Installation Instructions
RoboTutor
should only take about 10 minutes to install and requires no special skills.
The
program must be installed on a WEB SERVER with WINDOWS 2000, WINDOWS XP, or NT
as operating systems. It may NOT work on servers with other operating systems.
Certainly the email feature will not work except on Windows operating systems.
Notice:
The software on this CD is Copyright Protected
2004 by RoboTutor Software. All rights reserved. You are authorized to install
it on only 1 computer, whether that be a regular PC or a server. For additional
installation rights or help, email: Support@RoboTutor.com.
|
If you are installing the program on a
server WITHOUT Microsoft FrontPage, use these instructions:
- RTDB9:
This folder and its sub-folders contains all RoboTutor (Version 9) databases.
- Use Windows Explorer to find the INETPUB
folder. It is probably located at C:\INETPUB.
- If you DON'T have INETPUB on your
computer:
- Locate your
Windows 2000 or XP installation Disk
- Insert it
in your CD drive and bring up the main menu
- Click the
"Install Add-On Components"
- The Windows
Components screen will appear.
- See if the
Internet Information Services (IIS) box is checked.
- If not,
check it. Notice it says "ASPs" in the Description below.
- That is
what you need to have installed.
- If it is
checked, then highlight it and click the Details button on the lower right
side.
- Check every
subcomponent and install them.
- Locate WWWROOT under INETPUB. This is where we want to
copy the RTDB9 folder from the CD.
- Insert the CD and locate it in Windows Explorer.
- Now drag the RTDB9 folder on the CD to the WWWROOT
folder on your hard drive.
- Now you should have the RTDB9 and its
sub-folders on
your hard drive under the WWWROOT folder.
- These are the databases RoboTutor
uses to keep track of student records and the test questions.
- Tests: contains all the tests databases
- Students: contains all the Student Areas
- System: contains the temp.mdb and system.mdb
databases
- Templates: contains empty templates for all
four database types
- Never rename or delete either of the two
databases in the
system folder. These
databases keep track of system variables and students who are taking the tests one question at
a time.
- Optionally rename Everyone9.mdb in the tests folder to any name you want your
first Test Area to be called. It doesn't matter. Note, you can have
any number of Test Areas: 1 for every teacher, department, subject
area, etc.
- To create an additional Test Area,
simply drag TestsModel9.mdb from the Templates folder to the Tests folder.
- Optionally rename Students9.mdb in the students
folder to any name you want your
first Student Area to be called. It doesn't matter. Note, a school
will generally only have 1 Student Area, but you can have any number
if you prefer.
- To create an additional Student Area,
simply drag StudentsModel9.mdb from the Templates folder to the Students
folder.
- ROBOTUTOR9:
This folder contains all RoboTutor application files, help files, and graphics.
- Use Windows Explorer to find the INETPUB folder
again.
- Locate WWWROOT under INETPUB. This is where we want to
copy the ROBOTUTOR folder from the CD.
- Insert the CD and locate it in Windows Explorer.
- Now drag the ROBOTUTOR9 folder on the CD to the WWWROOT
folder on your hard drive.
- Note, the ROBOTUTOR9 folder can be located
anywhere under WWWROOT. If you want to put it in a sub-web somewhere else
under WWWROOT, that is OK.
If you are installing the program on a
server WITH Microsoft FrontPage, use these instructions:
- Open FrontPage and click File > New
Page or Web
- Select Web Site Templates
- Click the Import Web Wizard and enter
http://localhost/RoboTutor9 in the Location field.
- Follow the instructions in the Wizard and
import the ROBOTUTOR9 folder from the CD.
After you finish importing RoboTutor9 from the
CD, you still need to copy the RTDB9 folder to the root of your web.
- Using Windows Explorer or My Computer, locate WWWROOT under INETPUB.
- This is where we want to copy the RTDB9
folder from the CD.
- Insert the CD and locate it .
