IMPORTANT: BY USING THIS SOFTWARE YOU AGREE

TO THE ENCLOSED LICENSE. PLEASE READ THE LICENSE .

ArNoNa CADViewer Light(TM)

NEW - Post your CAD drawings to the Web - FREE viewcad.com

The only Java viewer recognized by Autodesk for viewing DWF drawings.

Thank you for using the CADViewer(TM). This document will describe how to install and configure the viewer on your system. This document includes the following sections:

List Of Files In This Kit


The kit includes the following files:

  • *.class files
  • obfu.jar
  • obfu.cab
  • *.gif
  • This document (README.html)
  • LICENSE.txt
  • help.html
  • demo.html (open in a browser to test)
  • demo.dwf (test drawing)
  • script.html (generic wrapper for drawings)

Test the viewer on your own machine

The kit includes a demo html file and dwf file. Please open the file 'demo.html' using your Java enabled browser. Once loaded, the viewer will start and display the demo drawing.
If you get a "security exception" when running on your own machine, please try a different browser or place the viewer on a web server as described below. This message means that the browser did not allow the viewer to load the drawing from the file system. You should not see this problem when you place the viewer and demo files on a web server.
If you can't see the drawing please email support@cadviewer.com for instructions.

Installing the viewer on a web server

copy *.class,obfu.jar,obfu.cab,help.html and *.gif to a directory on your server.

  1. You must use BINARY MODE if you are using ftp.
    If you try the viewer on your server and get an error "MethodVerificationError" or "class ViewerApplet not found" You may have used ascii mode during ftp transfer. See the instructions below regarding ftp.
    Use ftp for copying to remote servers. For help with ftp click here
  2. If your server is running under Unix make sure the files and the directory have permissions that will allow the web server to read them - i.e. same as html files usually the command 'chmod 755 *.class' and 'chmod 755 obfu.*' will get the job done. You also have to make sure that the directory has the same permissions.
  3. Create a wrapper html file for each dwf file.
  4. In the html file add the following tag:
<applet codebase="URL to CADViewer" code="ViewerApplet.class" archive="obfu.jar" width=10 height=10 MAYSCRIPT>
<param name="name" value="filename.dwf">
<param name="cabbase" value="obfu.cab">
</applet>  
  1. Using a browser, type the URL of the HTML file that includes the <viewer> tag. For example:
     http://www.mycompany.com/cadviewer/demo.html
       
    the codebase specifies the URL to the directory where the CADViewer files exist. For example, if you place the viewer at
       http://www.yourserver.com/myStuff/cadviewer/  
    and your html page is at
       http://www.yourserver.com/myStuff/cadviewer/drawings/drawing1.html   
    you would use a code base of
      codebase="http://www.yourserver.com/myStuff/cadviewer/" 

    Using an IP instead of host will works best. For example, if 201.23.2.6 is the IP that matches www.yourserver.com, the codebase would be:

    codebase="http://201.23.2.6/myStuff/cadviewer/" 
    You may want to start by placing a dwf drawing and wrapper html file in the same directory as the viewer. In any case you should leave the code base tag since some browsers (IE on Mac for example) have problems resolving paths to viewers.

    NOTE: Communicator may require the html pages to be in the same directory as the viewer or below it in the directory structure.


Using JavaScript URLs in drawings

JavaScript is a scripting language that can be added to HTML pages. URLs in drawings read by the CADViewer may contain URLs of the type "javascript:......". Such URLs will be interpreted as JavaScript and when the user selects such a URL, the CADViewer will instruct the browser to execute the JavaScript code. This feature is currently available with Netscape only (version 3.01 or above).

Using JavaScript requires the "MAYSCRIPT" tag at the end of the first line of the applet tag:

<applet ........... MAYSCRIPT>

Example of a JavaScript URL:

javascript:WinOpen("image.jpg")

This URL will call the function WinOpen and open image.jpg in a new browser window.

JavaScript URLs may also be added by the user as redlines with URLs.

    Configuring the viewer

    The viewer is configured by adding a "param" tag to the <viewer ....> tag. The format is:

       <param name="param name" value="param value">   

    This line is added after the <applet...> tag and before the </applet> tag.

