[GRASS5] comments on test of grass 5.7 Mac OSX

Michael Barton michael.barton at asu.edu
Mon Oct 27 06:05:40 EST 2003


A couple of weeks ago I was able to install Mac OSX binaries of GRASS 
5.7 (previously called GRASS 5.1) thanks to the efforts of Markus and 
the GRASS development team. I've tried a number of things using 
archaeological data from Spain and here offer a first bug/success 
report. Markus and Radim asked that I post it to the list to maintain 
an archive and so that others could have access to this information. 
The posting is rather lengthy.

First, information on the context:

I have been running this on a Macintosh PowerBook Titanium 1GHz G4 with 
512Mb RAM and the most recent version of OS X 10.2.8 (I don't yet have 
10.3 and don't expect to have it until after the first of the coming 
year). I have the December 2002 developer tools installed, along with a 
number of UNIX apps and libs installed within FINK (a very handy debian 
package tool and archive for OSX).

GRASS 5.7 was installed from precompiled binaries for OSX

I installed a new version of the needed GDAL libaries that includes 
OGR, compiled by Markus. The version I had (installed via fink) did not 
include OGR.

GRASS 5.7 requires PROJ4 to run correctly. There is a version in the 
CVS for the fink packaging service. However, it doesn't seem to produce 
a libproj.0.dylib that is required to run GRASS 5.7. I compiled PROJ4 
from source and this produced the needed dylib. I've written the PROJ4 
maintainer for fink about this.

The comments are below.
____________________
C. Michael Barton, Professor
Department of Anthropology
PO Box 872402
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ  85287-2402
USA

Phone: 480-965-6262
Fax: 480-965-7671


- - - - - - GRASS 5.7 COMMENTARY  (note dates in USA format - M/D/Y)- - 
- - - -
10/11/03

Error when I try to create a new location in Grass 5.7
Had similar error when creating location from TCL interface in Grass 5.1

Starting GRASS ...
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
: command not found10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh:
ERROR: Invalid return code from gis_set.tcl.
Please advise GRASS developers of this error.
/usr/local/grass57-10_10_2003/etc/Init.sh: LOCATION_NAME: parameter 
null or not set

 >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
FIXED BY GOING INTO .grassrc57 and manually configuring to known 
location and mapset.

Markus also suggested starting grass with grass57 -text to create new 
locations (this is what I have to do for GRASS 5.0.x) and returning to 
the GUI by restarting grass with grass57 -gui. Might have to delete 
$HOME/.grassrc57 first.

*********************
10/13/03

d.m is a very nice interface. Very slick and easy to use. Still a bit 
buggy of course. But I like the direction it is going. It builds on the 
GRASS 5 display manager, and looks to make GRASS much easier for a 
wider group of users. A couple suggestions for d.m. I have a couple of 
suggestions for the display manager. A button for a scale bar would be 
nice. It would also be nice if a command could be attached to a button, 
allowing the user to customize the display manager somewhat. However, I 
very much miss the tcltkgrass menu bar of version 5.0.x that has most 
commands in GUI so I don't have to remember all of them. I hope 
something like this returns to final version of GRASS 6. If it could be 
somehow incorporated into the display manager it would make this a very 
complete interface--perhaps as a floating pallet with tabs for raster, 
vector, region, settings, etc.

**********************
g.mapsets crashes with following error

GRASS 5.7.0-cvs > g.mapsets
Error in startup script: child killed: bus error
     while executing
"exec g.mapsets -l"
     invoked from within
"split [exec g.mapsets -l] " \n""
     invoked from within
"lsort [split [exec g.mapsets -l] " \n"] "
     invoked from within
"set msts [ lsort [split [exec g.mapsets -l] " \n"] ]"
     (file "/usr/local/grass57-10_10_2003/etc/g.mapsets.tcl" line 34)

KIlls d.m too

g.mapsets -l crashes with error

Bus error

g.mapsets -p works
g.mapsets addmapsets= works

******************************

g.region (and at least some of the other general commands) gui dialog 
does not have buttons to browse files. At least they don't show up in 
my version. This seems like a strange omission given the consistency of 
all the rest of the gui dialogs for the commands.