- Now drag the RTDB9 folder on the CD to the WWWROOT
folder on your hard drive.
- Now you should have the RTDB9 and its
sub-folders on
your hard drive under the WWWROOT folder.
- These are the databases RoboTutor uses to keep track of student records and the test questions.
- Tests: contains all the tests databases
- Students: contains all the Student Areas
- System: contains the temp.mdb and system.mdb
databases
- Templates: contains empty templates for all
four database types
- Never rename or delete either of the two
databases in the
system folder. These
databases keep track of system variables and students who are taking the tests one question at
a time.
- Optionally rename Everyone9.mdb in the tests folder to any name you want your
first Test Area to be called. It doesn't matter. Note, you can have
any number of Test Areas: 1 for every teacher, department, subject
area, etc.
- To create an additional Test Area,
simply drag TestsModel9.mdb from the Templates folder to the Tests folder.
- Optionally rename Students9.mdb in the students
folder to any name you want your
first Student Area to be called. It doesn't matter. Note, a school
will generally only have 1 Student Area, but you can have any number
if you prefer.
- To create an additional Student Area,
simply drag StudentsModel9.mdb from the Templates folder to the Students
folder.
You still need to set permissions,
attributes, passwords, and email defaults . This is very important and if you
don't set them properly, the program will not work:
To set
Permissions for your databases*
- Sign-on
the server as Administrator and open Windows Explorer to locate the
RTDB9 folder where the databases are installed.
- Locate inetpub, then wwwroot, then the
RTDB9 folder where you
installed the databases.
Right click
the mouse button on the RTDB9
folder and select PROPERTIES.
In the properties dialog select the SECURITY
tab.
Uncheck "Allow
inheritable permissions from parent...." at the bottom of the page.
Click COPY
in the form that appears, then
return to RTDB9 properties.
Select Everyone group in
the NAME list at the top.
If you don't see it there, click the ADD button to add it.
Then return to the RTDB9 properties page.
In the box at the bottom,
you have two options:
check only the Read & Write boxes in the permissions.
The entire program will run, but you will not be able to use System
Administration to create new databases.
For maximum control (and less security), check the Modify box. All
the boxes below it will be automatically checked. This will allow you to
create new databases online.
Click OK at the bottom of the page to apply your permission changes.
Note, the subfolders in RTDB9 should
automatically inherit permissions from their parent. If you experience
problems using the program, you may need to check to make sure they are set
to do this.
* Student and Test Databases are
referred to in the program as Student and Test Areas.
To Set Attributes for your Databases:
- It is critical you change the attributes
of the databases. When they are put on a CD, they are
automatically set as "Read Only." Unless this is changed, they will not work
in the program.
- Follow the same instructions above to
locate your databases in Windows Explorer.
- Right click on each database and select the
General tab.
- At the bottom you will see "Attributes".
- Make sure the "Read-only" tab is UNCHECKED.
- Do this for EACH database in the RTDB9
and templates folders.
To Set
Passwords for your Databases:
- Passwords for the Student and Test Areas can be
changed online by clicking on the System Administration button from the home
page.
- The default password for Everyone9 and
Students9 is "RoboTutor"
- The default password in all of the Template
databases is "RoboTutor"
- The defaults for access to System
Administration are:
- Username: "Administrator9"
- Password: "Students9"
- The default password to Records & Reports
from the Student Log-In page is "Training".
- You need to
use
Microsoft Access to manually change passwords for the
system or template databases.
To change
passwords directly from the server:
- Double click on a database
in one of the RTDB9 sub-folders.
- It should open in
Access. Note, if you do not have Access on the server, you
can copy the databases to a diskette and change them on another PC and
then reload them back on the server.
- To change your
main database password, double click on the TABLE called
Access
- Note, there is already a password
called Training in it.
- Replace it with your password or
add additional passwords
- Then save the it.
- To change your password to Records & Reports
in test databases only, double click on the TABLE called Access1
- Note, there is already a password
called Training in it.
