Mirror site for JCAMP-DX Data Viewers for Windows

Mirror site for JCAMP-DX Data Viewers for Windows (3.1, 95 and NT)

Authors: R.J. Lancashire, Department of Chemistry, UWI, Mona, Kgn7 JAMAICA, (rjlanc@uwimona.edu.jm)
C. Muir and H. Reichgelt, Department of Computer Science and Mathematics, UWI, Mona, Kgn7 JAMAICA, (kriz@uwimona.edu.jm) (han@uwimona.edu.jm)

Two versions of the viewer are available from Widener University:
a Windows application
a plugin for Netscape
The programmes are still undergoing changes so that this mirror site may not always have the most uptodate releases. Please check the home page at http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/software/jcampdx.html for the latest information.

The original display program has been totally rewritten as a 32 bit application for Win95 and Win NT and called JCAMPVW.EXE. It decodes the information in the .JDX file from the instrument and displays an XY plot. The decompressed data can then be stored in a .TXT file which allows moving to a spreadsheet file for further analysis, e.g. comparison of 2 samples, or more elaborate plotting.

There is no limit to the number of data points that can be read and the compression type no longer needs to be defined in the header. If you are running Windows 3.1 or 3.11 then you will need to install Win32s (version 1.30 at least) to get it to work.

A 32-bit JCAMP-DX plug-in for Netscape (Windows 95 or NT) is now available as well. MAC and UNIX versions are not tooo far away! I know I have been saying this from Sept 96 but they are still not ready, SORRY. If there are too many more delays, maybe I won't need to port to MAC anyway?? "Rhapsody in Blue"???

Justification

With the widespread use of the WWW growing so unbelievably fast, the idea of being able to link not only molecular coordinates via PDB format to a document, but be able to display various types of spectra seemed a wonderful opportunity to enhance the teaching of spectroscopy.

Installation

The MIME type posted by your web server to deliver JCAMP-DX files needs to be:

         chemical/x-jcamp-dx     jdx
or       chemical/jcamp-dx       jdx

To configure your browser to use the external viewer, attempt to download a JCAMP-DX file and let it complain that you have not configured a viewer and follow the onscreen directions. Alternatively, you can work your way through the Option menu (Edit/Preferences in vs 4 Netscape) to find helper application and add it manually yourself.

To configure the plugin, all you need to do is unzip and then move the .dll file to your browser\program\plugins directory. To test, load the included file plugtest.html to show an IR spectrum of polystyrene.

JCAMP-DX The JCAMP DX data exchange formats and standards are currently the responsibility of the IUPAC Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications (CPEP). The CPEP JCAMP working party is chaired by Tony Davies, ISAS, Germany.
Joint Committee on Atomic and Molecular Physical Data Exchange references

for NMR vs 5.0 Ref. Applied Spectroscopy, 1993, 47, 1093-1099.
for IR vs 4.24 Ref. Pure & Appl. Chem., 1991, 63, 1781-92.
for MS vs 4.24 Ref. Applied Spectroscopy, 1994, 48, 1545-1552.

A "must see" are the pages by Antony Davies and Bob McDonald on JCAMP-DX. (Tony chairs the IUPAC working group on JCAMP-DX and Bob, who is also a member, was involved in the original paper describing JCAMP-DX for IR). They have provided test data for downloading from their web sites.

Compression Tables

1. ASCII digits			0     1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9
2. Positive SQZ digits		@     A     B     C     D     E     F     G     H     I
3. Negative SQZ digits		      a     b     c     d     e     f     g     h     i
4. Positive DIF digits		%     J     K     L     M     N     O     P     Q     R
5. Negative DIF digits		      j     k     l     m     n     o     p     q     r
6. Positive DUP digits		      S     T     U     V     W     X     Y     Z     s


Compression Types handled by the programmes.

a) FIX		e.g.	99  98  97  96  98  93		fixed format
b) PAC		e.g.	99+98+97+96+98+93		packed
c) SQZ		e.g.	99I8I7I6I8I3			simple compression
d) DIF		e.g.	99aaaBe				difference
e) DUP		e.g.	99aUBe				difference & duplicates
f) TSV		e.g.    99TAB98TAB97TAB96TAB etc.       Tab separated values
g) CSV		e.g.    99,98,97,96,98,93		Comma separated values

32-bit beta test versions

These are currently at beta test stage and we released a number of revisions during the first few months of 1997. If you find a problem, please report it to us so we can make the appropriate correction.

JCAMPVW.EXE

Use the following link to download a copy of the latest 32-bit version of jcampvw.exe for Windows 3.1 (with win32s), Windows 95 and WinNT.
Currently at version 0.99p.1, size= 174,586 as the ZIP file, packaged with a sample test file and HTML document, 343,552 as the .EXE file. (The .exe includes all the MFC libraries so it can run under Windows 3.1(1) with Win32S). The last update was 15th May, 1997.
Note: use the RIGHT mouse button to drag for ZOOM.

NPJDX.DLL

The latest version of the plugin is again packaged with a sample test file and HTML document. The .DLL has size=199168 bytes and is dated 16th June, 1997 (the ZIP file is 103108 bytes). The version number is 0.99q.4 NOTE: This 32-bit code will NOT work with 16-bit versions of Netscape, even if win32s is present.
Use the LEFT mouse button to drag over an area to ZOOM in and the right mouse button for the popup menu.

Release l.x allowed multiple spectra to be opened on a page and coped with $$comments even in the data lines.

Release "m" added error checking at each line and for checking header values against the data block.

Release "n" uses stream as file routines and has enabled DUP suppression for ALL data types. A previous error with DUPS, detected by Dr Harold Bell at Virginia Tech, was corrected in version l.

Release "q" is our first release that will handle BLOCKS. The header should have:
##DATA TYPE= LINK
##BLOCKS = N+1
and each block containing the individual spectra should have
##BLOCK_ID= N
Version 0.99q.3 should fix the problem of a flickering screen experienced by users of Netscape 3.0. Those using newer versions of Netscape have not reported any problems of this type.
Version 0.99q.4 added the ability to read and write a number of additional reserved header items.

Sample test files for error checking

A collection of files useful for checking JCAMP-DX programs have been assembled from various sources. Some provide error free information, while others are more of the nature of an "assault course for JCAMP-DX".

Please check the file size of your downloaded copy to ensure that the transfer was complete. Email me (Dr Robert Lancashire) if you are unsuccessful in downloading the files and I can try sending them as an attachment by return mail.

Note that we are making these programmes freely available and will not be held accountable for misuse......

Standard Disclaimer applies etc.

Mirror site is http://www.science.widener.edu/~bramer/jcamp/jdxmirror.html

Home is http://wwwchem.uwimona.edu.jm:1104/software/jcampdx.html
Created Oct 1994. Last modified 16th June 1997, rjl