    Example (Most of the params below are optional)::

    <applet codebase="/dwf/" code="ViewerApplet.class"  archive="obfu.jar" width=300 height=300 MAYSCRIPT>
    <param name="cabbase" value="obfu.cab">
    <param name="name" value="color.dwf">
    <param name="format" value="dwf">
    <param name="type" value="panel">
    <param name="list" value="/dwf/drawings.txt">
    </applet>
    
    				

    The minimum applet tag needed to run the CADViewer.

    <applet codebase="/path from web server root/" code="ViewerApplet.class"  archive="obfu.jar" width=300 height=300 MAYSCRIPT>
    <param name="cabbase" value="obfu.cab">
    <param name="name" value="drawingname.dwf">
    </applet>

    Setting the drawing name, format and location

    'name' (optional)

    If the "name" param is not used, the viewer will start and present the user with a list of drawings from the "drawings.txt" file. If you have not created such a file, you must use the name param to specify the drawing name. If the viewer is being used as a stand alone product (i.e. via the file system) the user will be presented with the open file dialog. Once a drawing is selected, the viewer will load it.

    The "name" param is used to specify the drawing name, the drawing format and the drawing location. The value of this param must include the file name and extension. Example: "myDrawing.dwf". Note that capitalization matters, 'mydrawing.dwf' is not the same as 'myDrawing.dwf'. The extension is used to select the drawing format. For example:

       <param name="name" value="drawing1.dwf">   

    will look for the "drawing1.dwf" file in the same directory as the HTML page.

    The name param may include a path from the server root. This is useful when the HTML file is not in the same directory as the drawing or when the HTML file is generated dynamically by a cgi script for example. If the drawing resides at http://www.yourcomany.com/cad/drawings/drawing1.dwf you could specify the 'name' param as

       <param name="name" value="/cad/drawings/drawing1.dwf">  

    Note the first "/" indicating that the path is relative to the root of the web server.

    'format' (Optional)

    Normally the drawing format is found by looking at the end of the 'name' param. For example 'drawing.dwf' will generate a DWF viewer.


    In some cases the name will not reflect the format. For example, if the DWF drawing is generated "on the fly" from a dwg file, the 'name' param may be 'drawing.dwg' while the web server will return a DWF drawing. In these cases, use the 'format' to specify the true drawing format.

    <param name="format" value="dwf">
    or 
    <param name="format" value="svf">

    Using the viewer inside an HTML page or as a separate window.

    'type' (optional)

    The CADViewer can work as part of an HTML document or as a separate window. The 'type' param is used to select this option. By default the viewer will work as a separate window. To embed the viewer in a HTML document use the value of 'panel'.

         <param name="type" value="panel">   

    Note: Make sure to set the "width" and "height" to large numbers. When the viewer is a separate window the width and height can be set to '10' so that the HTML page does not get a large empty gray spot.

    Specifying the location of the script for saving redlines,

    as well as the location of the redline files. (Pro Version Only)

     

    Users who can run scripts on their server can install a script for saving redlines. Instructions are provided later in this document. The viewer accesses a script to save the redlines to a file and loads a redline file directly from a web server directory. Optionally, both the location of the script and the location of the redlines directory can be specified. Since these parameters are specified in the HTML wrapper of a drawing, the locations of the redlines of each drawing can be unique.

    For example, if drawings are stored in two directories

       http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/drawings/buildings/   

    and

       http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/drawings/roads/   

    and you prefer to separate the redline files, you could use two different scripts for saving the redlines. One will save to the "buildings" directory (lets call it buildings.cgi) and another will save to the "roads" directory (roads.cgi). Lets also assume that the web server requires that all scripts be placed in

      http://www.yourcompany.com/cgi-bin/  

    You would copy the scripts to this directory. All HTML pages that contain the viewer in the "roads" directory would use the following params

       <param name="redline_cgi" value="/cgi-bin/roads.cgi">   
       <param name="redline_file" value="/cad/drawings/roads/">   

    While the HTML pages that use the viewer in the "buildings" directory would specify the params

       <param name="redline_cgi" value="/cgi-bin/buildings.cgi">   
      <param name="redline_file" value="/cad/drawings/buildings/">   

    The script will be modified to save the redlines to the correct directory as described later.