- Replace it with your password or
add additional passwords
- Then save the it.
- Note, temp.mdb
and temp1.mdb in the System folder
doe not have any passwords.
- To change
passwords online: see "System Administration" in the User's Manual.
To Setup
RoboTutor to send Email:
- RoboTutor uses CDONTS by default to send
email. Check with your service provider to find out if CDONTS is supported
on the server.
- If it is not, the program also
supports using ASPMail for sending email. This is software that must be
purchased and installed on the server. To find it, do a search on the Web for
ASPMail.
- To change the program so it uses ASPMail,
follow these steps:
- From the main RoboTutor9 folder, open
email_results.asp in NotePad.
- To setup the RemoteHost for ASPMail: 8 lines down from the top of the code
you will see:
'---------------------------------------------------------------------
'----------Set RemoteHost Here ------------------------
'---------------------------------------------------------------------
Mailer.RemoteHost =
"mail.robotutor.com"
Change the mail address in blue to your SMTP server address.
- To turn on ASPMail, 46 lines down from
the top of the code you will see:
'----------------------------------------------------------------------
'------- ASPMail: On (true) or Off (false)------------
'---------------------------------------------------------------------
Const IsAspMail =
false
To turn ASPMail on, change "false" to "true".
- To turn all Email OFF so none can be sent by anyone,
42 lines down you will see:
'-----------------------------------------------------------------------
'-- ALL Email: Send (true) or Do Not send (false)--
'----------------------------------------------------------------------
Const AllEmail
= true
To turn ALL EMAIL OFF, change "true" to "false".
To Set
Default Names:
- The default name for the Student and Password / ID fields
used throughout the program can be optionally changed to any other name:
- From the main RoboTutor folder, open the file
default_settings.asp in Notepad.
- You will see the following code:
' default name for Student (Employee)
Dim tDefaultStudent
tDefaultPassword="Student"
'
default name for Password/ID/Payroll #
Dim tDefaultPassword
tDefaultPassword="Password / ID"
'
default name for Option 1 (Teacher)
Dim tDefaultOption1
tDefaultOption1="Option1"
' default name for Option 2 (School)
Dim tDefaultOption2
tDefaultOption2="Option2"
' default name for Option 3 (District)
Dim tDefaultOption3
tDefaultOption3="Option3"
- Change the words in Red to the default you want.
Save the changes.
- The changes will apply throughout the program.
That is all there is to it. To test and see if it is working properly.
- Open Internet Explorer. You do not need to be
connected to the Internet.
- Note, RoboTutor works well in Netscape,
but the program is custom configured to look and run best when using Internet Explorer (6.0+)
- Type in this address:
http://localhost/RoboTutor9/default.htm.
- If it does not open, then either your web server is not
installed or setup properly, or you have not installed RoboTutor9 directly off
the folder inetpub.
- Click on the Test Administration button.
Enter the name of your test
database in the Test Area field.
- Note, the default (Everyone9) can be changed
in System Administration.
- Enter the password you gave it or RoboTutor (if you
didn't delete it) in the Area Password field.
- The Test Administration Menu page should appear.
- If you get an Application error message, then you do
not have the files and databases located correctly on your server.
- If you get password or name errors, then you have not
entered the correct password or database name.
- Click the "Create a New Test" button. Enter something in
the Test Name, Password and Author fields. They are the only ones
required.
- Click Create at the bottom. The Test List page should
appear.
- If you get a white page that says near the bottom that
says you need an "updateable query" then the permissions have not been set
correctly.
Trouble Shooting:
Before you
contact us with installation problems, do the following:
- Check to
make sure you followed all the above instructions.
- Make sure
you have your Internet Information Services (IIS) installed.
- Copy
Check1.asp and Check2.asp from the Installation folder into the root folder.
Then open them in your browser and follow the instructions on the screen.
