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DOTE (Distributed Open Transcription Environment)

DOTE 2.0 Help Guide

DOTE v2.0 install and update

We have recently released v2.0 of DOTE. We think it is a fantastic improvement on v1.0 that incorporates many suggestions from our user base.

If you are new to DOTE, then just follow the instructions below.

If you have already installed DOTE v1.0, then you need to upgrade.

We strongly recommend that you backup all your DOTE projects and transcripts to a safe place. The update will migrate a bunch of hidden files in each of your project and transcript folders to the new data structures only when you open an already existing DOTE project or a transcript in a project. If something goes wrong, then you can simply replace all the files and folders from your backup.

Updating to a new release

When you run DOTE, it will remind you if there is a new release available online. It is up to you to manually download the new release and install it.

To update DOTE on both operating systems, just close DOTE, download the update and follow the same procedure above. DOTE will be updated and restart automatically.

How to download and install DOTE

Watch the basic and advanced video tutorials on YouTube.

DOTE is a desktop application that runs on your local computer. It is very easy to download and install the software and run it on the Windows and Mac desktop platforms. It should run on the latest versions of Microsoft Windows 10/11 and also Apple macOS (10.13 High Sierra or later; also macOS 12+ for the Apple Silicon M-series). Let us know if you have a problem installing and running DOTE on these platforms. Contact us if you are interested in using DOTE on Linux, or if you can provide financing to support DOTE development specifically for Linux. Note that only one instance of DOTE is allowed to run at the same time on a given computer. If you need to view more than one transcript at a time, please consider using DOTEbase, which provides multi-transcript viewing.

Choose the correct and latest version for your operating system from our DOTE Webshop or you can browse archived releases on our public DOTE GitHib repository.

As of DOTE v2.0, there are now two types of installers for both Windows and Mac.

  • Most users who use their own devices, or who have administer permissions on their machines should continue to use the '.exe' & '.dmg' installers.
  • For institutional-managed computers, multi-user shared devices, or those with limited administrator access, please use our '.msi' & '.pkg' installers.

Windows installation

  • To install the Windows version, double click on the installer file that was downloaded.
  • If you get a Windows warning message, then click the More info link, and choose RUN ANYWAY.
  • DOTE will start after the install is complete.
  • The DOTE icon should also appear on your desktop. In future, just double click the icon and DOTE will start.

Windows warning

Windows run anyway

MacOS installation

  • For macOS, double click on the DOTE installer icon (DMG).
  • Drag and drop the unpacked DOTE app into your Applications folder.
  • NOTE: your macOS system settings may be set to restrict installations.
  • If DOTE is prevented due to security restructions, open System Preferences, select Security & Privacy, select General tab, and select and approve Allow apps downloaded from App Store and identified developers. You may need to unlock your settings with the padlock to make these changes.

macOS install

End User License Agreement

The first thing you need to do after installing DOTE is agree to the Terms and Conditions of the EULA.

EULA

If you do, then DOTE won't ask again on that machine. If you don't, then DOTE will not start.

PRO Editions license key

You will need to purchase and enter a license key to unlock the premium features in DOTE. If you are upgrading, then you do not need to re-enter these details.

Installation problems

On Windows, the installation may fail because Windows Defender does not recognise the software. You can set Defender to allow DOTE to run on your computer.

On Windows, the installation may fail because your Windows setting does not allow software to be installed except from the App Store. If you wish to install DOTE, then you have to change that setting to allow apps to be installed from 3rd party sources.

Another reason for failure is that you may have an Anti-virus/malware programme installed. It may not recognise DOTE and warn you about installing/running the software on your computer. Just set the Anti-virus software to trust DOTE.

If the installation fails because you do not have administrator rights, then you may need to get permission from your IT support to allow installation of the DOTE software.

  • For example, you may not have permission in Windows (Group Policy) to install unknown or unapproved software. This is a local problem with how your computer has been setup by a security conscious IT support.
    • Ask your system administrator to allow running DOTE_ExecutionStub.exe AND DOTE.exe. The installer must be run after this has succeeded, then you should be able to run DOTE normally.
    • Alternatively use DOTE on a computer that is not constrained by such policies (for example a computer that you own personally).

Installing other open source packages that DOTE needs for specific purposes

Installing FFmpeg

DOTE can import many audio formats on its own in order to generate a waveform automatically, but not all. If you have trouble generating a waveform for a video or audio clip, then one can either transcode the clip (see Tips) and try again by importing the new video or by regenerating the waveform (see Media Manager).

Alternatively, you can let DOTE install the free and open source FFmpeg application on your computer, and add the folder path to ffmpeg.exe to your DOTE Settings.

  1. Go to Settings and scroll down to the bottom to see the Additional Audio & Video Format Support section.
  2. Because DOTE installs FFmpeg automatically, it should report "FFMPEG INSTALLED".
  3. If not, then:
    1. In Settings, click the button Install or Configure FFmpeg
    2. Click Download & Install FFmpeg Add-On.
    3. The files will be downloaded and installed.
    4. The "Not found" indicators should change to "Available".
    5. Under some circumstances you may need to Reset Path to Default first if you upgraded to v2.0 and the file path is still for v1.0.
    6. Try restarting DOTE if something looks amiss, or try Remove Add-On, and then retry to reinstall.
FFMPEG MISSING:

FFmpeg missing

AFTER DOWNLOAD:

FFmpeg installed

Like many other software, DOTE has to do this extra step because of licensing restrictions.

NOTE: After using DOTE to install FFmpeg once you will not have to redo this step if you reinstall DOTE or update to a newer version. DOTE will remember you decision and reinstall FFmpeg automatically.

Installing FFmpeg yourself:

If you wish to use a known version that you have installed yourself on your computer in a specific location, then click Manually Set Path. Both ffmpeg and ffprobe have to be installed. See these instructions for more detail if you get stuck.

For a Windows installation, the folder path might look like this, depending on how you installed it:

  • C:\FFmpeg\bin\
  • C:\Program Files\FFmpeg\bin

For a macOS installation, the folder path might look like this, depending on how you installed it:

  • /usr/local/bin
  • /opt/homebrew/bin

You may have to request permission from your IT services to install these software. And you may have to unlock a folder (on macOS) to be able to install into that folder. Finally, you may not have access rights to the standard folder for installation (on macOS), so select a public folder that you do have access to.