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MAPLE at Villanova University

Maple Student Help Center
For some of you, the Maple Student Help Center might prove useful. It offers on-line help: "Get real answers from real people" "within hours" for homework problems by posting your questions on the on-line Forum. Free registration at Maple Primes is required for access.

Villanova now has an unlimited site license from Maplesoft for the computer algebra system Maple which allows single user copy installations for any Villanova faculty, staff and students. For Windows-based operating systems, first just log into the  VU home page NOT through MyNova but by clicking on the small "logon" in the upper right corner of the page, and then visit the VU Maple download site:

If you have trouble being identified as a Villanova community member so that you cannot enter the download site, call the UNIT Help Desk 610-519-7777. If you are one of the few MAC users on campus, you can borrow a MAC installation CD from UNIT.

Universal access to Maple independent of the local computer environment is offered to Villanovans through our site license via a web browser entering the university Citrix Server website from anywhere on the internet using a MAC or PC and your standard username and password. After logging into the Citrix server, you locate the Maple icon in the folder Academic Applications inside Math & Stat Applications. It works just like the local or network version BUT your local operating system (Windows for most users) does not deliver it so some user awareness is important.

The Citrix application delivery works with Internet Explorer or Mozilla once you download and install the client software (ICA Connection), which has a download link on the lower right part of the Citrix homepage if your computer does not yet have the software already installed. Wait for the window to appear asking for "Full Access" to your machine (the default "No Access" derails the application from accessing your computer for opening or saving files). Click on both "Full Access" and "Never Ask Me Again" for this application. This does not always come up BUT you can get to it once and for all once you have opened MAPLE in Citrix by the following setting:

  • To open and save Maple worksheets locally [Citrix only]

    You need to set the security on the ICA client by right-clicking on the ICA icon (you can't miss the red ball, balloon help identifies this icon as the Program Neighborhood Connection Center) on the lower right task bar tray (what is that called?), releasing on "Open Connection Center," and selecting the server name on the line above MAPLE from the tree, then clicking on "Security" and setting it to "Full Access," "Never Ask Me Again" for this application.

    This allows the Maple application access to the C: hard drive, URL memory stick drives (plug in before logging into citrix), possible network drives, etc, found in "My Computer" to open and save files but the "My Documents" folder seen inside Maple is a virtual folder on the network under your Citrix profile space and does not refer to your local hard drive "My  Documents" folder [except for math faculty]. If you want a local copy of your Maple worksheet to attach to an email for example, you must save it to a local folder or local network folder under My Computer [not My Documents or Desktop] or some local network folder. Similarly, your virtual folder "Desktop" is not directly visible to Citrix. Remember, right clicking on file icons only invokes the proper software to open them if your operating system knows about it, but Citrix Maple bypasses the operating system!

  • To open Maple worksheets from a URL web link on a web page
         Copy the link in the browser by right-clicking on it and doing "copy shortcut (whatever)" and then in Maple, use the File Menu, Open URL selection and paste in your link (hit Control V to paste) and then click on "Open". This works very quickly. You can then save the file locally as above.
     
  • To print Maple worksheets [Citrix only]
    Citrix Maple should in theory print to the default printer of your computer, but if it does not, you may print to the virtual printer Adobe PDF  in the Printer selection window from inside Maple, which requests a location to save the PDF file: save it within My Computer, BUT exit the Adobe PDF file once it is created since the Adobe software itself resides on the Citrix server and does not know about your local printers available through your operating system. On your computer go to the location you saved the PDF, click on it to open your local Adobe program and print the PDF file to a printer you select from your local Printer selection window.

If you have any difficulties using the Citrix server, consult the additional Citrix Maple help page and if that does not help, contact the UNIT HELP desk 610-519-7777.

Warning: If you use Mozilla Firefox, the Citrix page will report that you have not downloaded the Citrix client, but this is just a false glitch (unless you really haven't downloaded and installed it). Proceed as though it were there (it is) and just say Yes to Open with the default Launch.ica.