- Send
support@robotutor.com an email
with the following:
- Your
operating system on the server
- Your
browser and version
- The full
address to where you installed RoboTutor9
- The full
address to where you installed the RTDB9 folder with the databases.
- The
permissions you gave "Everyone" to access the RTDB9 folder.
- What you
see in the box when you open Check1 in your browser.
- What you
see in the box when you open Check2 in your browser.
Now that you
have Version 9 up and running, here are some things to note:
-
You can
have as many Test Areas as you want. You might want one for each subject
area, grade level, department ,etc.
-
You can
have as many PASSWORDS as you want for each Test Area. You assign them by
opening the database in Access, select the "Access" table and enter or change
them there.
-
To create
a NEW database, simply copy the master (empty) from the model folder under
RTDB9. Then rename it to what you want.
-
You can
have as many Student Areas as you want. We recommend ONE for each school
system even though each teacher or department in that school has its own test
database.
-
Do not
change, delete, or edit the temp database. It is needed for tracking students
when taking tests that display questions on the screen one at a time.
You can directly link to tests
from Word, PowerPoint, and HTML pages with this command:
http://
www.RoboTutor.com/RoboTutor9/taketest.asp?studentarea=Students9&testarea=Everyone9&testpassword=Test1
www.RoboTutor.com/RoboTutor9 to reflect
your URL and folder with the program files
Change
Students9
to the name of your Student Area
Change
Everyone9 to the name of your test
database.
Change
Test1
to the name of the password you assign one
of the tests.
Do not change any of the code in blue.
To put a test link in a Word
document:
-
Type Take Quiz at the bottom of the
document
-
Highlight it
-
Click Insert >
Hyperlink
-
Type the above address, but change
Test1 to the password for your test.
-
Save it
To put a test link in a PowerPoint
presentation:
Notes for
Instructors:
Browsers:
- RoboTutor has been optimally designed to
use Internet Explorer 6.0+. We recommend you
download the latest upgrade of
Internet Explorer. As far as we have tested, the program will run in
IE 4.5+.
- RoboTutor runs quite well in Netscape
6.2+. There are some known problems with sound and form fields in
all versions of Netscape. As far as we have tested, it will run
in Netscape 4.7+. Older versions have many more display
problems. If you must use Netscape, download the latest version.
- There are some specialty versions of both IE and
Netscape in which RoboTutor will not run. The program has not been
tested with other browsers.
- JavaScript must be enabled (IE:
Tools > Internet Options > Advanced; Netscape: Edit > Preferences >
Advanced).
- AutoComplete for forms should be
TURNED OFF (IE: Tools > Internet Options > Content). Click the AutoComplete button and uncheck the
Forms tab.
- Do NOT use the Back button on the browser menu
bar to return to pages previously displayed. Use the Cancel button on
the page to return to the previous page. The Back button will almost
always produce error message in Netscape and sometimes produces them in
Internet Explorer.
Operating Systems:
- The program is designed to optimally run in
all versions of Microsoft Windows.
- The program runs well on the Macintosh
with Versions 6+ of both Internet Explorer and Netscape browsers. It may not run properly or even freeze up with some older browsers.
- The program has not been tested using other
operating systems.
Display Settings:
- The way a page appears on the monitor can be customized by
the user. To view RoboTutor the way it was designed, we recommend
the following:
- Set the monitor Screen Size to 800 by 600
- Windows: Start > Settings
> Control Panel > Display > Settings > 800 x 600
- Set the browser text size:
- Internet Explorer: View >
Text Size > Medium
- Netscape: View > Text Size
> 100%
Notes for System
Administrators:
Security:
- Time-Outs: The program has a time-out of 60
minutes built into it for security purposes. If there is no input over a 60
minute period while in the testing or administration sections of the software,
then it will automatically time-out. The teacher or student will need to
Log-In again to use the software.
- How Many: There can be any number of student or test
databases. It is common for every teacher to have his or her own test
database. Databases can have any number of passwords. Contact your server
administrator to create new Test Areas or change passwords.