    'redline_cgi' (optional)

    By default the viewer will try to access the file redsaver.cgi in the save location as the viewer directory (where the *.class files are kept). Some systems will need to change the name of the script or the location. For example, if the server requires that all cgi scripts reside in a cgi-bin directory.
    To specify a location for the script, the value of this param should be the path from the root of the server ("/") to the sctipt. For example, if the URL to the script is http://www.cadviewer.com/dwf/newsaver.cgi the 'redline_cgi' will look like this:

       <param name="redline_cgi" value="/dwf/newsaver.cgi">   
    'redline_file' (optional)


    By default the viewer looks for redline files a directory "redlines" under the directory where the viewer is installed. For example, if the viewer is installed at

       http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/cadviewer/   

    The redline files would be expected to be located at

     http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/cadviewer/redlines/   

    Using this param, you can specify the location of the redline files for this drawing. The path specified must start at the root of the server ("/"). For example, if the redlines saver script saves the redline files to

      http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/drawings/annotations/   

    the param would be

       <param name="redline_file" value="/cad/drawings/annotations/">
    				

    Note that the path starts with the ("/").

    IMPORTANT: The path in the redsaver.cgi to the redlines directory must point to the same location as this param. The location must be hardcoded into the script for security reasons (which is the current operation of the script) .

    If the script decided to save to a directory based on input from the web, there is the potential for a hacker to save files to any part of the web server. Even if this happened the damage would be limited, since the script uses a unique naming convention.

    Listing additional drawings that can be accessed directly

    'list' (Optional)

    When the user clicks on the "open" button of the viewer, the viewer will attempt to load a list of available drawings from the server. By default the list (drawings.txt) should reside in the same directory as the viewer. Optionally, the 'list' param can be used to specify a location for this file.
    For example, if a group of drawings (project) should be viewed together and there is no need to create a new HTML file for each, each project can have a unique list. This way, when a user is viewing a drawing in project A and tries to open a new drawing, he will only see drawings in project A.

    For example, if the location of the drawing list is at

       http://www.yourcompany.com/cad/drawings/project_a/list.txt   

    This param would be

       <param name="list" value="/cad/drawings/project_a/list.txt">   

    Note that the path is from the server root ("/"). The format of the file can be found here.

    Selecting a drawing view as the initial view

    'initial_view_name'

    (Optional)

    Use this param to select one of the views in the drawing as the "initial view" or the first view used when displaying the drawing. If the drawing has an initial view it will be ignored and the view specified with this param will be used.

    <param name="initial_view_name" value="MR_BIGGS_OFFICE">
       


Drawing formats (Pro Version Only)

Version 2.0 includes support for the DWF format as well as the SVF format. To create DWF from AutoCAD DWG, download the free AutoCAD Internet Utilities from http://www.autodesk.com . The AIU is included in AutoCAD release 14.

A commercial converter from many formats to DWF can be found at http://www.tailormade.com

The viewer will select the drawing format based on the drawing name file extension. For example, drawing.dwf will invoke the DWF functionality while drawing.svf will invoke the SVF functionality.

Running on your own computer (Not server based)

Version 2.X can run as a stand alone application. Simple double click on the demo.html file and then select "load" from the "drawing" menu. This feature is supported in IE4.0 or Communicator only.

Listing drawings on the server

(Avoid creating an HTML file for each drawing)

When the viewer is a separate window, the "drawing" menu includes a "load" option. This option will list all available drawings on the server. This way you do not have to create a separate HTML file for each drawing on the server. To enable this option you must create a file called drawings.txt and place the file in the same directory as the viewer. If you would like to change the name of the list file or its location read this.

The format of the file is simple. Each line lists one drawing on the server. All drawings must be in the same directory as the file listing them or in a directory below it. If a path is included it must be relative to the list file location (no ".." allowed). This means that drawings can be in the same directory as the file listing them or below the file.

The format is

   <file name with extension> <tab> <plain text description for the user>
Example:
		color.dwf	This is a color drawing
		directory/campus.dwf	This is a campus

If the file is placed on a unix server, make sure the permissions allow reading.

