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Myrtle FAQ

1. Can I use Myrtle over Dropbox?
   • Yes! If you aren't already familiar with Dropbox, it is a free (well, at least up to 18GB and that's a lot!) file storage, file syncing, and collaborative file sharing cloud service.
   • To get set up with your own free account go to www.dropbox.com. The friends, classmates, or collaborators you will be working with will also need to get set up with their own Dropbox accounts. Do this now.
   • Only one person in the group needs to do this next step.
     • Create a new folder inside your personal Dropbox folder where you want to store all the files for your collaboration. For example if you are taking a class called Stats101, you might call it Stats101.
     • Before you finish, be sure to invite your collaborators to share this folder. You will need their e-mail addresses to do this part. You may do this via your online Dropbox account at www.dropbox.com. Alternatively, on Windows, Mac, and Unix, you can also invite them simply by clicking (right click) on the folder on your computer and clicking the invite/share options.
   • Next, in Myrtle's main menu click the "Save As..." option to bring up the Save Project Dialog. You will see a repository button which for you right now probably says default. The default repository is always folder on your computer in your home directory. This is what we want to change!
   • Click that button which will then bring up the Repository Dialog. Click on the "New" button.
   • In the dialog that pops up, change "Untitled" to something snappy like StatsDropbox, or whatever you want...
   • Next, just scroll down to the database preference. Click on that button that says database. Use the file browser (pops up) to find the location of your Dropbox shared folder (e.g. the Stats101 you created above). Select it and click Ok.
   • Lastly, click Save in the preferences dialog.
   • To start using this new Dropbox Myrtle repository immediately, click Select in the preference dialog.
2. What is the latest stable release of Myrtle?

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3. What if I don't have my own domain name?
   • You don't need one. Yes, Myrtle does prefer to save your projects/files by using a reversed domain name prepended to the specific project/file name (e.g. edu.yourschool.stats101.johndoe.hmwk1). This is because using a reversed fully qualified domain name (RFQDN) as a prefix can help ensure that the project/file name is internet-wide unique. This can be useful if you eventually want to share your results more broadly. If you are not sure, discuss with your teacher, employer, etc what domain basename you want to use to uniquely identify your projects/files.
4. How do I change the default domain name associated with my projects/files?
   • Easy. In Myrtle's main menu click the "Help->Preferences" menu to bring up the Preferences Configuration.
   • Next, just scroll down to the domainname preference. Edit it to what you want (e.g. edu.yourschool.stats101.johndoe) and hit enter on your key pad.
   • Lastly, click the Save button at the top of the Preferences Configuration dialog.
5. How do I change where my graphical output gets saved?
   • Easy. In Myrtle's main menu click the Help->Preferences... menu to bring up the Preferences Configuration.
   • Next, just scroll down to the myrtleoutputdirectory preference. Edit it to what you want (e.g. a Dropbox shared folder) and hit enter on your key pad.
   • Lastly, click the Save button at the top of the Preferences Configuration dialog.
6. Can I change/customize the appearance of Myrtle?
   • Yes. You can adjust the graphical preferences (Help->Preferences...) or you may import themes. Find some sample themes with instructions on how to import them at mockturtlesolutions.com/myrtlethemes.html
7. How do I change my default theme to a different theme?
   • Click Help->Preferences
   • Under Preference Set select the name of the theme you want to be your new default
   • Click Save As... button. Where you see New Set Name type the name default
   • Click the OK button