Setup and Install

For this workshop you should have OpenRefine installed.

Downloading OpenRefine

• Download OpenRefine from https://openrefine.org/download.html. There are versions for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. The current stable version which this workshop has been tested with is version 5.2

• Current versions of the “Windows (including Java)” and “Mac OS” include everything you need to run OpenRefine.

• The “Linux kit” and “Windows (without Java)” require Java Runtime Environment (JRE) to be installed on your system (see notes below).

• Full download instructions:

  • https://librarycarpentry.org/lc-open-refine/index.html
  • https://openrefine.org/docs/manual/installing

Installing OpenRefine

Windows

• OpenRefine is downloaded as a zip file. To install, Unzip the downloaded file wherever you want. This can be to a personal directory or to an applications or software directory - OpenRefine should run wherever you put the unzipped folder. The location should be a “local” drive as problems have been reported trying to run OpenRefine from a Network drive.

Mac

• OpenRefine is downloaded as a ‘dmg’ (disk image) file which you can open and then drag the OpenRefine application to an appropriate folder on you computer.

Running OpenRefine:

Navigate to the folder where you’ve installed OpenRefine and do one of below depending on your system:

• Windows: double-click either ’openrefine.exe’ or ‘refine.bat’

• Mac: click the OpenRefine icon

• Linux: type ‘./refine’ in a terminal window

Note: OpenRefine runs in your browser but is not supported by Internet Explorer. Please use Firefox, Chrome or Safari instead.

The interface to OpenRefine is accessed via a web browser. When you run Refine normally this should open a window in your default web browser pointing at the address http://127.0.0.1:3333. If this doesn’t happen automatically you can open a web browser and type in this address.

Getting Help

You can find support, documentation and tutorials on using OpenRefine in various places online including:

• The OpenRefine Wiki https://github.com/OpenRefine/OpenRefine/wiki
• The ‘Free your metadata’ site http://freeyourmetadata.org/
• The OpenRefine mailing list and forum https://forum.openrefine.org