Try accessing the file using your browser to confirm.

Passing Viewer Params In The URL To The HTML Page

All parameters can be passed via the URL to the HTML wrapper page. This means that a generic HTML wrapper can be created with no params. The viewer tag would look like this:

<applet codebase="/path from web server root/" code="ViewerApplet.class"  archive="obfu.jar" width=300 height=300 MAYSCRIPT>
<param name="cabbase" value="obfu.cab">
</applet>

If the URL to the page with this tag is at http://yourserver.com/drawings/draw.html, params can be passed as name value pairs. For example, to specify the 'name' param and have the viewer work inside the HTML page, use:

http://yourserver.com/drawings/draw.html?name=/drawings/drawing1.dwf&type=panel

Using A Generic HTML For Drawings (Script.html)

Note that the script.html should be changed. "CHANGE ME" should be the path from the root of the server to the cadviewer.class location as with all other HTML pages. More info.

For example, if the URL to the CADViewer files is http://www.host.com/cadviewer/ then the path should be /cadviewer/ and the codebase=\"CHANGE ME\" in the script.html

should be changed to:

codebase=\"/cadviewer/\"


If you have multiple drawings on a server and want to have links from HTML pages to the drawings you can use the script.html file as a generic wrapper file. This enables you to avoid creating a wrapper HTML file for each drawing.

Assume you have a set of drawings for each floor of a building. You want to create one HTML page the includes text regarding the building as well as links from the page to each of the floors. If you didn't use script.html, you would need to create a new HTML file for each floor. These files would contain the <applet ...> tag that invokes the viewer. Each HTML file would "point" to a drawing.

Using the script.html, you can have all the links on the building HTML page point to the script.html file and pass the drawing name as a parameter in the URL. Lets assume that

http://www.company.com/cadviewer/testing/script.html

is the URL to script.html.


Now lets say you have the HTML for the building at

http://www.company.com/buildings/building1.html

In this HTML page you add a link to a drawing

http://www.company.com/buildings/topfloors/building1top.dwf

as follows:

<a href="http://www.company.com/cadviewer/testing/script.html?/buildings/topfloors/building1top.dwf">
click here for top</a>

Note that the URL to the script.html has a "?" added to it. After the "?", you specify the drawing path from the server root "/" (including the first "/"). This invokes the script.html which calls the viewer and enters the name
parameter as needed to access the dwf drawing. You can edit the script.html to make it nicer.

Upgrading Communicator to the latest Java

(needed for printing only - Pro Version)

Internet Explorer 4.0 includes the latest Java (JDK1.1) but Netscape Communicator (Earlier than version 4.05) did not. To upgrade, simply install a patch provided by netscape. You can find more information at http://developer.netscape.com/software/communicator/index.html?content=/software/jdk/download.html

Using the redline "save" and "load" functionality (OPTIONAL)

(Pro Version Only)

Note: Users who cannot run cgi scripts (Some ISPs will not allow cgi scripts) can still use all viewer functionality minus the "save redline".

When you finish installing the script make sure to test it using testscript.html.

The redlines are saved to the server. This allows anyone with internet access to view and share redlines. Saving redlines to the server requires a simple file on the server that will perform the save function. This file is a cgi script written in Perl. It is very simple. To install the script:
Note: By default, the cgi script (redsaver.cgi) must reside in the same directory as the viewer, and the redlines directory must reside under the viewer directory. These settings can be changed by following
these directions.
      	/viewerdirectory
		*.class
		obfu.*
		etc.
		
		redsaver.cgi  (Unix: premissions 750)
		/redlines	(Unix: permission 770)
   
