Writer's Workbench

Writer's Workbench Technical Operation and Log File Setup and Administration

The Writer's Workbench Options Menu options are described in pages 15 and 16 of the Writer's Workbench Manual.

Click here for details about the Assessment Scores Module.

Click here to view the WWB Tracking Setup and Excel Plug-in document.


By default, Writer's Workbench is installed in "C:\WWB."  It can be installed in virtually any directory, but the pathname must be short (For this reason, and because there is a space in "Program Files," WWB cannot be installed in "C:\Program Files\WWB").  If installed on a network, the path could be X:\WWB, where X: is the mapped drive.


Executable Files:  Some security packages such as CA's eTrust disallow executable files to run unless specifically allowed.  Nine Writer's Workbench analyses require executable files be run as analyses are being produced.  By default, those executable files are in the wwbbin directory which is located in the installation directory (c:\wwb).  Those analyses which require temporary files (below) must be able to run the executables in (default)  C:\WWB\WWBBIN


Temporary Files:  Some of the analyses require temporary files be created as analyses are being compiled.  By default, that folder is the installation directory (C:\WWB).  A folder wwbtmp is created below whatever location is specified in setup.  In any case, the user must have create, write, and delete permissions in the TEMPDIR\wwbtmp directory (C:\WWB\wwbtmp [default] or C:\Windows\temp\wwbtmp).  The following analyses require temporary files -

Assessment Scores
1.2 Content - Diversity of Content Vocabulary (Focus)
1.3 Content - Vague and Abstract Vocabulary
2.1 Characteristics - Style Statistics
2.2 Characteristics - Style Statistics with Support
5.3 Words - Negative Words
5.4 Words - Split Infinitives and Article Errors
6.4 Punctuation - Possible Fragments and Long Sentences
6.5 Punctuation - Misplaced Punctuation and Capitalization

Note: the wwbtmp folder must not be compressed must have Windows indexing turned on.
Click here to see how to verify correct settings for wwbtmp.


WWB.INI:  This file (now located in the WWB installation directory (typically C:\WWB)) defines how Writer's Workbench operates.  The [WWB] section of wwb.ini contains the following adjustable settings.

[WWB] The WWB section of wwb.ini
EDITENV=YES Allows or disallows future access to the setup menu. "YES" or "NO"
We recommend setting this setting to "YES" and then using the menu for adjusting other settings.
VERSION=8.18.0008 Writer's Workbench Version, Set on Installation.    DO NOT CHANGE
INSTALLDATE=5/31/2007 Assigned on installation; no need to adjust.    DO NOT CHANGE
WWBISSETUP=YES Writer's Workbench Setup Setting; Set on Installation.  DO NOT CHANGE
WWBPATH=C:\WWB Assigned on installation; no need to adjust unless changing installation path.
WWBTMP=C:\WWB Assigned on installation; no need to adjust unless problems with system security restrictions.
LABENV=YES Defines the need for identification entries in the first two lines of your composition;
used to identify analysis printouts on a shared printer via a page header.
If set to "YES," the first line must indicate the topic of your composition and the second line must indicate the author (usually first initial, last name).
These two lines are not analyzed.
If set to "NO," the complete composition (including the first two lines) is analyzed.
TIMEOUT=45 Timeout (seconds) for those analyses requiring temporary files.  No need to adjust unless analyzing long compositions or using a slow computer.
LOGWWB=YES The LOGWWB parameter, if set to "YES," provides a mechanism for schools or teachers or students to append a one-line entry to a file named "wwblogfile.txt" each time someone analyzes a paper.  If LOGWWB="NO," then no entries are appended to the wwlogfile.txt file.  See the "Log File" details below.
LOGPATH=W:\WWBLOGFILES Defines the location where "wwblogfile.txt" is created and appended to.
See the "Log File" details below.

The [DISPLAY] section of wwb.ini is used to control size and placement of Word's windows while WWB is running.

[DISPLAY] The DISPLAY section of wwb.ini
WWBCTLDISPSET=YES After installation, WWB detects the display resolution and sets this setting to "YES"
HRES=1280 Horizontal resolution of system
VRES=1024 Vertical resolution of system
WINWIDTH=960 Width of Word when maximized
WINHEIGHT=742 Height used by WWB for composition and analysis windows
CWIDTH=912 Width of composition window
AWIDTH=720 Width of analysis window
WHAPOS=240 Starting horizontal position of analysis window

The [WMG] (Writing Mechanics Grade) section of wwb.ini is used to control size and placement of Word's windows while WWB is running.

[WMG] The WMG section of wwb.ini
WMG_ENABLED=YES By default, WWB installation sets this setting to "YES"
WMG_ADJUST=YES If you do not want users (or yourself!) to change default or current setting to the assessment module, set this setting to "No."
WMTIMEOUT=120 Increase this setting only if you have a slow computer or if your text is excessively long.
WMLOGSTATS=NO Use the WWB Options Menu to change this setting.
WMLOGPATH=W:\WWBLogfiles Use the WWB Options Menu to change this setting.

 Writer's Workbench Log File

Writer's Workbench versions 8.0 and later provide the ability to create log entries to track Writer's Workbench usage.  This feature (transparent to the user!) is useful for verifying that students are in fact using Writer's Workbench to analyze their compositions and to track general Writer's Workbench usage in your writing labs.

By setting the LOGWWB parameter to "YES" (click on Yes in the Generate LOGFILE for analyses? box in the Options Menu) and pointing the LOGPATH (entering a path in LogFile path in the Options Menu) to a legitimate writable folder, a file named wwblogfile.txt will be created and appended to each time a student analyzes his or her composition.  Note: the file must be writable by the I.D. that logs into the workstation.

If the LOGPATH parameter is set to a mapped folder on the network (For example, W:\WWBLOGFILES), then multiple workstations can append to the wwblogfile.txt simultaneously.  Each time a WWB user analyzes a composition, a one-line entry is appended to the end of the wwblogfile.txt file.  Three such entries might look like:

PBithos * Tempest * Content - Diversity of Content Vocabulary * 10/11/2002 10:59:57 AM
PBithos * Tempest * Clarity - This * 10/11/2002 11:04:12 AM
PBithos * Tempest * Content - Organization and Development * 10/11/2002 11:05:13 AM

Here, PBithos is the second line of the student's paper (first initial, last name), and Tempest is the first line of the student's paper.  The next field is the analysis followed by the date and time the analysis was run.

Since wwblogfile.txt is a text file, it can be viewed using notepad, and can easily be imported into a database or spreadsheet.

Since this file will continue to grow each time a composition is analyzed, we recommend that the wwblogfile.txt be renamed periodically, say, once a month or once a week.  For example, if you want to rename it once a month, you might rename the log file "wwblogfile1002.txt" on October 31, 2002 to denote those analyses performed in October, 2002, and "wwblogfile1102" on November 30, 2002 for those in November.  The "live" logfile will always be named "wwblogfile.txt."

If you have any problems or questions with Writer's Workbench setup, either send e-mail to wwbsupport@emo.com or call (630)548-4219.

Back to Writer's Workbench Support Page