DataExplorer


Table of Contents

DataExplorer is looking for contributors for new supported languages and/or new supported devices. If you're interested, please take a look at this Contributing. Thanks.


Introduction

The DataExplorer is free software, please see https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html. It is also available at no cost, but without any warranty. Since the implementation is based on Java, using free available libraries for data communication and SWT, the execution of this program is possible under a number of popular 64 bit operating systems like GNU/Linux and MS Windows and Mac OS. A Java runtime will be packaged together with the installation file. This make installation and usage more easy. There is no need to install a Java runtime anymore. Since the MAC OS versions are based on Intel code runtime, DataExplorer runs in the Rosetta emulation layer. An Android version of DataExplorer is available via PlayStore. The DataExplorer gathers data from connected devices and display this data for a various of further analysis. Actual the following devices are available as plug-in:

More device are under construction. Help doing this is very welcome.

New similar to existing devices can be easily created by using the integrated DevicePropertyEditor application without coding effort. A device API (IDevice) is defined to enable a relative simple adaptation of a new device as plug-in to integrate into the application framework.

Inquiries about APIs and how to integrate new devices into the framework are welcome (send questions to https://lists.nongnu.org/mailman/listinfo/dataexplorer-help or direct to the maintainer mailto:Winfried.Bruegmann@web.de.


Screen shots

Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Mac OS X, Windows 7, Windows XP (klick to resize)

         


Download

The latest version of DataExplorer can be found and downloaded at downloads or https://download-mirror.savannah.gnu.org/releases/dataexplorer/. Currently, the latest is quite often the greatest, so consider trying out the anonymous checkout of GIT provided on savannah.


Troubleshooting

The overall procedure while start-up trouble should be to open a command line prompt (GNU/Linux bash, Windows command line shell, MAC OS X Terminal) and change into the directory in which you find the DataExplorer start executable (GNU/Linux DataExplorer script, Windows DataExplorer.exe, MAC OS X DataExplorerMac64 script). In this directory execute the start script. If there are some errors with the Java environment you will get an meaningful responds. To check out if Java can be executed at all just enter "java -version". More help can be found in users temporary direcory in the bootstrap.log file.


Support of obsolete operating systems

The DataExplorer application should sometimes run on a system with a back-level operating system.
Hopefully the system doesn't connected to Internet while the operating system doesn't receive updates anymore!
The Java runtime or service environment should be already installed with version 8 (1.8). Java installation executables may hard to find or not be available anymore.

Actual GNU/Linux systems comes with GTK4 instead of GTK3/2. The SWT-toolkit with version 4.* support both. Anyhow sometimes an older SWT-toolkit results in a better UI representation while using a back level Linux with GTK2. Export SWT_GTK3=0 to force usage of GTK2 (start script) or try an older SWT-toolkit (swt.jar).
Windows XP does not support SWT-toolkit 4.* as actually used, just replace SWT-toolkit with a version 3.* by replacing swt.jar
MAC OS X changed USB API with 10.14 Mojave release. Therefore for Mac OS X <= 10.13 High Sierra usb4java release 1.2.0 needs to be used. This may change with usb4java > 1.3.0 which may use a newer LibUsb library supporting both APIs.


Plug-ins

The DataExplorer application consists of a kernel application and plug-ins. Very similar devices following the same data schema are grouped into one plug-in. A good example is the eStation plug-in which groups the eStation BC6, eStation BC610, eStation BC8, eStation 902 and the Pichler P6 as well as the Pichler P60 charger/discharger devices. There are a lot of charger discharger charger devices which are using the same processor and firmware and are usage compatible. This clones might not be known by name and therefore are not directly available using the device name. Such devices can be easily enabled using the DevicePropertyEditor.


Mailinglists

Two mailing lists have been set up on the nongnu.org server.


Use the source

https://savannah.nongnu.org/ is the GNU hosting server, available for general free software packages. You find the DataExplorer there under https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/dataexplorer. On Savannah you can browse the DataExplorer sources in cvs. You can also report bugs there. For discussions, please use the mailinglists instead of the Savannah-provided forum, we do not want people to have to look at too many places for information, and mailman was there first.


Contributing

There are lots of things to do. Current suggestions can be found at the task manager https://savannah.nongnu.org/projects/dataexplorer. To give you some ideas:

If you have some spare time, sign up in bug-gift and help-gift, and tell us what you would like to do, what kind of hacking you prefer, and we find out what's best for you. There is enough for everyone.

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Copyright 2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020,2021,2022,2023,2024,2025 Winfried Bruegmann
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article are permitted worldwide, without royalty, in any medium, provided this notice, and the copyright notice, are preserved.

last update: $Date: 2025/12/16 08:59:02 $ $Author: brueg $