UNIX:
Modify the file redsaver.cgi:
Change the first line "CHANGE 1" to point to the perl program on your system. You can get this information by typing "which perl" at the prompt on the server. When done, the line will look something like
#!/user/local/bin/perl Change the line with "CHANGE 2" in it. Substitute the "CHANGE 2" with the full path to the redlines directory. You can get this path by changing the current directory to the viewer directory and typing "pwd" at the unix prompt.
Be sure to add "/redlines/" to the end of the path. This line will look something like:
$file_name = join ("","/webadmin/users/usr/public_html/viewerdirectory/redlines/",$file_full);
Note that the path starts and ends with '/',
The script must run in the same directory as the viewer unles the param
redline_cgi is set..
The redlines directory must reside under the viewer directory unless the param
redline_file is set.
Using ASCII mode, copy the file redsaver.cgi to the same directory as the viewer. See this for help with file transfers. If the server is a unix machine, change the permissions to 750 for this file. Create a directory under the directory containing the file called "redlines". (Note that the name is lower case). Change the permissions on this directory to 770 if the server is a unix machine.

When you finish installing the script make sure to test it using testscript.html.

Windows
Copy redsaver.pl to a directory that can run perl. IMPORTANT Since the viewer tries to access redsaver.cgi (the unix version) by default you must specify the location of the script (redsaver.pl) and redline files by setting the params used to specify the script location.

For example, this was used on our test server:

<applet code="ViewerApplet.class" archive="obfu.jar" width=10 height=10>
<param name="name" value="demo.dwf">
<param name="cabbase" value="obfu.cab">
<param name="redline_cgi" value="/redsaver.pl">
<param name="redline_file" value="/">
</applet>

In this case the redlines were saved to the web server root directory and the redsaver.pl was in the root. You can place both anywhere, but make sure that the directory with redsaver.pl is executable.


Change the "CHANGE ME" to the path to the redlines directory. Make sure to include "\\" as the path separator and include the drive letter. Also, make sure to include the last "\\". If the directory is not called redlines or not under the CADViewer directory, make sure to
set the params used to specify the redlines directory location.

Ex:

c:\\mydirectory\\mywebserver\\web_root\\cadviewer\\redlines\\

More information about perl for windows can be found at http://www.perl.com and the windows perl can be downloaded from http://www.ActiveState.com/pw32/

and is included with the windows NT Resource Guide

When you finish installing the script make sure to test it using testscript.html.

Perl installation and configuration on windows (Web Masters)

Most users will not need to complete this step. Ask your web master whether perl is installed on the web server. This example is geared to IIS but should be the same for other web servers. You may not need to do this, try finding other *.pl files on the server and adding the redsaver.pl to the same directory.

1. Install perl for windows from the above URL (you may have installed it with your web server - search your computer for perl.exe).

2. Locate the program perl.exe on your system.

3. Edit the registry key (Use the start menu, then "run" and type regedit):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
\System
   \CurrentControlSet
     \Services
        \W3SVC
           \Parameters
              \ScriptMap  

From "edit" select "new" then "new value".

Create a key with the name ".pl" and the value should b

be the full path to perl.exe and %s example:

d:\ntreskit\perl\perl.exe %s

4. Click ok. Exit regedit.

5. Restart the web server by going to the control pane | services

find the web server service and click stop then start.

6. The last thing to do is place the redsaver.pl in an executable directory on the web server.

  • Use the web server administration (Internet Service Manager - start menu | IIS menu | Internet Service Manager)
  • Double click on the web server
  • Select the "Directories" tab
  • Select the directory where the script will reside.
  • Click on "edit properties"
  • Check the "read" and "execute" checkboxes.
    When you finish installing the script make sure to test it using
    testscript.html.
 

Writing You Own Script / Integrating Redlines Into Your Own System

(Optional - Advanced Web Skills Needed)

(Pro Version Only)

You may write your own script for saving redlines. For example, if you prefer to save the redlines to a database or have a specific convention you would like to use. This section describes how the viewer interacts with the script for saving redlines.

When the viewer saves redlines, it will use the following name value pairs:

dn
The drawing name. For example a drawing called "test.dwf" will generate "dn=test".
na
The user will specify a name for the redlines.
red
The redline information to be saved to the redline file.
reddir
The directory of the redlines for this drawing. This value is specified in the HTML page (theredline_file param)

The viewer will expect the following to happen:

1. The name of the file will be "dn"_"na".red

2. The redlines be be broken up into separate connections.

If an HTTP GET is used by the viewer, the script should append the "red" value to the redline file.