*************************
Registered a shape file of points with data (i.e., a dbf file with 
multiple attributes for each point).

Tried to query the points, but got error

child killed: write on pipe with no readers
child killed: write on pipe with no readers
     while executing
"exec d.what.vect map=punxo_i_augers.shp >@stdout 2>@stdout"
     ("eval" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"eval "exec $cmd >@stdout 2>@stdout""
     (procedure "Dm::execute" line 12)
     invoked from within
"Dm::execute $cmd"
     (procedure "DmVector::query" line 24)
     invoked from within
"DmVector::query $sel"
     ("vector" arm line 2)
     invoked from within
"switch $type {
         raster {
             DmRaster::query $sel
         }
         labels {
             DmLabels::query $sel
         }
         vector ..."
     (procedure "Dm::query" line 10)
     invoked from within
"Dm::query"
     ("uplevel" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"uplevel \#0 $cmd"
     (procedure "Button::_release" line 18)
     invoked from within
"Button::_release .mainframe.topf.tb0.bbox1.b4"
     (command bound to event)


 >>>>>>>>>>
NOTE: I successfully queried archsites in spearfish test data set after 
I converted the grass 5.0.x site file to 5.7 vector format.

*******************

Tried nviz

Intro dialog comes up, but when I click the 'run' button I get the 
following error

can not find channel named "couldn't execute "nviz2.2_script": no such 
file or directory"
can not find channel named "couldn't execute "nviz2.2_script": no such 
file or directory"
     while executing
"fconfigure $msg -blocking 0"
     invoked from within
".run invoke"
     ("uplevel" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"uplevel #0 [list $w invoke]"
     (procedure "tk::ButtonUp" line 22)
     invoked from within
"tk::ButtonUp .run
"
     (command bound to event)

Seems to be there, but grass can't find it. Need to move it or make a 
link?? Checked out nviz script, nviz2.2_script and various other 
related configuration scripts. All seem identical to versions in 5.0.2. 
Can 't see what's wrong.

***********************
***********************
10/14/03
************************
d.m error

Tried to rearrange items (maps) listed in d.m display tree. Dragged top 
item below bottom item. Endless error loop. Error below:

node "" does not exist
node "" does not exist
     while executing
"Tree::parent .mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree {}"
     ("eval" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"eval Tree::$cmd .mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree $args"
     (procedure ".mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree" line 1)
     invoked from within
"$from parent $node"
     (procedure "DmTree::drop" line 14)
     invoked from within
"DmTree::drop .mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree 
.mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree widget default TREE_NODE vector:1"
     ("uplevel" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"uplevel \#0 $cmd [list $path $source $data(dnd,node) $op $type 
$dnddata"
     (procedure "Tree::_drop_cmd" line 13)
     invoked from within
"Tree::_drop_cmd .mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree 
.mainframe.frame.pw.f0.frame.sw.tree 277 269 default TREE_NODE vector:1"
     ("uplevel" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"uplevel \#0 $drop(dropcmd) [list $_target $_source $X $Y $_curop 
$_type $_data"
     (procedure "DropSite::_release" line 12)
     invoked from within
"DropSite::_release 277 269"
     (command bound to event)

*************************
v.in.ogr

Tried to import shape  file. Received the following error. File shows 
up as vector, but won't display. No data??

v.in.ogr dsn=/Users/Shared/projects/SpainSurvey/Gorgos/Arcview/ 
output=Gorgos.OGRtest.topo.shp layer=gorgos_topo50 min_area=0.0001 
snap=0.001
WARNING: Vector 'Gorgos.OGRtest.topo.shp' already exists and will be
          overwritten.
WARNING: coor files of vector 'Gorgos.OGRtest.topo.shp at grass57test' is
          larger than it should be (14 bytes excess).
WARNING: Table 'Gorgos.OGRtest.topo.shp' linked to vector did not exist.
Layer: gorgos_topo50
DBMI-DBF driver error: (null)
ERROR: Cannot create table: create table Gorgos.OGRtest.topo.shp (cat
        integer, GORGOS_TOP integer, ELEVATION integer)

Tried to import MapInfo file. Discovered that only MIF would import 
(need to indicate on instructions). However, when I tried to import it 
I got a similar error to that from shape file.

