Minimum System Requirements - Microsoft Windows

Stroboscope can be installed in any recent version of Microsoft Windows (32-bit or 64-bit). The default user interface is the Stroboscope IDE (Integrated Development Environment). The IDE provides a text editor (similar to the Notepad application that comes with Windows) in which to type and enter the statements that make up a Stroboscope simulation model. The IDE also provides controls (buttons and menus) by which to run and debug a simulation model, and to view and save the simulation model output.

Recommended System Requirements - Microsoft Visio

In addition to the base system, the Stroboscope Setup program also installs the following three graphical systems implemented in Microsoft Visio that make the development of simulation models much easier. Their use is highly recommended:

• • Graphical User Interface (GUI) for Stroboscope

  • EZStrobe

  • ProbSched

 Microsoft Visio must be installed separately. All recent versions are supported, from Visio 2021 back to Visio 2000. 

IMPORTANT: Starting with Stroboscope version 5,22,1,15, the Stroboscope GUI (implemented in C++) supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Visio. Earlier versions of the Stroboscope GUI supported only the 32-bit version of Visio and would not work with the 64-bit version. EZStrobe and ProbSched are developed entirely in Visio VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) and support both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions of Visio. 

Download the Stroboscope Installation Package

The Stroboscope installation package is a single executable file named Stroboscope_Setup.exe which can be downloaded from the following links.
Note: The different versions of Stroboscope listed have been compiled with different versions of Microsoft Visual Studio (VS) and thus require different versions of the C++ runtime libraries.

VS2008 Stroboscope Release 5,25,4,1 (supports: Visio x64; larger text for high DPI displays; better error catch) (Recommended)

• Main current Stroboscope repository

• Alternate current Stroboscope repository

VS2022 Stroboscope Release 7,25,03,27 (supports: Visio x64; larger text for high DPI displays)

• Main current Stroboscope repository

• Alternate current Stroboscope repository

VS2019 Stroboscope Release 6,24,9,4 (supports: for Visio x64)

• Main current Stroboscope repository

• Alternate current Stroboscope repository

Older Stroboscope Release (4,2,0,0) (partial support for Visio x64, see above)

• Main older Stroboscope repository

• Alternate older Stroboscope repository

Stroboscope Installation Instructions

Important: The installation of Stroboscope requires Administrator privileges.

To install Stroboscope, double-click and run the Stroboscope installation package

    Stroboscope_Setup.exe.

Installation Notes:

• • On 64-bit Windows, Stroboscope is installed by default in:

    • • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope

  • On 32-bit Windows, Stroboscope is installed by default in:

    • •  C:\Program Files\Stroboscope

  • The installation of Stroboscope has been tested successfully up to the 64-bit versions of Windows 11 and Windows 10, and up to the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Visio 2021.   

  • The installation program runs a script that registers Stroboscope with all recent versions of Microsoft Visio to allow the Stroboscope GUI, EZStrobe, and ProbSched, to work. Note that this registration is done only for the current Windows user. See below on how to register Stroboscope with Visio for other Windows users.

  • The installation program also includes and installs (or repairs) silently the required C++ runtime library (for example, the Stroboscope version compiled with VS2008 requires the "Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)"). See below on how to install the required C++ runtime library manually, if necessary.

Troubleshooting Stroboscope

It is possible (but rare) that when you run Stroboscope for the first time, you may see the following message:

• "The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect."

This error indicates that Windows cannot find the C++ runtime library that is required by the version of Stroboscope that you have installed on your computer.

Ordinarily, this error should not appear because the installation of Stroboscope also installs or repairs the required C++ runtime library automatically.

How to install or repair the required C++ runtime library manually

The following instructions are for the version of Stroboscope that was compiled with VS2008. For versions of Stroboscope compiled with more recent versions of Visual Studio (such as VS2019 or VS2022) the instructions are similar.

To correct this error, install manually the "Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)" from one the following sources.

