Help Starting KGS Client
Here are some collected some tips that can help solve problems starting the KGS Client.
- There is also some help at
http://kgsfaq.free.fr/index.php?action=artikel&cat=307458&id=133&artlang=en .
Table of contents |
The KGS Client Background Information.
Java Web Start and Applet Client
There are several KGS clients. One is the applet client. If you have Java installed on your computer, you can run the applet by clicking on the "Play Go Now!" link at the KGS Go Server home page. Because of restrictions placed on applets, this client has fewer features available.
Another is the Java Web Start client. If you have Java installed on your computer, you can get this client by clicking on the "Download the Client and SGF Editor" link at the KGS Go Server home page, and then click on either "CGoban for Java Web Start" or "CGoban 3 with no file association" link.
Here are some of the features available with the Web Start client that are not available in the applet:
- You can save settings such as font size and language preference.
- You can create, view, edit, and save .sgf files offline.
- You can "download" games from the server and save them on your computer as .sgf files.
- You can upload .sgf files to the server to show them to others. (You cannot leave a copy on the server.)
This KGS client is also known as "CGoban 3."
There is also a KGS client for Android phones. See http://www.gokgs.com/help/androidInfo.html . For bot programmers, KGS also offers a GTP client. See
http://www.gokgs.com/download.jsp
The information on this page applies only to the client for Java Web Start.
There is a sound issue with recent versions of Java. There is some discussion of this in a Life in 19x19 thread http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=4570
Which version of Java should I use?
This page was originally written when Java 1.6 was the current version, and assumed Java 1.6 was the version being used. As of this edit (20 Oct. 2013), Java 1.7 is the current version. Oracle recommends using Java 1.7, as Java 1.6 is no longer being updated, and may have security vulnerabilities.
If your operating system is Windows, Linux, Solaris, or recent versions of Mac OS X, you can download Java from http://java.com/en/download/manual.jsp?locale=en&host=java.com .
A few years ago, CGoban 3 was not working well with the OpenJDK implementation of Java, but these issues should now be fixed. Due to licencing issues, OpenJDK is the default Java for Linux distributions. In case you wish to remove OpenJDK and use Java from Sun\Oracle, here is a guide: http://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/howto-ubuntu-linux-install-configure-jdk-jre/ . That page was updated in 2008.
File Associations
When you click on a link in a web page that runs a program with Java Web Start, the link should point to a .JNLP file. The .JNLP file points to a program that can be run with Java on your system. If instead, when you click on the link, the browser tells you it does not know how to open the file, or it offers to download the file, you may have a problem with file associations. The problem may be in your browser, your system, or both.
It is beyond the scope of this page to cover finding and correcting problems with file associations.
If you do know how to edit file associations, you should have files of type "JNLP" opened with the "javaws" program.
Normally, when you install Java on your machine, the installer sets the correct file associations.
If you cannot fix file associations on your computer, and Java is otherwise installed on your machine, run the following command to start the KGS client:
javaws http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jnlp
In addition, file associations are also used to tell your computer which program or programs are used to open which types of files. When you click on a .sgf file, your computer should open it with a .sgf editor. CGoban is one such program, and you may want to use it as your default .sgf editor.
Troubleshooting
Client will Not Run from Shortcut / How to Create Shortcut
Sometimes, the only thing that is wrong is that your shortcuts either have been corrupted or no longer point to the correct file on your computer. Before trying anything else, try to delete and recreate your shortcuts.
- Delete shortcuts to CGoban on your desktop, in your menus, and anyplace else you may have them.
- Run the Java Web Start Cache Viewer.
- Select "Applications" in the box marked "Show" at the top.
- Find the entry for CGoban and Select it.
- Then click the middle of the five buttons near the top of the viewer. This button has a curved arrow on it.
Note: This tool is not available with Java Web Start under KDE in Linux. It is possible to create shortcuts manually for KDE in Linux.
Client Will Not Run after KGS Update
When KGS has been updated, your client may be out of date. When this happens, you will receive a message. If you receive this message and you want to update your client, exit the client. Be sure and close the CGoban "Main Window" (the one with 6 buttons). Then, restart the client. The new version should automatically download and begin running. This is the preferred and easiest way to update the client.
