[SOLVED] cannot compile R with readline on a linux cluster

tramni1980 · 08-29-2017, 03:23 AM

Hello,
I am trying to install R-3.4.1 on a linux cluster. I get the following error message:

Code:

checking readline/history.h usability... yes
checking readline/history.h presence... yes
checking for readline/history.h... yes
checking readline/readline.h usability... yes
checking readline/readline.h presence... yes
checking for readline/readline.h... yes
checking for rl_callback_read_char in -lreadline... no
checking for main in -lncurses... no
checking for main in -ltermcap... no
checking for main in -ltermlib... no
checking for rl_callback_read_char in -lreadline... no
configure: error: --with-readline=yes (default) and headers/libs are not available

As you can see, the R configure script finds the header files, but something happens with the rl_callback_read_char. Here is more info on this from the config.log:

Code:

configure:22995: checking for rl_callback_read_char in -lreadline
configure:23020: mpicc -g -o conftest -O2 -fPIC -I/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/include -I/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/include/readline -I/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/include -I/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/include/readline -L/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64 -L/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/lib64 conftest.c -lreadline   >&5
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `PC'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetflag'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetent'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `UP'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tputs'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgoto'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetnum'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `BC'
/home/giessen/ivanov/build/packages/usr/lib64/libreadline.so: undefined reference to `tgetstr'
collect2: error: ld returned 1 exit status

I have the readline-6.3 library installed. Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Best regards,
Martin

ppr:kut · 08-29-2017, 05:58 AM

You need to link with a terminal library, either -ltinfo or -lncurses

GazL · 08-29-2017, 06:25 AM

That doesn't sound right. Surely libreadline should already be linked against those, or resolved dynamically at runtime by ld.so?

Code:

test@ws1:/tmp$ cat readline.c 
#include <stdio.h>
#include <readline/readline.h>
#include <readline/history.h>

int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
  char *p;
  p = readline("hello:");

  return 0;
}
test@ws1:/tmp$ cc readline.c -lreadline && ./a.out
hello:fjfjfjf
test@ws1:/tmp$

but then, readline is crappy enough to require you to include stdio.h rather than including its dependency within its own readline.h, so who knows what other shittiness lurks within.

ppr:kut · 08-29-2017, 06:38 AM

That depends on your system. On slackware that wasn't the case for a very long time. I *think* this was recently changed in -current, but not 100% sure. On 14.2 and older you definitely need to link manually.

However, checking the configure output, R already tries to do that automatically and just doesn't find a suitable option. Seems ncurses isn't installed.

tramni1980 · 08-29-2017, 07:31 AM

Thank you all very much,
especially to ppr:kut. Installing ncurses solved the problem.

Best regards,
Martin