I WAS able to bring in a shape file by registering it. This latter 
method seems to work consistently.

******************************
10/15/03
*****************************
Display manager locking up periodically. Maybe due to region setting 
problems???

Did a zoom. Then when I tried to zoom again, I got following error and 
can't zoom any more:

child process exited abnormally
     while executing
"exec d.zoom >@stdout 2>@stdout"
     ("eval" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"eval "exec $cmd >@stdout 2>@stdout""
     (procedure "Dm::execute" line 12)
     invoked from within
"Dm::execute $cmd "
     (procedure "Dm::zoom" line 4)
     invoked from within
"Dm::zoom"
     ("uplevel" body line 1)
     invoked from within
"uplevel \#0 $cmd"
     (procedure "Button::_release" line 18)
     invoked from within
"Button::_release .mainframe.topf.tb0.bbox1.b2"
     (command bound to event)
***************************
d.m
v.digit buttom doesn't do anything unless an existing vector file is 
selected. That is, you can't create a NEW vector file from d.m

***************************

v.digit

I liike the interface a lot, but am having problems using module.

Mainly, can't get background to display. Sometimes it won't parse  
commands (d.rgb). Others seem to parse but don't get results. E.g., I 
included the command

d.rast map=ASTER.4509.vnir.2 at satellite

and got the following message in the dialog box for v.digit

v.digit map=Alcoi_bridges2 bgcmd=d.rast map=ASTER.4509.vnir.2 at satellite 
-n
Map does not exist.
New empty map created.
WARNING: A map which is not in the current mapset cannot be opened for
          update.

ERROR: Required parameter <map> not set:
     (Raster map to be displayed).

Description:
  Displays and overlays raster map layers in the active display frame on 
the graphics monitor.

Usage:
  d.rast [-oi] map=name [catlist=cat[-cat][,cat[-cat],...]]
    [vallist=val[-val][,val[-val],...]] [bg=color]

Flags:
   -o   Overlay (non-null values only)
   -i   Invert catlist

Parameters:
       map   Raster map to be displayed
   catlist   List of categories to be displayed (INT maps)
   vallist   List of values to be displayed (FP maps)
        bg   Background color (for null)
             options: 
white,black,red,green,blue,yellow,magenta,cyan,aqua,
                      grey,gray,orange,brown,purple,violet,indigo

I've gone into settings for v.digit and tried to insert display command 
there, but get inconsistent results. Once, it seemed to try to display 
something.

*****************
10/19/03
****************

v.digit

I can now get a background raster map to  display, but only  by using 
the background command panel in settings. In the startup dialog, it 
recognizes the d.rast command, but not the arguments that follow.

Something squirrelly is going on or I don't understand how v.digit 
operates (or maybe some of both). It **looks** like v.digit is supposed 
to automatically create a table for each new vector file it creates, 
but this doesn't seem to happen. I try to make a polygon. But when I go 
to close it, it says "Database table for this field is not defined"

If I try to create a new table in settings, it says "Cannot open 
database $GISDBASE/$LOCATION_NAME/$MAPSET/dbf by driver dbfDBMI-DBF 
driver error: Cannot open dbf database: 
/Users/Shared/grassdata//Spain/satellite/dbf/"

Not clear why it can't open a database. Also, I am working in 
..../Spain/grass57test not .../Spain/satellite. However, the 
**background** is located in the .../Spain/satellite folder.

Finally, if I go to open a vector file after using v.digit, the file I 
tried to create is there, but its name includes the name of the 
background file. For example, I tried to create new vector file 
"Polop.barranc", using the raster image "studyregion.25m.colorshade" as 
a background. But the created file is listed as "Polop.barranc, 
studyregion.25m.colorshade". Needless to say, it won't open. And trying 
to open it tends to lock up grass.

The upshot is that so far, I haven't been able to digitize anything in 
the new v.digit.

*************

That's it for now.





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