Installing GSAS-II on Windows

Overview: Installing GSAS-II requires three separate steps. One must install a Python package which will interpret the GSAS-II code that we distribute and to self-update one must also install the subversion package which is used to download and update the GSAS-II files from the server at Argonne. Once that is done, one can install and then run the GSAS-II system. To make matters even more complex, there are several choices on how each step can be performed, with different advantages. The Quick Install Instructions, below, offer the simplest options. Feedback on installation instructions is welcomed by clicking here.

New Trial Procedure

Even Newer: A Single download step installer? that is even simpler than the procedure immediately below. Please try this and report success or failure.

New: A Single download step installer? has been written that greatly reduces the number of downloads needed to install GSAS-II. It has not gotten much testing yet.

Quick Install Instructions

There are at least three different distributions of Python that can be used with GSAS-II. We recommend using either Quick Install with Continuum Anaconda or Quick Install with Enthought Canopy (the 2nd is slightly simpler). There are also older instructions using the Enthought EPDfree package? which are not recommended.

Installation Details for the Curious

Python

Python is a computer scripting language, which means that one must have the Python interpreter installed on your computer to run a Python program. However, there are several Python packages required by GSAS-II that are not distributed within the standard Python distribution, so not just any package of the Python interpreter will do for GSAS-II. For development, we have been using the full ​EPD distribution but also do some testing with the Canopy and Anaconda distributions. Note that GSAS-II is being developed with version 2.x of Python (2.7.6 as this is written). It has not been tested with version 3.x of Python since we lack a dist for this.

In addition to the Python dists referenced in the quick install instructions above, there are others for Windows we have not tested:

• ​Python(x,y) is a free Windows (and Linux) Python distribution. It focuses on supporting the Qt GUI package while GSAS-II requires wxPython, but this distribution does offer wx and all the other packages that GSAS-II requires, as far as we are aware. Note that when you install, you will either need to select to install all packages or else perform a customized installation to ensure that the Python packages required by GSAS-II are installed. To install, download the .exe file, run it and read the instructions.

• ​ActiveState ActivePython This is commercial licensed software that includes a free version with no support. ActiveState is well respected in the scripting community, but we have not tried this yet.

Subversion

Subversion is a software version tracking system that allows you to download and update the GSAS-II software directly from the APS subversion server (​https://subversion.xray.aps.anl.gov/pyGSAS/trunk/). You can install a variety of different versions of this software, but the two we recommend for Windows are these:

• ​TortoiseSVN incorporates Subversion capabilities into Windows. See the downloads directory and be sure to install the version (64-bit or 32-bit) appropriate for your version of Windows -- this must match the OS or it will not run. Once TortoiseSVN is installed, follow these installation instructions

or

• mini-svn kit: A 2.5 Mb zip file has been prepared that contains a minimal SVN package, along with a batch file for installing GSAS-II from the APS subversion server. Use these Installation Instructions? to use this kit.

or (not recommended)

• If you are unable to access the subversion server for some reason and must use a conventional download (note that in all the cases so far where people have been seemed to be blocked have turned out to be fixed through addition of a proxy server), you can download a snapshot of the current version of GSAS-II using this URL:

​https://subversion.xray.aps.anl.gov/trac/pyGSAS/changeset/Head/trunk?old_path=%2F&format=zip.

This will supply all the GSAS-II files in a zip archive. The contents of this archive can be moved to the location where GSAS-II will be installed.

We discourage use of this because you will need to repeat the entire download every time you want to upgrade; GSAS-II is updated often (sometimes daily!).

Compiling Fortran Code

Normally you will not need to compile anything. The GSAS-II distribution contains compiled .pyd (library modules) needed by a 32-bit or a 64-bit Python version 2.7 interpreter for Windows. However, if you are working with an unusual python interpreter or are doing GSAS-II development, compilation instructions can be found here.