To install tkMOO-light on your Windows machine and use it to connect to Acadiana, follow these instructions.

There are four things to do. Do all four steps, including downloading and installing the tkmoo-light worlds file for Acadiana, or Acadiana will not appear as an option when you try to connect.

1. Download the tkMOO-light software

2. Install tkMOO-light

3. Download the worlds file that contains the information for connecting to Acadiana, placing it in your tkmoo-light folder

4. Start tkMOO-light and use it to connect to Acadiana

You may want to print this page so that you'll be able to keep these instructions in view as you work.

Note that while this takes a lot of space to explain, it's super easy to do. If you're used to downloading and installing software, please use these instructions anyhow to make sure you do not forget to install the correct worlds file.

I. Download tkMOO-light

1. Go to the tkMOO-light distribution page .

2. Find the downloadable file under the heading "tkMOO-light for Windows." This file name will be something like tm0-3-32s.exe. The numbers in the filename will change each time tkMOO-light is upgraded and a new version is offered here, but the file needed by Windows users always has a .exe extension on its name.

3. Right-click on the link to the download file for Windows, and select the Save As option from the popup menu (the exact name of the Save As option will vary according to your browser; for example, Internet Explorer users will see Save target as; Netscape users will see Save link as).

4. Select a save location for the file, the same as you do when saving any other file to your computer. Your Desktop is a good location for this particular file, which you'll be able to delete after you've finished the installation.

5. Click your Save button and the file will be downloaded to the location you chose. (The file is pretty small and your download probably won't take very long.)

II. Install tkMOO-light

Double-click the file you just downloaded, and the WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box will open:



Notice that the extractor is attempting to put this folder on your Windows Desktop, but the location of the Windows Desktop varies according to what version of Windows you have. The extractor's default may not be the correct choice for you. 

So:

• Click the Browse button and navigate to your Windows Desktop.

• In the Browse for Folder dialog box, navigate to your Windows Desktop.

• Click the OK button to close the Browse dialog.

Click the Unzip button in the WinZip Self-Extractor dialog box. WinZip will unpack the files into a folder and then show you a dialog box telling you that it unzipped the files successfully. Click OK to dismiss the dialog, and then click the Close button on the Self-Extractor dialog box to dismiss that as well.

Look for your new tkMOO-light folder, which should be on your Desktop, and will be called something like tm0-3-28s. (You can rename this folder if you prefer.)

III. Download the tkMOO-light worlds file for Acadiana into your tkmoo-light folder

The worlds file is the file that contains information tkMOO-light uses to connect to MOOs you want to use. You'll download a worlds file that already contains a configuration for connecting to Acadiana. Once you have this file, you can add other MOOs to it.

Right-click on this link: worlds.tkm . Select Save As or your browser's equivalent. Be sure that you do not save the worlds.tkm file in text format, which your Save dialog may try to do by default. The worlds.tkm file won't do you any good if saved as a text file!

In the Save dialog box:

• Navigate to your new tkMOO-light folder

• Make sure the File name line says worlds.tkm

• From the Save as type pull-down menu, select All Files.

  Your save dialog should now look something like this:

Click the Save button. You might see a dialog box telling you that the worlds.tkm file already exists, and asking whether you want to replace it. If you do, click Yes--replace the original worlds.tkm file with the one you're downloading.

IV. Run tkMOO-light and connect to Acadiana!

1. Open your new tkMOO-light folder (remember, it's called something like tm0-3-28s, unless you renamed it).

   

   Locate the tkmoo.exe file, which has a pink and yellow icon.   

2. Double-click the icon associated with the tkMOO.exe file, and tkMOO-light will open. It will look pretty blank; don't let that worry you.

3. From the Connect menu in the upper left corner of the tkMOO-light window, select Acadiana, and tkMOO-light will open a connection to the MOO Acadiana. You'll see the Acadiana welcome screen appear in the large white area of the tkMOO-light window. Now you can log in!

4. A pop up dialogue box will open.  

   If you have a Acadiana character, enter your user name and password in the two fields (as displayed below).  Click on login.

   For example:

   

   If you want to connect as a guest, enter:

   
   
   Press "Login"
   

5. To get started using Acadiana, consult the information given you by your teacher or group leader, or use one of these Connections tutorials (Conections uses the same software we do and is our sister educational MOO; what you learn there can be used in Acadiana):
   • If you have your own character, use Getting started with a new character
   • If you're using a guest character, use A tutorial for our guests

   For more help and more tutorials, explore the options on the Connections home page

Some important notes

• You do not have to keep the file you downloaded and extracted the files from--the file that has a name similar to tm0-3-28s.exe. Once you've finished part II above, you can delete the original downloaded file.

• You do not have to leave your tkMOO-light folder on your Desktop. You can put it where ever you prefer to store program files. If you move the folder, I suggest you put a shortcut to tkMOO-light on your desktop. Be sure that you move the tkMOO-light folder BEFORE you create your shortcut, or the shortcut will be pointing to the wrong location! After you move your folder, open it and right-click on the tkmoo.exe file. Select Create shortcut from the popup menu. Then drag the new shortcut icon to your Desktop.

• If you need to uninstall tkMOO-light, simply delete the folder; there's no additional uninstall process.

• If you use other MOOs in addition to Connections, you can add them to your tkMOO-light menu by selecting Worlds from the Connect menu, and then clicking the New button. Do not edit the DEFAULT WORLD item on that menu--click New and add a new item for the MOO you want to connect to. Some users have experienced problems after editing the default world.

• If you add a new world to tkMOO-light, you'll notice that, as in many clients, there is a place to put in your username and password. You do not have to put that information into the client, and I recommend that you don't, for two reasons:

  1. If anyone else uses the same computer and tries to use tkMOO-light, they will be automatically connected to your MOO character. Not only is that a violation of most MOOs' policies, but someone could do a lot of damage to your MOO character and objects, as well as to your friendships with other MOO users, by logging in as you.

  2. Even if you're the only one with access to the computer you use, putting your password into your client means that you never have to type it and will probably forget it, which in turn means you won't know how to log into the MOO when you want to use a different computer or MOO client. Additionally, changing your MOO password, which you should do periodically in order to be sure your character remains secure, is more difficult to do if you also have to edit client settings.

• tkMOO-light was written by Andrew Wilson, and you can read more about it on the tkMOO-light home page . If you discover any bugs in tkMOO-light, or you have any other feedback for the author, go to the tkMOO-light home page and select Support . The author is very responsive and appreciates feedback about tkMOO-light. However, if you're a member of a class that was specifically asked to use tkMOO-light, and you're having some trouble installing or using it, contact your teacher first.

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Last Modified: July  27, 2004

Contact: kdorwick@louisiana.edu