I've recently started learning how to use alphaMelts, and I found it quite complex, especially for beginners. I experimented with different ways to run the script and encountered issues when using Perl, particularly with the "en_US.UTF-8" locale settings. Below, I provide a guide to help others who might face the same problem.
If a similar method has already been shared, I kindly ask the forum administrators to remove this post. Thank you!
If you try to run `run_alphamelts.command` using Perl when the locale is not set to "en_US.UTF-8" (e.g., it defaults to "Chinese (Simplified)_China.936," which is unsupported by the Perl interpreter), you will encounter warnings related to locale settings. This happens because Perl expects to use the "en_US.UTF-8" locale. To resolve this issue, there are two common solutions:
Option 1: Create a Batch Script
You can create a batch script that sets the locale and then runs your Perl command. Follow these steps:
1. Open **Notepad** or any text editor and paste the following code:
@echo off
set LANG=C
set LC_ALL=C
perl C:\your\local\file\folder\run_alphamelts.command (Replace `C:\your\local\file\folder\` with the path to the folder where the `run_alphamelts.command` script is located.)
2. Save this file with a `.bat` extension, for example, `run_alphamelts.bat`.
3. Double-click the `.bat` file to run the script. This batch script sets the locale variables to "C" and then executes your Perl script.
Option 2: Set Environment Variables Permanently
You can also set the `LANG` and `LC_ALL` environment variables permanently in the system settings:
1. Press `Windows + R`, type `sysdm.cpl`, and press Enter to open "System Properties".
2. Go to the "Advanced tab" and click on "Environment Variables".
3. In the "System variables" section, click "New" to create a new environment variable:
- Variable name: `LANG`
- Variable value: `C`
4. Click "New" again to create another environment variable:
- Variable name: `LC_ALL`
- Variable value: `C`
5. Click "OK" to close all windows and apply the changes.
6. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Thank you so much! The install.command script does something similar, but the .bat files it writes do not have the LANG and LC_ALL lines. I'll add your fix to install.command in alphaMELTS 1.9 and also implement something similar in alphaMELTS 2. See https://github.com/magmasource/alphaMELTS
The new alphaMELTS command line interface, currently v2.3.1, is much easier to use than 1.9. It has tab completion and a more flexible menu. That means we really do not need to support double-clicking on Mac anymore, which in turn means the installation can be simplified for all platforms. I was planning to do that sometime soon, but will now incorporate your locale workaround at the same time.
Thanks again,
Paula