If an HTTP POST is used by the viewer, the script should simply create the file and write the "red" data to it.

3. In any case, the "red" value should be decoded from URL encoding to plain ascii.

4. The viewer will add the "reddir" param, but the script may ignore it. It is useful if for example, every drawing is in a unique directory and the redlines are saved to that directory. Using this param, one script can save to many locations.


When loading a redline, the viewer will simply try to fetch the file <drawing name>_<user name>.red directly from the web server.


Help with transferring the viewer to the web server

If you have a web server running on your own machine, simply copy the files into a new directory accessible to the web server. If you are using a remote server (most cases) you will want to use FTP to transfer the files to your web server. This includes users who will copy the files to their ISP account. If you have a favorite FTP program, transfer the viewer using FTP and make sure to use binary mode. To use the FTP program provided with Unix and Windows do the following:

  1. Windows: Open a DOS window (Start | programs | Command Prompt or DOS)
  2. Change the directory to where the unzipped viewer files exist.
  3. At the prompt type "ftp <machine name>"
  4. Once connected to the remote machine, enter your user name and password.
  5. At the remote prompt type "bin" and hit the enter key to transfer files in binary mode.
  6. Type "prompt" and hit the enter key.
  7. Change directories (cd) to the directory where the viewer will be placed.
  8. Type "mput *.class" to transfer the viewer files, and "mput obfu.*" to transfer the archive files.
  9. Copy the html and dwf files to the directory in the same way.
  10. If the server is a Unix machine set the permissions on the directory to allow the web server read access. (Some servers require execute permissions for *.class).

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can the CADViewer run as a stand alone application or do I need to use a web server?

The CADViewer can run via a web server on the internet or as a stand alone application. Users who share drawings through the file system my simply copy the CADViewer to a shared directory.
What formats does the CADViewer support?
AutoCAD DWF as well as the SVF format.
What browser can I use on Win3.1?
Internet Explorer 4.0 is the only Java enabled browser for Windows 3.1
How is the CADViewer different from Autodesk's Whip! ?
  • CADViewer is a Java applet, as such it does not need any installation on the client.
  • Whip! does not include redlining.
  • Whip! will only run on windows. Since the Internet is diverse, this becomes an important point.
  • Whip! is a 3Mb file (3,000Kb). It is not suitable for occasional use.
  • CADViewer is 85Kb for Internet Explorer and 100Kb for Netscape.
  • Whip! "enables" a client while the CADViewer "enables" a whole web site.
  • Whip! must be installed every time a browser is upgraded as well as when the DWF format changes.
  • To place DWF drawings on a web site using the Whip!, a mime type must be set on the server, this may be impossible on some ISPs.
How do I install the CADViewer?
Simply copy a number of files to a directory on your server. It is that simple.
How do I use the CADViewer to view DWF drawings?
You simply add an HTML tag (<applet ...>) to your HTML page indicating the drawing name and the CADViewer applet name.
Do I need my own web server?
The CADViewer is simply a couple of files. You may use it with your own company web server or if you are using an ISP for web access, you may add the CADViewer to your home page.
What web servers can I use with the CADViewer?
Any web server.
Do I need to change mime-type settings on my server?
No. No change is needed to support DWF.
Do the DWF drawings need any modification?
No. No changes are needed.
Do I have to be a web master to use the CADViewer?
No. Anyone with access to the server directories may copy the CADViewer to the server.
Do I have to be able to run Perl cgi scripts?
No. Perl is only needed for saving redlines. It is very simple to install but if you are not allowed to run cgi scripts, the applet will work fine, except for not being able to save redlines.
What browser can I use?
Any java enabled browser, specifically Netscape 3.0, 4.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0, 4.0
What browser works best?
As avid Netscape fans, it is sad to say this, but IE4.0 works best. It supports the latest Java and runs very fast.
What platforms are supported?
Any platform that can run a Java enabled web browser.
Does the client need to install the CADViewer?
No installation is needed on the client.
What if I change browsers?
No problem. Next time you access a page that uses the CADViewer, you will download it.
How do I start the viewer?
You create an HTML page that includes the<applet> tag. You then open the HTML page in a browser. The viewer will start automatically.

