Problems with Ortep

Q 1. The drawing screen has become too tiny and I can't change it. What to do?

A 1. This occasionally happens, especially with wide-screen monitors but the reason is obscure. In this case, simply close down Ortep-3, go to the installation directory (actually the directory pointed to by the environment variable ORTEP3DIR - by default c:\ortep3) and open the file called "ortep.ini" in that directory in a text editor (NOT a Word Processing program). Find the entries

GraphicsWindowWidth=xxxx
GraphicsWindowHeight=xxxx

The values xxxx are usually nonsense. Change both values to 0 (zero), save the file and then restart Ortep. The default size will then be used. If you are using a wide-screen monitor, you will get better results if you resize the Ortep window so that the drawing screen has an aspect ratio of ~ 4:3 (the usual aspect ratio of "standard" monitors).

Q 2. The new version of Ortep-3 doesn't install properly because the INI build fails. What to do?

A 2. If Ortep-3 Version 2 is installed into a directory which does not have an initialisation file "ortep.ini", then the installation starts the automatic build of a default INI file. This procedure looks to see whether the plugin programs are already installed on your PC. Sometimes this procedure fails and the installation hangs up.

In this case, simply close down Ortep-3, go to the installation directory (actually the directory pointed to by the environment variable ORTEP3DIR - by default c:\ortep3) and place an empty file called "ortep.ini" in that directory. The program defaults will then be written to this file when the program exits. You will need to set the plugin programs manually, using the menu item Options - Configure Plugins.

Q 3. The new version of Ortep-3 installs properly, but I can't read ANY legal data input files. What to do?

A 3. Possibly the full path name for your data files are causing a problem. The path name should NOT include any non-ASCII (non-standard European) characters, and it is recommended that path names with embedded blanks like "c:\my data" are also not used. Try moving the file to a directory called "c:\data" and see if Ortep3 now works. If it does, then the path name is the problem.

Always check the messages given in the OrtepConsole ! This is normally minimized on the task bar, and may help you to solve your problem.

Q 4. Ortep-3 give a blank screen when I read in a CIF. What to do?

A 4. This is either because:

1. There is a syntax error in your CIF. In this case the Ortep Message about using the coordinates from data_ block xx will NOT appear, but short error message(s) from CIFTBX will be written to the OrtepConsole. Ortep-3 for Windows does not provide CIF checking algorithms (use WinGX for this purpose). You must ensure that your CIF fulfills all the syntax requirements.
   NOTE - the CIF parsing routines used by WinGX and Ortep CANNOT READ a CIF with even a single syntax error. These must be corrected before they can be read.
2. There is some vital information missing in the CIF, e.g. cell constants. In this case you will see the Ortep Message box about using the coordinates from data_ block xx, but additional error message(s) will be given in the OrtepConsole. Please read the Ortep-3 for Windows documentation for the required CIF items.

   Always check the messages given in the OrtepConsole ! This is normally minimized on the task bar, and may help you to solve your problem.

Q 5. Why do the colours in my printed HPGL file not correspond to those on screen?

A 5. The HPGL format does not support colours directly - it merely stipulates pen numbers for the graphic objects. The colours associated with any particular pen number are not dictated by the HPGL file, but by your local interpreter of the HPGL file, e.g. the PrintGL program. In other words you need to adjust the parameters associated with your local HPGL interpreter. If the HPGL file is imported into MS-Word, for instance, then the colour associations are fixed by the filter, and a particular pen number is always given the same colour.
On the other hand, the PostScript format DOES directly support colour and will give you the same colours as on screen. It should be used in preference to HPGL if the exact colour hue is important.

Q 6. Why does the POV-Ray file written by Ortep-3 not work with the new version of POV-Ray 3.5?

A 6. The latest release of Ortep produces compatible files, but there is only a trivial difference. To make your file work, open the .POV file in a text editor (NOT a word processor !!!) and change the line

# version = 3.0
to
# version = 3.5 ;

Q 7. Why does Ortep-3 sometimes crash when I read in a SHELX file with disordered atoms?