Bugs may be fixed in the current developer version on GitHub. In case you want to try out the latest development version it can be download by typing this into the command window:

devtools::install_github("oskarhansson/strvalidator")

You may need to install devtools to make it work:

install.packages("devtools", dependencies=TRUE)

Note that the development version is not stable and some changes may be reverted before the next stable version is released to CRAN.

User community and support

Discuss STR-validator in the Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/strvalidator/

Get news, tips, and other information at the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/STRvalidator

There will occasionally be sent out information by mail. Contact me if you wish to be added to the mailing list (e-mail is found the STR-validator CRAN page).

Report bugs

Please report bugs at GitHub (direct link). Remember to provide a reproducible example if possible.

PhD material

STR-validator was developed as part of my PhD project. Download the thesis Development of computer software to characterise and simulate molecular biology processes used in forensic DNA profiling assays (ISBN 978-82-8377-319-4) or view the short popular scientific presentation and the trial lecture Epigenetics in forensics.

Work in progress

Routine maintenance

Version history - main features [release date]

2.4.2 - Fixes minor CRAN notes [16.10.2025]

2.4.1 - Fixed error introduced in R 4.3.0 [19.07.2023]

2.4.0 - GUI optimized for tcltk (via gWidgets2tcltk). Interactive tables. Italian and Spanish language. [24.09.2022]

2.3.0 - Language support. General function for summary statistics [10.07.2020]

2.2.0 - Support for tcltk, which should work in restricted IT environments. [22.03.2019]

2.1.0 - Calculate ST for all models at once. Plot cumulative distributions of multiple groups. [25.08.2018]

2.0.0 - Migration to gWidgets2. New audit trail. Remember last used paths. [12.08.2017]

1.9.0 - Minor improvements and corrections. New function to add marker order to a dataset. [08.03.2017]

1.8.0 - Several functions rewritten for faster analysis. Calculation of profile proportion in height metrics, and many other improvements. [04.10.2016]

1.7.0 - New functions for drop-in analyses. Support for quality sensors. Numerous minor improvements. [05.07.2016]

1.6.0 - Automatic calculation of average peak height when analysing drop-out and balance. New functions for efficient profile balance, and marker ratio calculations. [19.01.2016]

1.5.2 - Calculation for AT6 corrected (use standard error of the regression instead of standard error of the intercept). [31.08.2015]

1.5.1 - (not on CRAN) Fixes some bugs in the AT analysis module. [27.06.2015]

1.5.0 - Estimate analytical thresholds. Improved import (autotrim, autoslim). [10.06.2015]

1.4.0 - Analyse pull-ups, generate EPG's, changes to kit file to handle multiple sex markers. [07.01.2015]

1.3.1 - Fixed window losing focus (hidden windows). Simpler installation. Bug fixes.

1.3.0 - Integrated project manager. New module for analysis of concordance and mixtures. Bug fixes. [13.08.2014]

1.2.0 - Added Fusion and GlobalFiler kit. New module for analysis of capillary balance. Bug fixes.

1.1.0 - Compatibility update (testthat 0.8) and multiple improvements.

1.0.0 - Major update with important bug fixes. New kit file structure and several new features.

0.3.0 - Option to save GUI state

0.2.0 - Graphical user interface (GUI)

0.1.0 - Initial release on CRAN

Publications

Hansson O, Gill P. Egeland T. STR-validator: An open source platform for validation and process control. Forensic Science International: Genetics. 2014;13:154-166.
Hansson O, Gill P. Free open source software for internal validation of forensic STR typing kits. Forensic Science International: Genetics Supplement Series. 2013;4(1):e300–e301.

Posters

"Free open source software for internal validation of forensic STR typing kits" presented at the 25th World Congress of the International Society for Forensic Genetics, 2 – 7 September 2013, Melbourne, Australia. [Poster_ISFG2013.pdf]

Downloads

Here is a selection of downloads (a complete list is available at the bottom of the web page and under the respective workshop sub pages).

Official manuals and tutorials

Language support instructions for STR-validator (written for STR-validator version 2.3.0): [language_support_in_strvalidator.pdf]
Installation instructions for STR-validator (written for STR-validator version 1.6.0): [strvalidator_installation.pdf]
The STR-validator manual (written for STR-validator version 1.3.0): [strvalidator_manual.pdf] (Italian translation provided by Massimiliano Stabile and Stella Eugenia Cirillo)
Tutorial covering the basics of the STR-validator package (written for STR-validator version 2.3.0): [strvalidator_tutorial.pdf] (Italian translation (written for STR-validator version 2.0.0): provided by Massimiliano Stabile and Stella Eugenia Cirillo)
Short instruction for how to estimate analytical thresholds (written for STR-validator version 1.7.0): [estimate_analytical_thresholds.pdf]

Exercises and presentations

Refer to the workshop pages for the most up-to-date material.

Other STR-validator material

Presentation, software download instructions, and files for exercises from the NIST workshop "Analysis of Internal Validation Datasets Using Open-Source Software STR-validator" by Sarah Riman at Forensics@NIST 2016 (Gaithersburg, MD, USA) [source: http://strbase.nist.gov/NISTpub.htm]
The online book Open Forensic Science in R where Chapter 2 Validation of DNA Interpretation Systems introduces strvalidator using command line functions.