Using XGDSVU (UNIX) as a Netscape Helper Application

Computer users like the browser paradigm and want to use the same interface for as many tasks as possible. Here is how you can configure the XGSDVU program on UNIX to work with Netscape.

Configuring Netscape Navigator on UNIX

Go to:Options | General Preferences

click on: Helpers Tab.

click on the New button

    Description gdsii-stream-file
    Type application/gds
    Suffix gds,GDS,str,STR,cal,CAL
Handle By
    Application /drv6/cad_util/xgdsplot/xgdsvu %s
This assumes of course that you have already installed the xgdsvu program and tested it to make sure it can come up manually. What happens now is that when you point to a link where the file has one of the specified suffixes .gds, .GDS, .str, .STR, .cal or .CAL Netscape will realize that this is a GDSII file and it will launch xgdsvu and pass it the name of the file. (The %s in the application command line is the file name passed to xgdsvu).

Xgdsvu will start up and automatically load the GDSII file.

Not a Plug In

Please don't call xgdsvu a plug-in; it's not. It is a helper application which means that it does not display the GDSII file inside of Netscape but is launched as a separate application in its own window.


Setting up GDSVU/W as a Helper for Netscape

The procedure for Windows is much the same. You will define a new type of data for GDSII and then configure Netscape to launch the GDSVU application. You must of course, already have GDSVU installed and working on your machine.

netsc_cfg.gif


Test Link

Need to test your setup? Here is a sample link to a very small GDSII file, called demo1.gds.

demo1.gds

Artwork Conversion Software, Inc. [Company Profile]
417 Ingalls St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Tel (831) 426-6163
email:info@artwork.com
Top of this document || Return to Artwork's Home Page