Process for installation of the Data Processing Unit (DPU)
You can run eVOLVER experiment culture routines directly on the command line, or through the Electron graphical interface. This page documents how to install the DPU for use on the command line.
We recommend running the DPU through the GUI for most use cases. Please see the Electron App (GUI) Installation documentation and the GUI Start Guide for more information.
Even if you plan to use the GUI to run your experiments, you still need to go through these steps!
If you are unfamiliar with working on a command line terminal or cannot use the Electron GUI for your application, check out the guide!
In Terminal, install homebrew:
Afterwards, run the two following commands:
brew install openssl
brew install sqlite
Python 3.9 is required for dpu operation
Mac:
Windows
1. Go to the official to download python 3.9.
2. Follow to install python on your machine.
3. If you have multiple versions of python3 on your machine, you can set up an to manage the usage between the different versions.
1. Navigate to the
2. Click Releases on the right side of the page
3. Click the Source Code link (zip) to download the latest release.
The release name/number will be different from the screenshot below! You will typically want the latest release, which should be at the top of the page.
4. Move the downloaded .zip file (which should be in your Downloads directory for your browser) to the location where you want your experiments to run. Documents or Desktop are good locations. This is also where your data will be saved.
Do not leave the DPU zip file in your Downloads directory. Please move to appropriate location.
5. Unzip the file.
6. Open a terminal. On Mac, you can use the built in Terminal application (press CMD + Space then type terminal to find it). I recommend if you want a terminal with some quality of life enhancements. On Windows, you can use PowerShell.
7. We use to manage our python dependencies. Go to their website to download and install it on your machine.
If you are using a Mac and have installed homebrew (described above) you can run the following command: brew install poetry
Windows Powershell:
If you have installed Python through the Microsoft Store, replace py with python in the command above.
8. Navigate to the DPU directory you just downloaded and unzipped:
Use this command: cd <path_to_dpu>
Replace the <path_to_dpu> with the location you put your dpu
9. Create a new then activate it with the following command:
Mac:
python3.9 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
Windows PowerShell:
py -3.9 -m venv venv
venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1
10. Use poetry to install all necessary dependencies.
If you can't find poetry on Windows "poetry : The term 'poetry' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet" and it is installed, use the following command (replace <Your_User_Name> with your user name)
C:\Users\<Your_User_Name>\AppData\Roaming\Python\Scripts\poetry.exe install
You must activate the virtual environment when running DPU scripts from the command line. If you close a terminal or re-open it, you'll need to run . venv/bin/activate(Mac) or venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 (Powershell) again while in the dpu directory.
You can activate the dpu environment automatically on a Mac or Linux machine by adding a line in your shell run commands (rc) file typically located in your home directory located at ~/.zhrc (Mac) or ~/.bashrc (Linux):
source <path to dpu>/venv/bin/activate
swapping out <path to dpu> with the actual path on your machine to the dpu.
If you have issues with the dpu setup, reach out to us on the
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"brew install python@3.9(Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://install.python-poetry.org -UseBasicParsing).Content | py -poetry installIt is helpful to have a dedicated eVOLVER computer (not a personal computer) as eVOLVER experiments take multiple days. We recommend a Mac for their high reliability and native Python, however users have reported Windows works as well.
eVOLVER software does not take very much computational power or memory so an older computer should be fine.
Search on the if you have issues with installation.
Process for installing the Electron App (GUI) for eVOLVER.
For all operating systems, navigate to the releases section of the Electron App GitHub page.
For instructions on updating the GUI on the RPi, see .
1. Download the evolver-electron-X.X.X.dmg file, where X denotes the version number in the latest release. The latest release should be the first one you see at the top of the page.
2. When the download finishes, open the file (it should be in your Downloads directory) and drag the eVOLVER app into your Applications directory.
FIRST TIME INSTALLATION - DO THE FOLLOWING NEXT STEPS!
3. Open the eVOLVER app from the Applications directory.
4. Using an editor of your choice (TextEdit, Nano, Vim, TextWrangler, etc.) open the file config.json located at /Users/<your username>/Library/Application Support/eVOLVER/config.json
You may need to enable the ability to view hidden files if you are trying to find this file in a Finder window. With a Finder window open, press Command + Shift + . (period) to make hidden files appear. You can press the keys again afterwards to make them disappear.
If you are attempting to modify this file via a terminal, be sure to escape the space character in Application Support with a \. It should look like this: /Users/<your username>/Library/Application\ Support/eVOLVER/config.json
5. Add a line in this file between the braces: "dpu-env": "/Users/<your username>/Document/dpu/venv"
If you add this line to the beginning of the block, be sure to add a comma at the end! If you add it to the end, put a comma on the line before it.
If you installed the DPU in a different location, be sure to reflect that in this line. The electron app uses this to find the correct python binary/venv to run the DPU
6. Save the file and you're done!
1. Download the evolver-electron-X.X.X.exe file, where X denotes the version number in the latest release. The latest release should be the first one you see at the top of the page.
Chrome may flag the download, just select "Keep".
2. Open the .exe file.
In Windows 10, Microsoft Defender prevents the app from starting immediately. Simply click "More info" and then "Run Anyway" to get around this.
FIRST TIME INSTALLATION - DO THE FOLLOWING NEXT STEPS!
3. Using an editor of your choice open the file config.json located at C:\Users\<Your-UserName>\AppData\Roaming\eVOLVER\
You may need to the ability to view hidden files if you are trying to find this file in a File Explorer window.
4. Add a line in this file between the braces: "dpu-env": "C:\\Users\\<Your-UserName>\\Desktop\\dpu\\venv"
Note the escaped \ , be sure to put double \\ throughout the path.
If you add this line to the beginning of the block, be sure to add a comma at the end! If you add it to the end, put a comma on the line before it.
If you installed the DPU in a different location, be sure to reflect that in this line. The electron app uses this to find the correct python binary/venv to run the DPU.
5. Save the file and you're done!
1. Download the evolver-electron-X.X.X.AppImage or evolver-electron-X.X.X.deb file, where X.X.X denotes the version number in the latest release. The latest release should be the first one you see at the top of the page.
Selection of either .deb or .AppImage is largely based on personal preference and computer environment, each presenting slight pros and cons. If you are unfamiliar with installing Linux packaged software, use this link to learn more about what is applicable to you. Briefly, .deb files are natively designed for Ubuntu and will compile the entire application, along with necessary dependecies, onto the local machine. An AppImage file contains everything necessary to run the program, requiring you to execute the file when you want to run program.
2. If downloading evolver-electron-X.X.X.deb, open your Downloads directory and right-click evolver-electron-X.X.X.deb to open the file with Software Install .
3. A new window should open, allowing you to install the eVOLVER GUI. Click Install and follow the onscreen instructions to install the eVOLVER GUI.
FIRST TIME INSTALLATION - DO THE FOLLOWING NEXT STEPS!
4. Open the eVOLVER app by either clicking Show Applications from the home screen or through the command line. To open via command line, open Terminal and enter to access installed applications:
Run the eVOLVER GUI by entering:
5. Using an editor of your choice, open the file ~/.config/eVOLVER/config.json .
6. Add a line in this file between the braces to denote the location of the installed DPU virtual environment:
"dpu-env": <path_to_dpu>
If you add this line to the beginning of the block, be sure to add a comma at the end! If you add this line to the end, put a comma on the line before it.
7. Save the file and you're done!
cd ~/usr/binevolver
