(setting-up-root)=
# Setting up ROOT 
**(5 minutes)**

Before you start using ROOT, you often have to set it up:

   - If you're not using one of the Nevis particle-physics systems, hopefully
     you have received instructions on how to set up ROOT at your site. Now
     is the time to follow those directions.

   - If you had to {ref}`install ROOT <installing>` on your own 
     you already know whatever special set-up you need on your local
     computer.

   - If you are using one of the particle-physics systems at Nevis, no
     special set-up is needed.

:::::{admonition} Nevis specifics
:class: tip

There's an alternative distribution of the ROOT software on
the Nevis particle-physics systems that's available with this command:

    conda activate /usr/nevis/conda/root

This modifies your UNIX environment to use a more full-featured ROOT
setup than I was able to install natively on our standard Linux
installations. If you have difficulty running ROOT on your workgroup's
server, you may to try that
[conda](https://twiki.nevis.columbia.edu/twiki/bin/view/Main/Conda)
command.

:::::

:::::{admonition} Working-group specifics
:class: warning

Even at Nevis, some physics groups work with software frameworks
that have their own versions of ROOT built-in; e.g., Athena in ATLAS
or LArSoft in MicroBooNE. If you're working with such a framework,
you'll have a special set-up command to use.

:::::