- Operating System: RoboTutor is designed to be used on the web. It
can, however, be installed on any computer that has Windows 2000, Windows XP,
or NT operating systems. For specific instructions and licensing, contact
Support@RoboTutor.com.
- Passwords: All passwords can be
optionally set in the
"Access" table of the Student and Test Areas.
- To change them, open the database
in Microsoft Access, click on the "Access" table, and add, edit, or
delete the passwords.
- There can be any number of passwords for a
database.
Maximum Student and Test Area Size:
- There are physical limits to use of a
Microsoft Access database to keep student and test records. Access is
restricted by size to a maximum of 2 gigabytes and no more then 2.1 billion
records. The max record set size is 1 gig.
- We tested RoboTutor to see how big it would
get when we added large numbers of students. After using a program to enter
4,000 students who took an average of 30 tests each,
we found the database size to be 285 million bytes. The number of records was
435,000. This suggests the upper limit on the number of students in a single
Student Area
is around 12,000 students if they take an average of 30 tests each.
- This means the practical size of a student
database should not exceed 10,000 students if the students are taking an
average of about 30 tests each. The number of student records permissible will vary with the
number and size of tests taken.
The key is that the size of any single
database should never exceed 1 gigabyte. For safety sake, no any single student
database should probably be more than 7 hundred million bytes.
Test Areas never get anything near this
size, so they are not an issue.
If a database exceeds the upper limit in size,
the database will crash, and it is not repairable.
Changing the Path to the Databases:
- To change the path to the folders where the
databases are located, open a file called database_location.asp in
Notepad. You will see the following:
'' The name of the temp database
Const cDBTest="Temp"
' The name of the system database
Const cDBSystem="System"
' Test Area location
const cTestLocation="/rtdb9/tests/"
' Student Area location
const cStudentLocation="/rtdb9/students/"
' Temp database location
const cTempLocation="/rtdb9/system/"
' System database location
const cSystemLocation="/rtdb9/system/"
' Model databases location
const cModelLocation="/rtdb9/templates/"
' Students database model name
const cStModel="StudentsModel9"
' Tests database model name
const cTestModel="TestModel9"
- To change the names of the files or paths to your folders,
modify the
text in red.
- Note, the path begins at the root of the web,
directly off wwwroot.
Changing default System Test Settings:
- The file Header.asp has three important
settings for controlling how test questions are displayed.
- ' max number of sub-options for any
question
Const maxNumberOption=10
- ' max number of questions can that be
displayed on the screen at one time
Const maxQuestionPageSize=30
- ' default page size
Const defaultQuestionPageSize=30
- The first one sets the number of options any
test question can have. The default and maximum is 10 and should not be
changed unless for some reason you want less than 10.
- The second one sets the maximum number of test
questions that can be displayed at one time. This is also the number that
displays on one screen in Show Test and Print Test. It can be
set at any size, but numbers larger than 30 may result in the browser
fluttering or failing to display them.
- The third one sets the default test size if
the user fails to set the number in Advanced Features. It must be the
same or smaller than the second.
In answer to common questions:
- Version 9 of RoboTutor will run on ANY computer
with Windows 2000, Window XP, or NT installed on it. It must also have the web
server option installed that come on the CD with the operating system.
- The server can be a stand-alone PC,
connected to the intranet, or on the world wide web.
- There are no required links to the RoboTutor site in order for
it to work. It is completely self-contained.
- There is no Perl or CGI
scripts used. Instead it uses ASP, Visual Basic, JavaScript, and
XML.
- It will work on both Macs and PCs, but not
all browsers. Some older versions of Netscape and IE do not
support special features the program uses. We recommend Version 6+ of both
browsers. To get optimum viewing, use IE 6.0 or higher.
If all of this went smoothly and
the program is installed, you can start creating tests. If you experienced problems and cannot resolve
them with the above instructions, please email
support@robotutor.com or call: 801-750-2722
and we will help you fix the problems.