If you are running the client using shorcuts, and the client does not start up properly after an update, delete and recreate the shortcuts as described above. If that does not fix the problem, follow the steps below.
If you repeatedly get a message that the client needs to be updated, and you are using a shortcut, try running the update without using a shortcut:
- Open The Java Web Start Cache Viewer.
- Select the entry for the KGS client and right-click on it.
- From the context menu, select the "Run Online" option.
- Exit the KGS client, then run it a second time with the "Run Online" option.
Occasionally, this will not work. If it does not work for some reason, you will have to go through some extra steps:
- Delete shortcuts to CGoban on your desktop, in your menus, and anyplace else you may have them. This is because when you download the client, part of the command to run the client will be different.
- Go to the KGS home page.
- Click on "Download the Client and SGF editor link.
- Click on either the "CGoban for Java Web Start" link or the "CGoban 3 with no file association" link. This will download and install the latest version of the client.
- If this leaves you without shortcuts, and you want them, you may be able to have Java Web Start create some. Please follow the instructions above to recreate the shortcuts.
If deleting shortcuts and downloading/reinstalling the client did not work, you have to take more extreme steps.
- Run the Java Web Start Cache Viewer
- Select "Applications" in the box marked "Show" at the top.
- Find the entry for CGoban and select it.
- Find the "Delete" button at the top. It is the one with the red X.
- Select "Resources" in the box marked "Show" at the top.
- Select and delete any resource related to KGS.
- If CGoban is the only Java Web Start application you want, you may delete all applications and resources.
- Go back to previous procedure ("Delete shortcuts ...")
The following command should clear the entire Web Start cache:
javaws -uninstall
The following command can be used with Java 1.7:
javaws -uninstall -clearcache
In addition, the cache may be cleared by going through "Temporary Internet Files" from the Java Control Panel. There is a page at Oracle that describes this http://www.java.com/en/download/help/plugin_cache.xml .
By the way, if file associations for "javaws" are broken on your computer, you can run the client with the following command:
javaws http://files.gokgs.com/javaBin/cgoban.jnlp .
Things You Should Know
How to run the Java Web Start Cache Viewer
The Java Web Start Cache Viewer allows you to review which Java Web Start applications are on your computer. Using the viewer, you may run these programs online, run them offline, install shortcuts, and uninstall them.
If you have trouble with the client, an admin or other helpful person might ask you to run the Cache Viewer.
If you are asked to run the Java Web Start Cache Viewer (viewer for short), try one of these:
- Use a shortcut for it, if one is on your system.
- Use your system's run dialog to run this command: javaws -viewer
- On a Windows computer, one way to open a run command dialog is to hold down the <Windows logo> key, and press the letter "R" key. The <Windows logo> key is between the <Ctrl> and the <Alt> keys. (Thank you, beeblebrox.)
- Open a command console and enter this command: javaws -viewer
- I prefer to use a command console than the run dialog. If the program does not run, with the command console, you get to see an error message. This gives you an idea of why it didn't run.
- With Windows, one way to open a command console is to open a run dialog and issue this command: cmd
- With a Mac, one way to open a command console is to go to Applications → Utilities → Terminal
- Run the Java Control Panel. Click the "General" tab, then find the "Temporary Internet Files" area. Click the "View..." button.
- Under Windows, you might find the Java Control Panel is one of the entries in the Windows control Panel.
- Another way to open the Java Control Panel is to run javacpl.exe. If javacpl.exe is not in your path, look for it in C:\Program Files\Java\jre6\bin\ or similar location.
- In Linux open a command console and enter this command: ControlPanel or jcontrol . You may find the former is used for older Java versions and the later for more recent versions.
How to find out which version of Java you are using.
An admin or other helpful person trying to help you might want to know what version of Java you are using. Following are some tips. However, you may have more than one version of Java on your machine. These tips will not necessarily tell you which version of Java you are using for the KGS client.
- Use the Java Control Panel.
- Open the Java Control Panel.
- Select the "Java" tab then click the "View" button.
- Look in both the "User" and "System" tabs.
- Check your web browsers.
- Use your browser and go to
http://java.com/en/download/installed.jsp?detect=jre&try=1 .
- Do this with each browser.
- Use your browser and go to
- Check the Java command.
- Open a command console.
- Type in this command: java -version. Note the response.