First, set up a web home for the framework.

When this is done, TOPICA is up and running - but only as an "empty shell". Entering the proper URL in a web browser will display the startup menu.

To get an application running, you must perform the following steps:

• Versions 4.25 and newer:

  • Versions 4.25 and newer contain the Administration Module, that is a web user interface for creating configurations and databases - and connecting them.

  • You may use some of the demo configurations, that come with the framework. You may play around with the demo configurations in order to study, how things may be done. Or you may use the demo configurations as starting points for your own configurations.

  • All this may be done from the web user interface - no access to the web server is necessary.

• Versions 4.24 and older:

  • Versions 4.24 and older do NOT have any user interface for administration of configurations and databases.

  • Create a database by running a command-line script.

  • Creating a configuration is a matter of creating a folder using Windows Explorer - respecting configuration folder structure. The framework does not come with demo configurations - but they are obtainable separately.

  • Connecting the configuration to the database is a matter of editing the Server.config file (defining a "connection string").

Once a configuration has been created and connected to a database, the next steps are as follows:

• Build an organization structure (either from scratch, or by importing) - see Organization Administration

• Edit configuration items (.config files, form templates, report definitions, etc.) for your particular application - see Configuring Dynamic Data Structure, Configuring Reports, etc.

  There is no particular order for the above tasks - it is typically an iterative process, going back ond forth between changing some configuration and testing the effect.