Stan: Windows Command Install

This page provides step-by-step instructions for installing a C++ build environment in Windows and downloading the Stan source code.

Windows Tips

Opening a Command Shell

To open a Windows command shell, first open the Start Menu (usually in the lower left of the screen), select option All Programs, then option Accessories, then Command Prompt.

Alternatively, enter [Windows+r] on the keyboard and enter cmd into the text field that pops up in the Run window.)

C++ Development Environment

Note for Cygwin Users: Stan can be run under Cygwin, the Linux look-and-feel environment for Windows. Cygwin must have make and a recent version of g++ (part of gcc) installed. Within a Cygwin shell, Stan will behave as under Linux.

Using Rtools

The simplest way to install a full C++ build environment that will work for Stan is to use the Rtools package (even if you don't plan to use R).

First, download the latest frozen (aka stable) version of Rtools from

the Rtools Home Page.

Next, double click on the downloaded file to open the Rtools install wizard, then proceed through its options.

Language: select language, click Next,
Welcome: click Next,
Information: click Next,
Setup Location: accept default (c:\Rtools), click Next,
Select Components: select default, Package Authoring, click Next,
Select Additional Tasks: check Edit Path and Save Version in Registry, click Next,
System Path Report: click Next,
Ready to Install: click Next, wait for the install to complete, then
Finish: click Finish.

Stan Source

The Stan source code distributions are named stan-src-1.m.p.tgz, where m is the minor version and p the patch level.

Download the latest Stan source from the Stan Downloads page to any non-temporary folder. (If in doubt, select My Documents on Windows XP or Documents on Windows 7.)

Change to the download directory (aka folder) using one of the following commands, replacing <username> with your Windows user name.

Windows XP: From the default starting directory, use:
```
% cd "My Documents"
```
The full path (including quotes) will work from anywhere:
```
% cd "c:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents"
```
Windows 7: From the default starting directory, use
```
% cd Documents
```
Or use the full path (including quotes),
```
% cd "c:\Users\<username>\Documents"
```

To verify that the downloaded Stan .tgz file is there, list the directory contents using:

% dir

Unpack the distribution using the tar command (which is installed as part of Rtools):

% tar --no-same-owner -xzf stan-src-1.m.p.tgz

The --no-same-owner flag is not strictly necessary, but it removes a bunch of irrelevant warnings.

Complete Installation

To complete the installation, following the remaining cross-platform instructions on

the Command-Line Quick Start page.

> to the Stan Home Page