[sdpd] Tutorials on using Platon for user-friendly CSD/Quest structure searches.

[L.M.D.Cranswick...@dl.ac.uk]

(for people handling organics and organometallics, the following
may be of interest)

Tutorials are viewable on using the new Platon features
for it acting as an interface for Quest/Cambridge 
Organic/Organometallic structure searches.
(Platon is available directly off the internet for 
UNIX, VMS and MS-Windows)

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Tutorials include:  Quest/CSD Database Cell Searching to
see if this cell contains a structure that may have already
been solved:

   http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/tutorial/platon/windows_quest_cell_xterm.htm

(Note that for powder diffraction users: you may
want to change the tolerance of the default cell
search and this is described in the above page)

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Using Platon as an interface for searching for related structures
(or checking if the structure has already been solved):

  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/tutorial/platon/strucquest.htm

And (concentrating on generating a quest script to be used later):
  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/tutorial/platon/csdquest.htm

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While for UNIX users much of the above is pseudo-trivial -  the 
above tutorials also concentrate on the more problematic things 
Windows users may experience.  Thus the tutorials are based around 
using the freeware Teraterm for Windows and the (pseudo?)-free and
excellent/friendly MI/XServer for Windows.  (There is a Mac
version of of the MI/XServer).  This can make much of the above
quite trivial.

Separate tutorials can be viewed on:

 "Secure MS-Windows to UNIX machines based X-Sessions via 
 Secure Shell Tunnelling"  - easier than standard X'ing from Windows
  (Using Teraterm for Windows and MI/XServer as an example)
   http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp14admin/security/secure_x_session_tunnelling.htm

 "Secure FTP transfers via Secure Shell Tunnelling" 
  (Using Teraterm for Windows and WS_FTP as an example)
   http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp14admin/security/secure_tunnelling_ftp.htm

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Also a reminder:
If a "UK based" academic or student, you can obtain free and 
easy access to the Cambridge and other structure databases 
(Inorganic ICSD, Metals and Alloys, etc) via the EPSRC 
funded CDS - Chemical Database Service (free registration 
is done On-line):
 http://cds3.dl.ac.uk/cds/cds.html
 http://cds3.dl.ac.uk/cds/regcds.html

Cheers,

Lachlan.

PS:  Official Platon websites and mirrors:

Platon Web site:
  http://www.cryst.chem.uu.nl/platon/
CCP14 based Mirrors:
  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp/ccp14/ftp-mirror/platon-spek/pub/
  http://ccp14.sims.nrc.ca/ccp/web-mirrors/platon-spek/platon/index.html
  ftp://ftp.minerals.csiro.au/pub/xtallography/ccp14/ccp/web-mirrors/platon-spek/platon/index.html

Platon FTP Download site
  ftp://xraysoft.chem.uu.nl/pub/
CCP14 based Mirrors:
  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp/ccp14/ftp-mirror/platon-spek/pub/
  http://ccp14.sims.nrc.ca/ccp/ccp14/ftp-mirror/platon-spek/pub/
  ftp://ftp.minerals.csiro.au/pub/xtallography/ccp14/ccp/ccp14/ftp-mirror/platon-spek/pub/

Platon for Windows port by Louis Farrugia of Glasgow University:
  http://www.chem.gla.ac.uk/~louis/software/
CCP14 based Mirrors:
  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/ccp/web-mirrors/farrugia/~louis/software/
  http://ccp14.sims.nrc.ca/ccp/web-mirrors/farrugia/~louis/software/index.html
  ftp://ftp.minerals.csiro.au/pub/xtallography/ccp14/ccp/web-mirrors/farrugia/~louis/software/index.html

Other platon tutorials are viewable on the official platon
website and also via the CCP14 tutorials section (this includes
how to setup platon in fully functional "System S" structure
solution and refinement suite mode - links to Shelxl/shelxs,
Dirdif, Crunch and Sir for solving and the last 3 including
EXOR for "auto-building"):

  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/tutorial/platon/

System S complete installation:
  http://www.ccp14.ac.uk/tutorial/platon/system_s_suite_install.html


-- 
Lachlan M. D. Cranswick

Collaborative Computational Project No 14 (CCP14)
    for Single Crystal and Powder Diffraction
Daresbury Laboratory, Warrington, WA4 4AD U.K
Tel: +44-1925-603703  Fax: +44-1925-603124
E-mail: l.cranswick...@dl.ac.uk  Ext: 3703  Room C14
                           http://www.ccp14.ac.uk