Note, the best source for information is the user guide, available also separately from the downloads page and as part of every RCtool (REtool) release. The application RCtool offers in menu Help also a command to open this guide.

System requirements

The latest downloadable versions of RCtool have following system requirements:

• Macintosh: Requires at least OS X 10.9.5 (Mavericks) or later OS X operating sytems. For further details consult this web page >> FileMaker.
  
  Warning: It appears Mojave is not fully compatible with previous versions of RCtool (REtool). Make sure you update to the latest version.
  
  Note, the security features may prevent RCtool from starting. Depending on the OS you have different options to overcome this restriction. Find details on how to accomplish this here).
  
  RCtool also contains scripts, e.g. to open the PDF of a draft at the specific location to which a comment pertains. For these scripts to really work, they require permission to be executed on your system. You need to configure this permission only once (Apple > System Preferences ... > Security & Privacy > Privacy). Unlock the tab and check the checkbox next to RCtool (and/or REtool, FileMaker Pro Advanced depending what application you actually use). Thereafter RCtool should be fully functional. This preference needs to be set for good.
  
  As a PDF reader we recommend the free open source 'Skim', but 'Adobe Acrobat' works fine as well. Unfortunately the free 'Adobe Reader' does not work well. If users wish to use 'Preview', that is currently not possible (please inform the developer, should you wish to have that functionality added to 'RCtool').
  
  
• Windows: RCtool is designed to work under Windows with minimum requirements being Windows 7 SP1, 8, 8.1, 10. You need the .NET framework version 4.5 or later and it is recommended to have all service packs installed. For further details consult this web page >> FileMaker.
  
  As a PDF reader we recommend the free 'Adobe Acrobat Reader DC', which works under Windows well. If you have 'Adobe Acrobat', this works also well.
  
  
• iOS: FileMaker Go is freely available and works fine, but with some limitations (e.g. jumping to PDFs is currently not supported). Use iTunes to transfer the files 'RCtool-main' and 'RCtool-textlinks' to your iOS device in the usual manner (Using Windows or Mac, (a Video Mac); FileMaker specific help on Transferring files). Once the work on the iOS device is done, transfer the file 'RCtool-main' back to your PC or Mac for exporting your data.

Find further details on conpatibility with your specific system here >> (note, latest RCtool was made with FileMaker Pro 14 Advanced and FileMaker Pro 16 Advanced)
Note, to work with RCtool you need no internet access.

Working with RCtool and Excel in parallel

While this is possible and even supported, it is not particularly recommended unless you understand well what you do and avoid any risks that can arise from working unintentionally in parallel. In this context note, RCtool contains many functions that specifically support flexibility. RCtool allows to import not only review comments, but also author's responses and RE's evaluations and/or notes from Excel files. Moreover, it also supports the export of any data to Excel files anytime for specific purposes and groups of users such as authors, TSU staff, or REs. If you decide to use several techniques in parallel, we recommend to be quite careful by organizing your work well, e.g. by explicitly tracking the precise chronology of the work by the various persons involved.

In this context it is worth noting that RCtool supports the merging of work done by several persons. E.g. within a team of REs, some may wish to work with Excel, some may prefer to use RCtool. RCtool supports such a working style and provides functionality to merge the data (annotations, evaluations) REs have added to comments. RCtool also offers such functionality to merge author responses. Once data are merged into RCtool, they can be exported not only in a unified form, but also sorted in whatever manner is of interest. Of course data can also be exported only partially, e.g. a set of comments of high priority or otherwise requiring particular attention.

During imports from spreadsheets, the author or RE inputs are related to the comments to which they belong (based on the Comment ID) and any duplicates will be removed. RCtool hereby even supports RE teams whenever they annotate the very same comments in parallel, e.g. if each RE evaluates they same comments because they are particularly critical. In such cases RCtool will create a so-called history and REs can compare their observations and discuss them until resolution. This is easy to do, thanks to the explicit and sophisticated support by RCtool of such working styles.

