scp.exp local.sh /usr/local/npib
Example: mkdir /apache/htdocs/cgi-bin
cp npib.cgi npib.command npib.config /apache/htdocs/cgi-bin
Example: mkdir /apache/htdocs/output
Example: mkdir /apache/htdocs/form
NOTE: The directorys relative web location will be required
For simplicity we recommend that only one copy of form.jar be included in the
Make the following changes:
Make the following changes:
b.) Change the last line of the script so that it points the
With NPIB version 1.6 all NPIB, JWave, and of course *.html files are now located
and execute from within the public_html directory off of the user's home directory.
In this section we have provided a template that will assist the user in setting
up modules that use NPIB and JWave.
Notice that there are three directories: crcd/, jwave/, and npib/.
In the
crcd/
directory there is a
bin/
directory where the user must
archive all compiled PV-Wave/JWave *.cpr files. This new directory must be added to
the JWave manager path by the server system administrator. The crcd/ directory
also contains the lectures/, assignments/, and modules/ set up
by the user.
In the
jwave/
directory there is a
classes/
directory. In this directory
there are three JWave *.jar files that were created by the JWave manager. To avoid
copying these three *.jar files everytime JWave is reconfigured, the README file in
this directory show how to make symbolic links to these files.
In the
npib/
directory there are two directories,
AA_PUT_contents_IN_home-bin/
and
APP/
and two files: form.jar and
npib.commands. The form.jar file is the same form.jar file located in the codebase
file directory "server"/npib. The npib.commands file contains one line for each
application ("APP" i.e. APP => polar) pointing to the location of the APP.npib
file that contains the npib-commands used for that particular application. Here APP
can be replaced with the application name, i.e. for module02 APP is replaced with
"polar" and in module06 APP is replaced with "edge".
The
AA_PUT_contents_IN_home-bin/ directory contains a script file named "form"
which links the user to the form.jar file. Using this script file the user does not
have to define the PATH and CLASSPATH to the form.jar file.
The
APP/
directory contains the
APP_.d
directory and two NPIB files: APP.npib and copyAPP.sh. The APP_.d directory contains
all files for execution on remote computer. NOTE: executable files stored here must
be compile on the remote computer and stored here, unless you want to include an extra
compile command in the remoteAPP.sh script. Speaking of which, the two *.sh script
files: remoteAPP.sh and localAPP.sh are shell script files that control the sequence
of commands executed on the remote and local computers respectively:
The NPIB file, APP.npib, contains the sequence of commands to execute this application.
For NPIB1.6 modules a split web page appears with the NPIB1.6 form in the lower frame
and the upper frame appears with the "how-to-use" instructions. The lower frame
is created by a java form1.6 builder. This web page describes how to create the
NPIB1.6 form for the polar plot module02 as an example.
The NPIB1.6 form, shown below, appears in the lower frame.
We provide a NPIB1.6 form editor ("form.jar") that creates new NPIB1.6 (*.html) files
or edits existing NPIB1.6 (*.html) files.
On the server spelunker.sv.vt.edu this NPIB1.6 form editor is located in one place:
In this case the /www/jwave/npib/form.jar is accessed by setting both the PATH
and CLASSPATH to this directory. With these two paths set any NPIB file (*.html)
can be edited in any directory when you logged onto the server (i.e. spelunker.sv.vt.edu).
Example of a shell script file named, form1.5:
Example of a shell script file named, form1.6:
These shell scripts can be placed in the user's ~/bin directory if the user defines
For this example on the server spelunker.sv.vt.edu we can go to the directory
/www/jwave/crcd/kriz/modules/module02 and edit the file npib1-6_polar.html with the
following command at the UNIX prompt.
spelunker% form1.6 -e npib1-6_polar.html
To create a new NPIB file at the UNIX prompt type...
spelunker% form1.6 -e
You can give this file a name using the Save option when you leave the editor.
Only one "Working Window" should appear on your monitor**: (1) "NPIB Creator".
The earlier 1.5 version also generated a second window: "Output Editor".
IF you are logged onto the "NPIB-server" (i.e. spelunker) from a remote
workstation and are using NPIB1.6 form.jar file, then you must have setup the
environmental DISPLAY variable to display X-windows back to your remote
workstation**. If you are creating NPIB forms on a remote workstation we
recommend that you install your own NPIB1.6 form.jar file in the ~/bin directory
or create shell scripts in the ~/bin directory as described in the section on
ALTERNATE METHOD OF ACCESSING form.jar. !!NOTE!! If you are creating the NPIB1.6
file (*.html) on a remote machine it is not necessary to ftp transfer this file
to the "NPIB-server" (i.e. spelunker) because the newer NPIB1.6 form editor-creator
has a "Save Local" or "Save Ftp" feature built into NPIB1.6 form editor-creator
that transfers the edited NPIB1.6 form file to a directory on the "NPIB-server"
(i.e. spelunker). This will be explained by example below.
