Download & Installation

The IRTlib software is provided for offline use (currently for Windows operating systems) and for online use (in the form of Docker containers).

Offline (Windows)

The IRTlib software (IRTlib Editor and IRTlib Player) for offline use can be obtained and downloaded from the [Releases] section of the repository https://github.com/DIPFtba/IRTlibDeploymentSoftware. Two ZIP archives are available for download in the Releases section.

TestApp.Editor.Desktop.exe: Is in TestApp.Editor.Desktop.zip and must be started to use the IRTlib Editor.

TestApp.Player.Desktop.exe: Is included in TestApp.Player.Desktop.zip and must be started to use the IRTlib Player.

Note that the latest build can be found in the Preview section of the Release section of the repository. Preview versions are the latest version of the software, after the last published version of the IRTlib Software. To obtain reproducible results, published versions should always be used.

Note: Warning message at programme start

The automatically created preview versions of the IRTlib Editor and IRTlib Player are not signed. A warning message from the operating system must be accepted before the programmes can be executed. Depending on the configuration of the operating system, the executable files of the IRTlib software can also be classified as unknown and additionally warned against their use.

Study Preparation with Offline Editor

The IRTlib Editor for offline use is provided as a ZIP archive (e.g. TestApp.Editor.Desktop.zip), which must be unpacked. After unpacking the editor, the application TestApp.Editor.Desktop.exe can be started on a Windows device.

The sections Preparation > Overview, Preparation > Studies and Preparation > Survey parts document how to prepare and configure data surveys with the help of CBA ItemBuilder items.

Study Execution with Offline Player

The IRTlib Player is also available as a Windows application for offline use and is provided as a ZIP archive (e.g. TestApp.Player.Desktop.zip). After unpacking the IRTlib Player, a published study configuration is required that is to be used for data collection.

After adding the contents of a published study provided as study configuration, the executable file TestApp.Player.Desktop.exe can be started (either with or without start parameters).

  • Kiosk Mode: The IRTlib Player can be used directly for data collection via the executable file TestApp.Player.Desktop.exe on the computer on which it is running locally. The Study can be configured so that it is displayed in a Kiosk Mode on one screen and can only be terminated via the Task Manager or the Test Manager Menu (see Full Screen Mode in the section Configuration for display).

  • Local Server: The IRTlib Player can also be run as a local server. After starting the programme TestApp.Player.Server.exe, a configured Study can also be delivered via Webbrowser or other browsers with Kiosk Mode (e.g. the Safe Exam Browser). With this configuration, data can be collected, for example, in schools without an internet connection but with a notebook acting as a bring-in server.

The sections Data collection > Overview, Data collection > Publish & export and Data collection > Integration & delivery document how data collection can be carried out using the IRTlib Player in the various constellations.

Online (Docker)

The IRTlib software (IRTlib Editor and IRTlib Player) for online use can be obtained as a Docker container. An example can be found at https://github.com/DIPFtba/IRTlibDeploymentSoftware.

To use the Docker container, it is recommended to clone the repository on the target device and execute the command ./start.sh in the docker folder (requires installed docker and docker compose) to start the software.

If nothing is changed in the docker-compose.yml file, the editor is accessible via port 8002 and the player software via port 8001.

The section Data collection > Integration & delivery contains further information on using the Docker containers.