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In addition to reading the information listed here, you may want to visit our on-line Technical Support Forum where you can ask questions and search the answers to other users' queries.

How to get technical support for APLX for Windows, MacOS and Linux (paid version)

If you are encountering any problems with APLX, please first ensure that you are running the most up-to-date version (see below). If you are running APLX Version 4.1.11 or earlier, MicroAPL strongly recommends that you upgrade to 4.1.13 (free of charge) or to Version 5 (paid upgrade), since a number of important bug fixes are incorporated in these releases. If you are running APLX or APLX64 Version 5 for Windows, we recommend installing the 5.1.0 update. If the problem persists, please use our on-line form to tell us about it.

APLX for Windows

The current release of APLX and APLX64 for Windows is Version 5.1.0, released 7th February 2011. (See the APLX Download page if you are running an earlier Version 5 build.)

The latest Version 4 release of APLX for Windows is Version 4.1.12, released 3rd March 2009. (See the APLX Download page if you are running an earlier Version 4 build.)

The latest Version 3 release of APLX for Windows is Version 3.2.2 released 24th May 2007. (See the APLX Download page if you are running an earlier Version 3 build.)

APLX for MacOS

The current release of APLX for MacOS is Version 5.1.0, released 7th March 2011. (See the APLX Download page if you are running an earlier Version 5 build.)

The latest Version 4 release of APLX for MacOS is Version 4.1.13, released 3rd March 2009. (See the APLX Download page if you are running an earlier Version 4 build.)

The last Version 3 release of APLX for the Mac was Version 3.5.4 released 12th March 2007. This fixes some problems reported by users in earlier 3.5.x versions.

Please note that APLX Versions 3.5 and later require Macintosh OS X Version 10.4 (Tiger), 10.5 (Leopard) or 10.6 (Snow Leopard), and will not run under earlier versions of the Mac OS.

If you are running on an Intel-based Macintosh, versions of APLX prior to 3.5 will not work correctly because of bugs in Apple's PowerPC emulator. You should upgrade to Version 5.

APLX for Linux (paid version)

The latest release of APLX for Linux is Version 5.0.3, released 15th October 2009. For information on supported distributions, or if you encounter any problems, please look at our APLX for Linux Support page first. If you need further help, please use our on-line form.

APLX for Linux Personal Edition (free of charge)

The latest release of APLX for Linux Personal Edition available free of charge is Version 1.1.9, released 21 June 2004. If you are running an earlier release, we recommend that you download the 1.1.9 Upgrade Pack from the APLX Download page.

We cannot offer commercial support on APLX for Linux Personal Edition. For information on supported distributions, or if you encounter any problems, please look at our APLX for Linux Support page first. If you still cannot resolve the issue, please use our on-line form and we will try to help, subject to other commitments. Be sure to include a complete description of the problem and details of the version of Linux you are using.

Keyboard problems

Missing AltGr key on US keyboards

In order to type some APL symbols in the Windows or Linux version of APLX, you need to hold down the AltGr key whilst pressing a normal key. AltGr key acts just like the Shift key in that it modifies the effect of another key. (In non-APL applications, AltGr is used to type various different characters, primarily ones that are unusual for the locale of the keyboard layout, such as foreign currency symbols and accented letters.)

Some US keyboards do not have an AltGr key. (Presumably this is because the manufacturers think it is inconceivable that their US customers might want to enter any foreign currency symbols or accented letters.) In this case you can use the Alt key instead. Unfortunately, under Windows, the Alt key is primarily intended as a keyboard shortcut modifier; for example, Alt-F normally brings up the File menu. In order to allow the use of Alt for entering APL characters, you need to enable the 'Use Alt key for APL symbols' checkbox in the Keyboard tab of the APLX Preferences dialog. Menus can still be activated by pressing Alt followed by the menu shortcut as separate keystrokes, for example by pressing Alt then F.

As an alternative, Windows recognizes Ctrl-Alt as the same as AltGr.

Interference from other applications

Some badly-behaved non-APL applications may sometimes interfere with APL's keyboard handling. The following examples are known at the time of writing:

• Google Desktop intercepts the AltGr key when combined with the G key. This makes it impossible for an application on which Google Desktop is installed to recognize this key combination, and also conflicts with certain national keyboard layouts. There does not seem to be any way to disable this in Google Desktop.

• An application called 'CyberLink PowerDVD' starts itself automatically under Windows if Shift-AltGr-3 is pressed. Again there does not appear to be a way of disabling this.

If you encounter problems such as these, please report them as bugs to the supplier of the software concerned. In the meantime, you can either uninstall the interfering application, or use the QuickSym window to enter the characters which cause problems, or customize the APL keyboard to use a different key.