At the top of the NPIB Creator "Working Window" you can select from a number of
pulldown menu options.
At the top of the NPIB Creator window under File, the choices are as
expected New, Open Local, Open Ftp,
Save Local, Save Ftp, and Exit.
Under Edit the choices are Refresh, Remove,
Properties, Passwords, and Output Editor.
Properties, Passwords, and Output Editor
will be discussed later.
Refresh refreshes the working window, Remove removes the
last entry that was created form the items under Insert shown below.
Under Insert the choices are
Text Field, Label, and Button,
and Grid.
The majority of the time you will select a Text Field box with a
Label above the box. Grid inserts an m-rows x n-columns
of Text Fields because such a grid is often needed and this saves time. A
Button is used to select or initiate a task.
When and item is selected under Insert an Insert-window appears
prompting you to enter a unique name for this item: Text-Field, Label, Button.
This name will be used again in the Output Editor "Working Window".
After you have entered a unique name followed by OK, the item should appear just
after the last item entered in the NPIB Creator window. To move and reposition the
button, label, or text-field items, simply select the item to be moved by holding
down the left mouse button over the item on the NPIB Creator "Working Window" and
drag (hold down mouse button while moving the mouse) the item by moving the mouse
to the desired location. When you let go of the mouse button the item will appear
in the new location. NOTE: you will not see the item "move" but rather the item will
re-appear in the new position of the NPIB form near the location where the left mouse
button was released. You may have to reposition the selected item a second time and
"fine-tune" the the exact location. This is not intuative and takes some practice.
In this way all of the items (Text Field, Label, Button) of a working NPIB form can
be created and positioned as desired.
Next you will want to assign more information to your button, label or text-field.
When a text field, label, or button is selected with the left mouse button a
"Properties" window appears that requires you enter specific infomation for that item.
For example the figures below show Property windows for each of the items: Text
Field, Label, and Button.
Common to all these windows are endOfRow, foreground, background, and font. If
the item is the last in a row you must specify this by changing the endOfRow to
be True. Experiment with and change foreground, background, and font as needed.
Text Field Property Window options not already mentioned: selectionEnd,
columns, text, selectionStart, editable, caretPosition, and name:
Label Property Window options,: alignment
Button Property Window options: actionCommand
This "Working Window" describes how the data that is displayed in the NPIB form
will be formatted in the file submitted to the shell script.
For comparison the resulting file polar.dat shown below
corresponds to the syntax shown above.
TIME SAVING FEATURE:
At the top of the "Working Window" there is a window that lists "names"
associated with components: Text Fields, Labels, Buttons. These "names"
are listed in the window when "refresh" is selected. Double clicking on
any of these names transfers this entry into the format window below with
the correct syntax. This feature can save alot of time constructing the
required syntax.
The final entry is the window where the format is set with links to each of
the textfield_names. The very first line in this window defines the filename
where data is stored according to the format specified in the lines below.
Here spaces are important if the program reading this file as data input
requires accurate spacing which seperates the numbers associated with
textfield_name. Notice that all numbers associated with textfield_names use
the syntax, <link="textfield_name"\> . Recall that the textfield_names
were assigned when the textfield was first created. This is why the HELPFUL
HINT recommended that you keep a sketch of textfiled_names associated with
the numbers in the boxes on the NPIB form. You can always verify the
textfield_name associated with the texfield_item on the NPIB Creator "Working
Window" but it is quicker if you use a sketch.
A useful feature built into the format window is a conditional test, that can
be used to include textfield_names in the final data file depending on a
numerical value assigned to a previous textfield, i.e. if the following entry
is a conditional test that is placed just before other
entries on the same line in the format window. If the condition is true then
the entries following this conditional test are included in the final file. This
allows for more flexibility in construction of the final data file generated
by the NPIB form.
This "Working Window" describes properties associates with the NPIB form.
This "Working Window" describes information needed to submit a job to remote site
computers. The three images below show the progression of setting up this information.
Password information is stored in the lower area of the Passwords "Working Window".
Each line corresponds to providing information unique to each remote site computer.
Different password information can be set up for submitting multiple jobs to different
computers.
The first entry on each line is the password name, i.e. polar_remote. Double clicking
on this entry opens this name in a "Remove password" window which is shown below.
