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webphlex implementation & installation details

 
For more detailed information on the webphlex implementation and installation, how it performs under different operating systems and MS Access versions, etc., see section implementation & installation details of the documentation.

implementation
 
webphlex was written using Visual Basic for Applications and runs under Microsoft Access. This has several advantages:
  • webphlex will, in principle, run on any system running Microsoft Access (2000 or higher). This means we don't have to adapt the system to the different versions of Windows, or worry about keeping up with new releases, and you don't have to worry about whether we do or not. If you move to another machine with another operating system, you should have no trouble taking webphlex with you.
  • All data and software are contained in one file. You just put this file onto any machine running Microsoft Access, and off you go. webphlex does not use the Windows registry, so there's no installation/de-installation process to worry about.
This does however also mean that you have to have Microsoft Access (2000 or higher) installed on your computer before you can use webphlex. Microsoft Access is forms part of the Microsoft Office suite of products (Excel, PowerPoint, Word), but is only included in the more expensive editions (e.g. Professional, Small Business Management and Professional Enterprise). If you don't have Microsoft Access, you can download a free runtime version here.

language versions
 
webphlex exists in only one version, which can be used in English or Dutch. Note that the documentation and help texts are currently only available in English.

installing webphlex for the first time
 
Once you've received or downloaded the webphlex zip file, just make a suitable directory on disk and unpack the contents of the zip file into it. webphlex does not use the Windows registry, so there's no further installation process required.

It is easiest if you call this directory C:\webphlex and preserve any existing directory structures in the zip file. If you need more help with installing webphlex, please read the detailed installation instructions.

The first time you run the system, it will expect to find the local documentation files in C:\webphlex\webphlex_doc :


(image_0017)

but if you've put webphlex or its documentation somewhere else, you can adjust the location later (control panel > system maintenance > system settings).

moving to a new version
 
If you're already using webphlex and want to move to a new version, you just place the new version on disk, start this new version, then load your data from the old version into the new one using the program 'empty / load database' (control panel > system maintenance > empty database / load this database from another database).

Don't forget that a webphlex database consists of just one file, containing both the software and your data. If you put a new version into the same directory as the old one, don't forget to rename your existing database first! It is anyway good practice to always make a backup copy of any system before installing a new version.

If the process isn't entirely clear to you, please read the detailed installation instructions.

installing MS Access runtime
 
If you don't have MS Access installed on your machine, you can still run webphlex if you first install a runtime version of MS Access. This is basically a version of MS Access which can execute software written in Visual Basic for an Access database, but with which it is not possible to develop software or change the structure of a database.

You can download a free copy of MS Access runtime here. For more details see section implementation & installation details of the documentation.

system requirements
 
As webphlex runs under Microsoft Access, it should in theory run on any machine capable of running that system. To find out about MS Access and its system requirements see http://www.microsoft.com/.

However, to use the system efficiently we'd recommend at least the following:

  • CPU: 2 GHz,
  • RAM: 512 MB,
  • free disk space: 200 MB,
  • Windows 98 SE or higher.
We regularly test webphlex on an ancient Celeron 500MHz machine with 256MB of memory and it works perfectly, even if the speed does leave something to be desired...

trial version vs. registered version
 
The trial version of webphlex is fully functional, except for the following limitations:
  • it can only be used for three months, starting from the moment you first use it,
  • data cannot be loaded into it from another copy of webphlex,
  • data cannot be imported into it from an import/export file, with the exception of the example files provided by iphlex systems.
If you wish to continue using webphlex after three months, you can register as a client of iphlex systems, upon which you will be provided with a registration key. Entering this registration key into your trial version of webphlex will convert it into a registered version with a longer expiry period and without the above restrictions.

registering as an iphlex systems client
 
Because webphlex is still in the testing phase and the documentation is not yet complete, it is not yet commercially available. Registration keys are therefore currently provided free. Registering as a client costs you nothing, commits you to nothing and is entirely without obligation of any kind. Furthermore, if you actively participate in the testing and improvement of webphlex, you will qualify for a free license to use webphlex for at least two years after it becomes commercially available. You can do this by:
  • Finding unknown bugs in the current version of webphlex (i.e. bugs not yet listed on this site under known problems) and reporting them to us. Extremely minor bugs do not count, and our decision is final as to what 'extremely minor' means.
  • Developing (part of) a web site using webphlex, and either
    • making the data available to us in the form of an import/export file, which we will use as the basis of a new example site (anonymising any details as required), or
    • making the import/export file available for downloading from your site, and allowing us to link to it.
    You will only qualify for a free license in this way if we consider the (partial) site you've developed to be substantially different from and/or better than the sites currently available as import/export files; just copying an example site and making a few changes is not enough! Our decision on this is final.

To register as an iphlex systems client and request a registration key, click here.

expiry date
 
The trial version of webphlex which can be downloaded from this site can be used for three months, starting from the moment you first use it.

Entering a registration key will change the expiry date to allow webphlex to be used for at least another six months. Longer extentions may be provided at our discretion.

detailed installation instructions
 
A text file with detailed installation instructions is provided as part of the webphlex installation. Click here to see the contents.

 

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