Since release 0.3.0, A4E is available on Eclipse Marketplace. While the options below are still possible, we highly recommend A4E users to install A4E from the marketplace.

Install and update using Eclipse Update Manager (preferred option)

1. uninstall first former hand-installed version of the plugin
2. within Eclipse, go to Help/Software Update/Find and install ...
3. select "Search for new features to install".
4. push the "new remote site" button.
5. enter any name, "Alloy 4 Eclipse update site" might be a good choice
6. enter the URL http://alloy4eclipse.googlecode.com/svn/trunk/updatesite/
7. follows Eclipse directions

New versions will be automatically managed by Eclipse Update Manager.

How to install the plugin by hand

First of all, download the latest zip file

First time

1. go to eclipse home directory
2. unzip the content of the alloy4eclipsexxxx.zip file
3. launch eclipse using the -clean parameter: eclipse -clean

How to update the plugin

1. go to eclipse home directory
2. remove the jar files starting with fr.univartois.cril in the features and plugins directory
3. unzip the content of the alloy4eclipsexxxx.zip file
4. launch eclipse using the -clean parameter: eclipse -clean

How to install platform specific binairies

By default, Alloy4Eclipse uses the Java SAT solver SAT4J. While SAT4J has the advantage of being platform independent, it is generally slower than platform specific solvers such as award winning minisat.

Alloy 4 ships with one SAT solver to be called as an external program: Berkmin. It also ships with two solvers to be used through JNI: minisat and zChaff.

Using those platform specific binaries require some actions from the user.

The Alloy Team makes Alloy available as a platform independent jar file (the one we ship in A4E) plus additional platform dependent jar files. Just download the jar file corresponding to your architecture and follow the system dependent instructions given below:

Under Linux

Berkmin

Just create a directory in which you will put the executable, and set that path in A4E preferences.

Minisat and Zchaff

• Create a directory for the platform libraries
• put there the .so files (libminisat.so, libminisatprover.so and libzchaff.so)
• add that path to your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment variable. if you are using bash, add the following lines in your .bashrc

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$LD_LIBRARY_PATH:/path/to/the/lib/files
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH

if you are using tcsh, add the following lines in your .tcshrc

setenv LD_LIBRARY_PATH ${LD_LIBRARY_PATH}:/path/to/the/lib/files

Under Macos

If you can use a console under Mac Os X, then just proceed as under Linux (by default, the shell is bash).

Under Windows

To be completed.