Selecting OK removes this line from the list below and places this information in the
editable portion of the Passwords "Working Window".
When edits are complete select the "Add" button at the bottom to add this information
back to the line-list at the bottom of thw "Working Window". These entries should be
obvious except the "Description" entry appears in the NPIB form as text just above the
remote site: User Name, Password, and Host Name. We recommend to leave the Password
blank or have some descriptive message for the user other than profanity.
Save your results locally if you are logged onto the the Web server**
The NPIB form interface to the Polar Plot (module02) has be organized on the Web at
~rkriz/public_html/crcd/modules/module02
with sufficient documentation ("README" files and comments embedded in code)
in each directory so that the reader can study "how-to" setup similar modules.
Below we outline how to create a module and interface to the NPIB form.
For NPIB modules a split web page appears with the NPIB form in the lower frame
and the upper frame appears with the "how-to-use" instructions. The upper frame
also includes a link to an archived WYSIWYG result if the user submits the NPIB
form "as-is". The upper frame can also include supporting information and other
links to supporting information about the module such as definitions and
background information.
Example of Upper frame instructions:
Example of Lower frame NPIB form:
The user can highlight and change any values in the NPIB form except....
Make sure you change the email address so that the link to the results are
sent to your email address.
When the submit button in the NPIB form is selected a message "sumbitting"
replaces the form in the lower window which indicates the job has been
submitted and files are being transfered to the remote computer for number
crunching. When these files have completely transfered to the remote computer,
a new web page appears with a message indicating file transfer to the remote
computer has been completed with an estimated time when remote computations will
be done. The message on this Web page refreshes in five seconds to the archive
directory so that the Web browser viewer can observe when files are transfered
back to the archive directory from the remote computer. After this file transfer
is complete additional computations in the archive directory may take place as
specified by the localpolar.sh script file. The compuations at the remote and
local (server-side) computers are contolled by the remotepolar.sh and
localpolar.sh script files respectively.
We suggest that the user "Reload/Refresh" this web
page and observe the numerical calculations dynamically. When the calculates
are completed the excess files are removed and the user can select the appropriate
*.html file to see a visual summary of the results.
After a few minutes the calculations are completed and excess files removed.
Of course this particular
job is archived in the http://www.jwave.vt.edu/output for future reference and
this directory name should be written down for future access. Unlike the JWave
interface, the NPIB interface allows the user to dynamically view the numerical
calculations as they are taking place and when completed the user has access to
all results for future analysis.
1.0 Introduction
Below we provide instructions on how to install, create and use NPIB. NPIB is not
commercially supported, hence we provide NPIB here AS IS with out any implied
waranty. While we did our best to create an application that performed well
without errors, we do no make any quarantees about its suitability to any
particular purpose. By installing and running this program you explicitly agree
to accept the terms of this statement. If you find a bug please send us a
description of the bug, including as much information as you can. While we cannot
guarantee a prompt fix, we would appreciate your feedback and try to help as we can.
2.0 Installation
I. Software:
Apache was used to develop NPIB. It can be obtained from http://apache.org
It can downloaded from http://java.sun.com
which may already be installed on your system.
II. Setting up NPIB
This directory should not be web accessible.
These files should have been extracted from the npib.tar file in step 1.
the CGI-accesible directory you created in step 4.
These files should have been extracted from the npib.tar file in step 1.
which the web server has permission to write to.
chmod 755 /apache/htdocs/output
chown nobody /apache/htdocs/output
which the web server has permission to write to.
chmod 755 /apache/htdocs/form
when users create NPIB forms.
(This file should have been extracted from the npib.tar file in step 1.)
CLASSPATH by all users. For example on www.jwave.vt.edu, form.jar was
copied to Web accessible directory shown below.
directory to create NPIB forms. We anticipated that some users will want
to create NPIB forms on remote workstations. In this case the same form.jar
file can be placed some where in the users home directory on the remote
workstation. The NPIB User's Guide section on "How-to-create NPIB-forms"
will demonstrate how users can build NPIB forms on remote workstations but
save the NPIB-form file back to the Web server using form.jar.
The npib.config file should look like:
webroot /output/
commandfile npib.commands
tempname npib.in
sshScriptDir /www/jwave/cgi-bin/
hostname www.jwave.vt.edu
email rlevensa@spelunker.sv.vt.edu
webroot - set this to the path of the outroot directory,
as seen by the web server.
commandfile - this does not need to be modified.
