Instant JChem download

Installation

Instant JChem can now be installed in three different ways:

1. Traditional installer

Download the Instant JChem installer to install a new version of Instant JChem. If you are using this approach then uninstall any previously installed versions first.

Download Instant JChem

Once you have installed don't forget to load any updates that might be available (Tools -> Plugins).

2. Java Web Start

Since version 2.2 Instant JChem can be launched using Java Web Start (JWS). This allows you to load it directly from a webpage rather than needing to install it first. The Java Web Start version should be fine for most users, but it is slightly less flexible, for instance should you wish to install your own or a third party's extension. For more information about the Java Web Start versions look here or you can launch it right now:

Instant JChem Java Web Start

3. Autoupdate

2.2.x or 2.3 -> latest

Updating Instant JChem from version 2.2 onwards to the latest version can be done using the update center and should be straight forward.

2.2 -> 2.2.1

In the 2.2.1 release the autoupdate mechanism was improved to allow better reporting of the IJC version (e.g. on startup). A consequence of this is that the update has to be performed in multiple steps. Please restart IJC and go to Tools->Plugins to look for the updates. Repeat this process until you see version 2.2.1 reported in the Welcome Screen. This will require multiple restarts.

2.1 -> 2.2

If you already have Instant JChem 2.1 installed you should be able to update it to 2.2 using the update center. However this upgrade is quite complex as it involves updating the Netbeans platform (upon which Instant JChem is built) as well as major updates to Instant JChem itself. This involves multiple steps so you are recommended to uninstall and install 2.2 from fresh as this should be more straight forward. However if you want to use autoupdate then you can do this selecting Plugins from the Tools menu. This will initiate the update process:

You should see the plugin named 'Upgrade to Instant JChem 2.2' in the Updates tab.
Click on the 'Update' button to load this update.
Accept the licenses etc. and restart Instant JChem when prompted.
When Instant JChem restarts say 'OK' to the 'Do update' question.
Click on the 'Start download' to start downloading the 2.2 updates.
When the updates are downloaded you will be prompted to restart Instant JChem again. Do this now.
When Instant JChem restarts the updates for 2.2 will be installed. You will need to re-open any projects you were working with.
When you close Instant JChem it may automatically restart one more time. Just close it again.

About upgrading

When upgrading Instant JChem by any mechanism it is possible that significant changes to the JChem version and/or the organisation your project information will occur. We try to make sure that these upgrades work transparantly and smoothly, but if any of your projects contain important information that cannot be easily regenerated we do recommend that you backup your data prior to updating. To do this do one (or both!) of the following:

Export your data to a file (e.g. SD file)
Take a copy of the complete project. Use the file manager (e.g. Windows Explorer) to copy (or create a zip archive) of the complete directory containing your project(s). Note: this will only back up data in local databases.

Java 1.6

The Windows and Linux installers since Instant JChem 2.1 now use Java 1.6 (this version of Java is not yet available on Mac OSX so Java 1.5 is still used). Java 1.6 provides some minor performance improvements, so you may wish to switch to this version of Java (however there is no functionality difference, so sticking with Java 1.5 is perfectly OK). If you update to Instant JChem 2.1 using the update center (Tools -> Plugins) you will not get the upgrade to Java 1.6. However if you install Java 1.6 on your computer you can switch to this. You can do this by:

Download and install Java 1.6 from http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp (you only need the Java Runtime Environment).
Close IJC.
Locate where Instant JChem is installed.
Inside this directory locate the file etc/instantjchem.conf and open it in a text editor.
Locate the line starting with jdkhome= and make a copy of it in case you need to restore it.
Edit this line to point it to the version of Java 1.6 you installed. Remove the initial # (if present) to uncomment the line.
Start IJC.
From the View menu choose 'Instant JChem log file'. The log file will be displayed. At the top of this file information is displayed about the version of Java that is being used. Check that this is as you expect.