• Run the installation program for the C++ runtime library that is included with Stroboscope (easiest):
  "C:\Program Files\Stroboscope\Program\MSVC2008SP1DLL\vcredist_x86.exe"
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope\Program\MSVC2008SP1DLL\vcredist_x86.exe"

• From Microsoft

• From the backup repository

Troubleshooting Visio - EZStrobe - Stroboscope GUI

The Stroboscope installation program Stroboscope_Setup.exe makes the necessary entries in the Windows registry by automatically running the appropriate script shown below that registers the Visio-based tools (that are included with Stroboscope) with all versions of Visio (up to 2021). 

• • C:\Program Files\Stroboscope\Program\Register_Stroboscope_with_Visio.bat

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope\Program\Register_Stroboscope_with_Visio.bat

This is done only for the current Windows user, and as a result, EZStrobe and the Stroboscope GUI will not work for other Windows users.
See below on how to register Stroboscope with Visio for other Windows users.

Script to Register Stroboscope with Microsoft Visio

If EZStrobe or the Stroboscope GUI do not work correctly in Visio, you can run the same automated script again (and register the Stroboscope Visio-based tools for the current Windows user) as follows:

• • From the Windows Start menus, select:

    • Register Stroboscope with Visio

This runs the appropriate script shown below that registers the Visio-based tools (that are included with Stroboscope) with all versions of Visio (up to 2021) for the current Windows user. 

• • C:\Program Files\Stroboscope\Program\Register_Stroboscope_with_Visio.bat

  • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope\Program\Register_Stroboscope_with_Visio.bat

This script should make Visio work correctly with EZStrobe and the Stroboscope GUI (for the user currently logged into Windows).

Manual Definition of Automation Settings in Microsoft Visio

If EZStrobe or the Stroboscope GUI still produce errors in Visio, you can also register the Stroboscope Visio-based tools with any version of Visio manually.

As an example, the following steps assume that you have Visio 2021 and wish to enable automation between Visio and Stroboscope. (If you have a different version of Visio, then the new entries that need to be made are the same as those below, but their locations in the Visio menus may be slightly different):

• Run Visio 2021 directly (and not by opening EZStrobe, or the Stroboscope GUI).

• Open a new blank drawing.

• Click on "File", "Options", "Advanced"

• Scroll to the bottom of the right part of the window and click on "File Locations".
  This will bring up a dialog box similar to the one shown below.

• • You will enter the same path in each of the three text boxes:

    • "Templates"

    • "Stencils"

    • "Add-ons"

  • The path you will enter depends on whether your version of Windows is 64-bit or 32-bit.

    • • For 64-bit Windows, enter the following path (enter the same path in all three boxes):

        • C:\Program Files\Stroboscope\Program\GUI

      • For 32-bit Windows, enter the following path (enter the same path in all three boxes):

        • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope\Program\GUI

      • Note: If you are not sure where Stroboscope has been installed, use the Windows "File Manager" to check.

  • Click OK to save the three "File Locations" with the above path you just entered three times.

  • Click on "Trust Center" (this is another of the available options on the left side of the "Visio Options" window)

  • Click on "Trust Center Settings"

  • Click on "Trusted Locations"

  • Click on "Add new location..."
    This will bring up a dialog box similar to the one shown below.

• • In the "Path:" text box enter the path where Stroboscope is installed on your computer:

    • • For 64-bit Windows, enter the path:

        • C:\Program Files\Stroboscope\

      • For 32-bit Windows, enter the path:

        • C:\Program Files (x86)\Stroboscope\

        • Note: If you are not sure where Stroboscope has been installed, use the Windows "File Manager" to check.

  • Important: Make sure that you place a checkmark in the box

    • • "Subfolders of this location are also trusted".

  • Click on OK to add the directory where Stroboscope is installed (and its subdirectories) as a "Trusted Location".

  • Click on "Macro Settings" (which is another option in "Trust Center Settings")

• • Click on "Enable all macros (not recommended...)" to enable it (otherwise, the Stroboscope-related macros do not run).

  • Click on OK to accept the changes to the "Trust Center Settings".

  • Click OK to accept the changes to the "Visio Options" window and return back to the Visio drawing.

  • Important: Close Visio completely and exit the Visio application.

  • EZStrobe and the Stroboscope GUI should now work correctly.