This file states where the users command files are located.
tempname - this does not need to be modified
sshScriptDir - set this to the path of the directory you created in step 2
hostname - set this to the full dns name of this web server
email - this address will be the FROM address used when results
are mailed to users. Set this as desired.
The npib.cgi file should look like:
export CLASSPATH
CLASSPATH=/usr/local/java2/lib/:/apache/htdocs/form/form.jar
/usr/local/java2/bin/java form.run.CGIReceiver $QUERY_STRING
and the standard java runtime classes
java runtime binary on your machine.
The npib.commands file should look like:
Each record is used to tell NPIB the commands file for each user.
A line consists of two fields, delimited by a space:
users command file, npib.commands, is discussed in the next
section on Set up "public_html" for JWave and NPIB of the
NPIB User's Guide.
3.0 Set up "public_html" for JWave and NPIB
CONTENTS of form: ---------------------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
java -cp /usr/local/java2/lib:$HOME/public_html/npib/form.jar:. \
form.FormLoader $
#!/bin/csh
#------------------ remoteAPP.sh --------------------
APP.x
exit 0
#!/bin/csh
#-------------------- localAPP.sh -------------------
source /usr/local/vni/wave/bin/wvsetup
#echo env: > temp
#/bin/env >> temp
#echo ' ' >> temp
#echo set: >> temp
#set >> temp
wave create_prop1 > & prop1_foobar
rm prop1_foobar
rm *.x
rm *.byt
rm *legend.jpg
exit 0
The other files in this directory are templates with helpful hints to avoid
various pitfalls and other problems we encountered in creating PV-Wave modules.
The NPIB file, copyAPP.sh, contains the command to copy contents of the APP_.d
directory to the "." directory which is the "server"/output/USER_NAME/APP/unique
date-time directory.
CONTENTS of APP.npib: -------------------------------------
lrun /export/home/USER_NAME/public_html/npib/APP/copyAPP.sh
sput $APP_remote
srun $APP_remote ./remoteAPP.sh
sget $APP_remote
lrun ./localAPP.sh
Commands in the APP.npib file need more explanation, where $APP_remote was
defined in the NPIB Edit - Passwords "Working Window" and used here like
an environmental variable with information about the remote computer.
CONTENTS of copyAPP.sh: -----------------------------------
#!/bin/sh
cp /export/home/USER_NAME/public_html/npib/APP/APP_.d/* .
4.0 "How-to" NPIB-form tutorials
4.1 How-To-Create NPIB1.6 forms. Example: Polar Plot, module02
The file form.jar is archived in the directory shown below along with java source code.
ALTERNATE METHOD OF ACCESSING form.jar: is used when creating NPIB forms on remote
workstations or when using two different versions (1.5 or 1.6) of NPIB form.jar on the
"NPIB-server"
(i.e. spelunker). Either of these situations can be accommodated without defining PATH or
CLASSPATH
This can be done by creating a shell script for each version of form.jar.
#!/bin/sh
java -cp /usr/local/java2/lib:/www/jwave/applets98/form/form.jar:. form.FormLoader $*
!/bin/sh
java -cp /usr/local/java2/lib:$HOME/public_html/npib/form.jar:. form.FormLoader $*
their path to go to ~/bin (common practice). Of course depending on where the user
locates the different form.jar files requires changing the paths in these scripts.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
GRAPHITE-EPOXY
EPOXY ELASTIC PROPERTIES ( N/M**2 )
EPOXY YOUNGS MODULUS, EM=+5.280E+09
EPOXY POISSONS RATIO, NUM=0.354
FIBER ELASTIC PROPERTIES ( N/M**2 )
FIBER LONGITUDINAL YOUNGS MODULUS, EFL=+2.320E+11
FIBER TRANSVERSE YOUNGS MODULUS, EFT=+1.500e+10
FIBER SHEAR MODULUS L-T PLANE, GFLT=+2.400e+10
FIBER SHEAR MODULUS T PLANE, GFTT=+5.020E+09
FIBER PLANE STRAIN BULK MODULUS, KFTT=+1.500E+10
FIBER VOLUME FRACTIONS: 0.00 0.60 1.00
(i.e. /npib is equivalent to http://www.jave.vt.edu/npib)
[or]
Save your results by FTP if you are creating the NPIB form on a remote workstation.
**NOTE: If you are logged onto the server (i.e. spelunker.sv.vt.edu from a remote
workstation make sure you either use ssh or setup xhost "server-name" and setenv
DISPLAY "remote-workstation.IP.name:0.0" so that X-Windows are sent back to your
remote-workstation monitor. YOU MAY NEED TO REPOSITION THE WINDOWS USING ALT-F7
---- This is the README file for ../module02/ARCHIVE/MOD_PVWAVE ----
This is a working archive directory where all results are confirmed
prior to making this into an interactive NPIB interactive module by
creating results in this directory. Instructions for creating results
are outlined below.
