diff --git a/src/USER-MOLFILE/README b/src/USER-MOLFILE/README index 64a4239bd8..0ef6dcdb9b 100644 --- a/src/USER-MOLFILE/README +++ b/src/USER-MOLFILE/README @@ -1,39 +1,40 @@ -This package provides a C++ interface class to the VMD molfile plugins, -http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/plugins/molfile, and a set of LAMMPS -classes that use this interface. +This package provides a C++ interface class to the VMD molfile +plugins, http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/vmd/plugins/molfile, and a +set of LAMMPS classes that use this interface. Molfile plugins provide a consistent programming interface to read and -write file formats commonly used in molecular simulations. This package -only provides the interface code, not the plugins; these can be taken as -precompiled binaries directly from a VMD installation that matches the -platform of your LAMMPS executable. Using the plugin interface one can -add support for additional file formats to LAMMPS simply by telling -LAMMPS where to find a suitable plugin without having to recompile or -change LAMMPS directly. The plugins bundled with VMD are usually -installed in a directory inside the VMD installation tree named -"plugins//molfile". +write file formats commonly used in molecular simulations. This +package only provides the interface code, not the plugins; these can +be taken as precompiled binaries directly from a VMD installation that +matches the platform of your LAMMPS executable. Using the plugin +interface one can add support for additional file formats to LAMMPS +simply by telling LAMMPS where to find a suitable plugin without +having to recompile or change LAMMPS directly. The plugins bundled +with VMD are usually installed in a directory inside the VMD +installation tree named "plugins//molfile". To be able to dynamically load and execute the plugins from inside -LAMMPS, you need to link with a system library containing functions like -dlopen(), dlsym() and so on for dynamic linking of executable code into -an executable. This library is defined by setting the molfile_SYSLIB -variable in lib/molfile/Makefile.lammps. For Linux and most current -unix-like operating systems, this can be kept at the default setting of -"-ldl" (on some platforms this library is called "-ldld"). For -compilation on Windows, a slightly different mechanism is used that is -part of the Windows programming environment and this library is not -needed. +LAMMPS, you need to link with a system library containing functions +like dlopen(), dlsym() and so on for dynamic linking of executable +code into an executable. This library is defined by setting the +molfile_SYSLIB variable in USER-MOLFILE/Makefile.lammps. For Linux +and most current unix-like operating systems, this can be kept at the +default setting of "-ldl" (on some platforms this library is called +"-ldld"). For compilation on Windows, a slightly different mechanism +is used that is part of the Windows programming environment and this +library is not needed. NOTE: while the programming interface (API) to the molfile plugins is backward compatible (i.e. you can expect to be able to compile this -package for plugins from newer VMD packages), the binary interface (ABI) -is not. So it is necessary to compile this package with the molfile plugin header files -(vmdplugin.h and molfile_plugin.h) taken from the _same_ VMD installation -that the (binary) plugin files are taken from. These header files can be -found inside the VMD installation tree under: "plugins/include". For -your convenience, this package ships with a set of header files -compatible with VMD 1.9 and 1.9.1 (the current version in June 2012) -and should be compilable with VMD versions back to about version 1.8.4 +package for plugins from newer VMD packages), the binary interface +(ABI) is not. So it is necessary to compile this package with the +molfile plugin header files (vmdplugin.h and molfile_plugin.h) taken +from the _same_ VMD installation that the (binary) plugin files are +taken from. These header files can be found inside the VMD +installation tree under: "plugins/include". For your convenience, +this package ships with a set of header files compatible with VMD 1.9 +and 1.9.1 (the current version in June 2012) and should be compilable +with VMD versions back to about version 1.8.4 The person who created this package is Axel Kohlmeyer at Temple U (akohlmey at gmail.com). Contact him directly if you have questions.