Troubleshooting Guide

Viewer does not start:

If the browser says something like "VerificationError", "class ViewerApplet not found" and you used FTP to transfer the files to your web server, make sure that you transfer the files using BINARY mode. See this for more information.

If your server is a Unix machine, make sure that all files needed by the viewer (*.class, obfu.jar, obfu.cab, *.gif) have read permissions ("chmod 660 *" - should do the trick). On some machines, execute permission is needed for the java class files.

Try accessing the files obfu.cab, obfu.jar and ViewerApplet.class directly from your browser. Example: if the viewer is installed at http://youcompany.com/cadviewer/, try accessing http://yourcompany.com/cadviewer/obfu.cab etc. Make sure the files can be read.

Make sure to use the "codebase" portion of the applet tag. The "codebase" should start with "/" and lead from the server root to the directory containing the viewer files. In the above example use codebase="/cadviewer/".

The viewer starts ok, but no drawing appears or you get an error message saying "Java.io.IOException: There was an attemp to redirect a url request, but the attempt was not allowed by the client":

Did you use the "name" param?

Can you access the drawing directly from the browser?

If the "name" param is a simple file name Try going to http://yourcompany.com/path to the HTML page that contains the applet tag /drawingname.extension

If the "name" param starts with "/", try http://yourcompany/the name param

If the name param includes a path but does not start with "/", try http://yourcompany.com/path to HTML file/nameparam

No interface appears

The user interface uses tool.gif and redbar.gif to render the user interface. Make they exist in the same directory as the viewer and that you can access them directly via a browser.

Can't print:

Are you using IE4.0 or Netscape communicator with the new Java patch? If not, printing is not available to you.

The Mac does not yet offer printing with the current release of IE4.0 nor Communicator.

IE4.0: When the viewer first start you are asked to grant it permissions. If you do not, the viewer will work, but printing will be disabled.

Communicator With New Java: Before printing, the browser will ask for permission to print. You must grant it permission.

I am trying to load a new drawing using the "open" button in the viewer but I can't:

Did you create a file that lists the drawings? By default it should reside in the same directory as the viewer and called "drawings.txt". This explains how to change the name or location of this file. If the file does not exist, the load will not work.

Can you access the files listing the drawings from the browser? If not, check permissions (unix), it must have read permissions. The location of the drawing is relative to the location of the list file (by default the location of the viewer).

Is the format of the file correct? Did you remember to separate the drawing name and text with a TAB?

I am trying to view a drawing but the viewer says the format is not supported:

If the"name" parameter does not include the format as a file extension, use the "format" param to specify the drawing format. This may occur when a drawing URL actually returns a different format. For example, if the server generates DWF drawings from DWG drawings dynamically, the "name" param my by "house.dwg" while the result is a DWF drawing.

Can't save redlines:

Have you installed theredsaver.cgi or redsaver.pl on your server?

Does the script have read and execute permissions (Unix: chmod 660 redsaver.cgi)?

Can you access the script via your web browser? For example http://yourcompany.com/cadviewer/redsaver.cgi?dn=test&na=eee&red=1234 should create a file called test_eee.red with the contents "1234".

If you are using the"redline_cgi" param, does it point to the script correctly?

Does the directory with the cgi script have execute permission? Are cgi scripts allowed in this directory or is there a specific directory for cgi scripts?

Can't load redlines:

Can you see the redline files in the redlines directory? If not, the save redlines failed. Read the above information orthis.

Can you access a redline file from the redlines directory using your browser? If not, you may need to change permissions for the directory.

If you are storing the redlines in a directory other than "redlines/" under the directory where the viewer is located, did you use the "redline_file" param? Does this param match the path specified in the perl script (redsaver.cgi on unix or redsaver.pl on windows).

 


If the viewer encounters an unknown op code, it will stop parsing the dwf file. If you notice that a portion of the drawing is missing, please open the java console in netscape (options|show java console in 3.0 or communicator|show java console in 4.0) and copy the text to an email and send it to support@cadviewer.com

If you have any questions please mail help@cadviewer.com , please note that the free Light product does not include support.
again thanks
Arnona Internet Software inc.