MaxOSXInstall

Installation on Mac OSX

Picking an install procedure

There are basically three routes to installing RNAStructViz on a Mac:

1. Use the Homebrew formulas provided in the gtDMMB tap repository to automate the install process via these instructions.
2. Install from source with sudo command access with these instructions.
3. Perform a local install of RNAStructViz and its core dependencies in the user's home directory without sudo access with these instructions. Note that this installation method is primarily targeted at Linux users with restrictive system setups, e.g., to use RNAStructViz on a school or lab machine, and should be treated as a last recourse only on a Mac.

The route you choose to get RNAStructViz up and running depends on your needs and the capabilities of your system. By far, the most straightforward method to install the software is to use the brew packages we have prepared for OSX users. Ask yourself the following question: Should I use a brew install method on my system? If you already have Homebrew installed and configured on your box, then the answer is probably "Yes". In fact, this is the recommended install procedure for Mac users. Users who do not have Homebrew installed, but still wish to avoid the longer path of compilation of RNAStructViz from source, will need to consult these documents (or here locally) to first get the brew package management utility running on their Mac system.

Unfortunately, due to the particular needs of recent Mac users for compiling the FLTK library, it is not possible to use these brew formulas on Linux with a working install of linux-brew. Developers who wish to hack and modify the RNAStructViz source code in C++ will need to perform a from-source install of RNAStructViz (at minimum), and possibly its dependencies if they are not already installed on your target Mac system. Users who require a local installation without sudo access or brew can consult and modify the install procedures for generic Unix systems found here.