From ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk  Fri Jan 20 18:56:37 2006
From: ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk (Prof Brian Ripley)
Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2006 17:56:37 +0000 (GMT)
Subject: [Rd] [R] cron job install/update problems: tcltk can't find
 display (installing e.g., pbatR)
In-Reply-To: <13e802630601200827i21003d99r2704b80a6f32420b@mail.gmail.com>
References: <13e802630601200827i21003d99r2704b80a6f32420b@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.61.0601201749460.29805@gannet.stats>

This really is an R-devel question, so moved there.  (Just what would you 
use R-devel for?)

On Fri, 20 Jan 2006, Paul Johnson wrote:

> On Fedora Core Linux 4, I have a cron job that causes R to update all
> packages and install new ones.  Lately, I notice in the log that some
> packages fail to install.  These are ones that assume X is running.
> For example, the pbatR install requires tcltk to be loaded, and then
> the install fails because in a cron job, there is no DISPLAY
> environment.  I suppose the same happens if you try to install R
> packages in the console, without X running?

Yes.  At least for tcltk this is solved in R-devel, so it will start 
without X11.

Some of your `black list' will work if you update your gcc to the current 
version (4.0.2).

> Error output is pasted here.  I wonder if you can advise me whether
> this is the kind of thing that can be fixed in the cron job or not.

Yes, if you run an X server (e.g. Xvfb) to which a cron job has access.

> I've verified that pbatR does install interactively (because tcltk
> does start).  If you think this is a pbatR-specific problem, i will
> contact the author directly.  When I have the repos option set, the
> interactive install does not cause any tcltk widgets to pop up, so I
> wonder if it is really necessary.

It is unreasonable that some packages expect X11 to be running to be 
installed or checked.  So if the issue is not tcltk, please complain to 
the maintainer(s).

-- 
Brian D. Ripley,                  ripley at stats.ox.ac.uk
Professor of Applied Statistics,  http://www.stats.ox.ac.uk/~ripley/
University of Oxford,             Tel:  +44 1865 272861 (self)
1 South Parks Road,                     +44 1865 272866 (PA)
Oxford OX1 3TG, UK                Fax:  +44 1865 272595



[Rd] [R] cron job install/update problems: tcltk can't find display (installing e.g., pbatR)
Prof Brian Ripley