All programs in this directory work so that the viewer can download,
compile and run this programs on their computers. This section is
divided into five sections:
1. Compile polar.f and create the executable polar.x
- $FC $FFLAGS polar.f -o polar.x $LINK_FNL (If IMSL libs are used)
- f77 polar.f -o polar.x (If subroutine inv(a,n,b) is used)
NOTE: polar.x is spawned in the PV-WAVE procedure files
3) Plot results using existing PV-Wave procedure files
- % wave create_e3
- % wave create_g23
- % wave create_nu32
4) View results in polar.html
5) Cleanup files in this directory
- % remove_excess_files.sh
---------------------------------------------------------------------
CREATION OF INTERACTIVE NPIB1.5 INTERFACE FOR THIS MODULE
Once verified, these working programs are copied to the NPIB directory
/www/jwave/applets98/Receiver/commands/polar_.d except for *.jpg,
*.byt *.out, *.DAT, *.sh such that the only remaining files in the
polar_.d directory are: *.pro, *.f, *.x, and polar.html.
DO NOT COPY README file from the MOD_PVWAVE directory to polar_.d.
DO NOT DELETED *.sh files FROM the MOD_PVWAVE directory.
The remove_excess_files.sh shell script file will remove the
appropriate files from MOD_PVWAVE for archiving.
A shell script file named "polar_" recreates results in a unique
directory located in http://www.jwave.vt.edu/output/"app_date-time"
/www/jwave/applets98/Receiver/commands/polar_:
-------------------------------------------------------------------
#!/bin/csh
cp /www/jwave/applets98/Receiver/commands/polar_.d/* $1
cd $1
source /usr/local/vni/CTT3.0/ctt/bin/cttsetup.csh
source /usr/local/vni/wave/bin/wvsetup
wave create_e3 > & e3_foobar
wave create_g23 > & g23_foobar
wave create_nu32 > & nu32_foobar
rm e3_foobar g23_foobar nu32_foobar
rm *.x
rm *.byt
rm *legend.jpg
rm *.SAVE
exit 0
----------------------------------------------------------------
CREATION* OF INTERACTIVE NPIB1.6 INTERFACE FOR THIS MODULE
Is the same as creating NPIB1.5 interface except the "polar_" shell
script file is replaced with the npib-script file "polar.npib" and
both the polar_.d directory and polar.npib file are located within
the users public_html directory at ~USER_NAME/public_html/npib/polar/.
The polar.npib file uses ssh commands and unique "npib-commands" to
transfer files to the remote computer and coordinate execution at
remote and local(npib-server) computers. For NPIB1.6 the polar_.d
directory contains the same files except remote and local shell script
files are included in the NPIB1.6 polar_.d directory that are used to
execute program and procedures at remote and local computers. A more
complete description of the npib-commands is given in the NPIB1.6
Users-Guide.
~rkriz/public_html/npib/polar/polar.npib
-----------------------------------------------------------
lrun /export/home/rkriz/public_html/npib/polar/copypolar.sh
sput $polar_remote
srun $polar_remote ./remotepolar.sh
sget $polar_remote
lrun ./localpolar.sh
shell script files in ~rkriz/public_html/npib/polar/polar_.d
------------------------------------------------------------
#!/bin/csh
#------------------ remotepolar.sh --------------------
polar.x
exit 0
#!/bin/csh
#-------------------- localpolar.sh -------------------
source /usr/local/vni/wave/bin/wvsetup
wave create_e3 > & e3_foobar
wave create_g23 > & g23_foobar
wave create_nu32 > & nu32_foobar
rm e3_foobar g23_foobar nu32_foobar
rm *.x
rm *.byt
rm *legend.jpg
exit 0
----------------------------------------------------------------------
* Motivation for creating NPIB1.6: With NPIB1.6 all files are located
within the users home directory. NPIB1.5 required that the user copy
and access files in a variety of different locations on the server.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Ronald D. Kriz, Virginia Tech, 06-20-01
4.2 How-To-Use NPIB1.6 forms. Example: Polar Plot, module02
Plane Stain Bulk Modulus
5.0 Frequently asked questions
6.0 Known bugs
Contact: Dr. Ron Kriz
Created 6/24/01 | Revised
http://www.jwave.vt.edu/crcd/archives/npib1.6/usersguide/OnePageUsersGuide.html