Alert cannot open due to unidentified developer (Macintosh platform only)

If you get an alert similar to this



your system wide settings prevent to launch any application from a developer who has not been identified by Apple. This is the case for the RCtool (REtool) application. You have following options to overcome this initial difficulty: You can make an exception for the just downloaded application 'RCtool.app' (or 'REtool.app'), respectively or change your system wide settings by allowing the use of software from non Apple certified developers in general.

Make an exception: For the first option you can control-click the app 'RCtool.app' (or 'REtool.app') and choose from the pop-up menu the command 'Open'.



This gives you now the choice to overrule the restriction in this dialog:



Click the button 'Open' and it should now run. This needs to be done only once and your system should now remember for this very application file that it is allowed to run on your system always. However, if you redownload the application once again, e.g. because it was updated, then you need to repeat above procedure.

Alter your system settings to allow for apps downloaded from anywhere: For the second option go to the Apple Menu "System Preferences... -> Security & Privacy", unlock the lock in the lower left corner and change the settings to 'Allow apps downloaded from: Anywhere'.



If you feel unsafe with these settings, you can set them back to what they were before, given you have launched the application RCtool (REtool) successfully at least once.

In more recent macOS (as of OS X 10.12.6 Sierra) the option 'Anywhere' is by default no more offered. You can still ask the OS to do so. Open the application Terminal (from the Utilities folder) and enter following command:

        sudo spctl —master-disable

Find detailed instructions here: How to Allow Apps from Anywhere or How to Allow Apps from Anywhere in macOS Gatekeeper (Mojave, Sierra, High Sierra). If you feel uneasy, you can revert this change by sudo spctl —master-enable and hereby returning to Apple's default settings once you have launched your RCtool.app (REtool.app) at least once. However, it does not hurt to leave 'Anywhere' available should you need it again at some later stage. There are no security risks from having this option visible, given you normally have 'Mac App Store and identified developers' or even 'Mac App Store' selected.

Alert asking for allowance to control another appliation such as a PDF viewer (Macintosh platform only)

If you get an alert similar to this



you need to allow RCtool always to give access to control the other application. In above example please click button 'OK' to allow RCtool to control the open source PDF viewer 'Skim.app'. It is very important to give this allowance! This is because it may well be that you get this question asked only once. As unfortunately Apple's OS does not offer any user friendly mechanism to request that this question is asked once more, please do not miss the unique very first opportunity to give allowance. Once you gave the permission, it is easy to take it away or give it back as a check-box is offered for this specific allowance in the Systems Preferences panel "Security & Privacy" as shown in the following screenshot:



Note that in above example RCtool is not listed as 'RCtool' but only as 'Runtime'. Once visible as shown above, you can freely anytime disallow RCtool the given permission to control another app or give it to RCtool later back again. Only if you fail the first time to give the access it is generally very difficult to get the needed entry in the panel as shown above. Note, there is no real risk associated in doing this as you gain full control by giving the allowance when first asked.

Depending on what applications you wish to use through RCtool you may also want to give additional permissions such as the 'Full Disk Access' similar to this:



Here it is easy to give this allowance anytime as you can add with the plus sign RCtool. When you click on the plus sign button (after having opened the lock in the lower left corner) you are offered a dialogue in which you can select the RCtool.app and hereby add it to the list of applications that have 'Full Disk Access', e.g. possibly needed while opening PDF's from RCtool.

Alert DEBUG not found

If you get an alert similar to this



you have probably merely double-clicked wrongly the file 'RCtool-main' instead of the application 'RCtool'. Please do always start working with RCtool only by opening just the application. That will then automatically also open the RCtool data base files 'RCtool-main' and in a hidden manner 'RCtool-textlinks'.

If you have actually launched first the application 'RCtool.app', then I suggest you try to open the file 'RCtool-main.fmpur' through the file selection dialog when offered or you try to open the data base by drag and drop of the file 'RCtool-main.fmpur' onto the application 'RCtool.app'.

If on a Mac and all this does not help try for once one of the methods described above in section «Alert cannot open due to unidentified developer...». Should all this fail to help, please write me and give me exact details of the operating system and the version of RCtool (REtool) you are encountering this difficulty with.