[GRASS-user] Novice Query: Grass63, Cygwin on Windows startup errors, Error setting region (Problem with g.region: child process exited abnormally)

Katie_U · August 19, 2008, 4:03pm

Friends,

A novice question follows. (new to cygwin, new to GIS, ok with UNIX, not a programmer)

Answers might be-
directions about which FAQ/archive etc to read

I'm starting grass63 in an xterm on a Windows (XP professional) box.

I'm attempting to use defaults, though I do have a spearfish60 directory installed.

I'm running as user=Katie.

there seem to be 3-4 GRASS windows opened
    1 an output window- hidden by
    1 window with a pretty medieval looking map-- not an xterm??
    1 an error window
    1 the initial text window

>>>>>>>The Error window states:
>>>>>>>

Do I need a Katie directory? Do I need to open up perms on user1 directories?

Best regards,

Katie Urey

Glynn_Clements1 · August 19, 2008, 8:13pm

Katie Urey wrote:

A novice question follows. (new to cygwin, new to GIS, ok with UNIX,
not a programmer)

Answers might be-
directions about which FAQ/archive etc to read

I'm starting grass63 in an xterm on a Windows (XP professional) box.

I'm attempting to use defaults, though I do have a spearfish60 directory
installed.

I'm running as user=Katie.

there seem to be 3-4 GRASS windows opened
1 an output window- hidden by
1 window with a pretty medieval looking map-- not an xterm??

This:

http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/browser/grass/trunk/gui/tcltk/gis.m/intro.gif

is the splash screen. It should pop up for a few seconds then
disappear, but if there is an error starting the GUI, it may fail to
disappear.

1 an error window
1 the initial text window

>>>>>>>The Error window states:
>>>>>>>

Do I need a Katie directory? Do I need to open up perms on user1
directories?

I suggest using the text startup at first; type "grass63 -text", and
you should get a curses-based screen in the xterm from which you
started GRASS. If you don't even get that, "rm ~/.grass63" then try
again.

The database line should be the directory containing the GRASS
directory (in Cygwin format; use e.g. /cygdrive/c/... if the directory
isn't inside the Cygwin hierarchy). The location should be
spearfish60. The mapset can be whatever you wish; it will be created
if it doesn't already exist.

Assuming that goes okay, and you can run GRASS commands ("g.region -p"
and "g.list rast" are useful tests), you can try starting the GUI with
"gis.m".

--
Glynn Clements <glynn@gclements.plus.com>

Katie_U · August 26, 2008, 4:49pm

Glynn Clements wrote:

Katie Urey wrote:

A novice question follows. (new to cygwin, new to GIS, ok with UNIX, not a programmer)

Answers might be-
directions about which FAQ/archive etc to read

I'm starting grass63 in an xterm on a Windows (XP professional) box.

I'm attempting to use defaults, though I do have a spearfish60 directory installed.

I'm running as user=Katie.

there seem to be 3-4 GRASS windows opened
    1 an output window- hidden by
    1 window with a pretty medieval looking map-- not an xterm??

This:

http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/browser/grass/trunk/gui/tcltk/gis.m/intro.gif

is the splash screen. It should pop up for a few seconds then
disappear, but if there is an error starting the GUI, it may fail to
disappear.

I agree, there must be an error starting the GUI.

    1 an error window
    1 the initial text window

>>>>>>>The Error window states:
>>>>>>>

Do I need a Katie directory? Do I need to open up perms on user1 directories?

I suggest using the text startup at first; type "grass63 -text", and
you should get a curses-based screen in the xterm from which you
started GRASS. If you don't even get that, "rm ~/.grass63" then try
again.

The database line should be the directory containing the GRASS
directory (in Cygwin format; use e.g. /cygdrive/c/... if the directory
isn't inside the Cygwin hierarchy). The location should be
spearfish60. The mapset can be whatever you wish; it will be created
if it doesn't already exist.

Assuming that goes okay, and you can run GRASS commands ("g.region -p"
and "g.list rast" are useful tests), you can try starting the GUI with
"gis.m".

Yes, the GUI is the problem. More notes:

Text commands give output that looks reasonable. For instance g.list rast shows:

----------------------------------------------
GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > g.list -f rast | head
----------------------------------------------
raster files available in mapset <PERMANENT>:
aspect aspect in degrees from east
bugsites Mountain Pine Beetle Damage
density Forest Density
elevation.10m elevation.dem DEM (7.5 minute)
elevation.dted DTED-1 elevation (rescaled)
erode.index erode.index

Here are processes owned by user=Katie

GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > ps -u Katie
PID PPID PGID WINPID TTY UID STIME COMMAND
2096 1 2096 2096 con 1003 20:36:12 /usr/bin/bash
3368 2096 3368 2136 con 1003 20:37:30 /usr/bin/sh
2612 3368 3368 1276 con 1003 20:37:30 /usr/X11R6/bin/xinit
2284 2612 2284 920 con 1003 20:37:30 /usr/X11R6/bin/XWin
3072 2612 3072 3832 con 1003 20:37:33 /usr/bin/xterm
3288 3072 3288 3436 0 1003 20:37:33 /usr/bin/bash
2304 3288 2304 4000 0 1003 20:39:32 /usr/bin/xterm
3104 2304 3104 464 1 1003 20:39:32 /usr/bin/bash
556 3104 556 3048 1 1003 21:33:50 /usr/bin/sh
3076 556 3076 1992 1 1003 21:33:51 /usr/bin/bash
2656 1 2656 2656 1 1003 21:36:04 /usr/local/grass-6.3.0/driver/XDRIVER
932 3076 932 296 1 1003 21:46:00 /usr/bin/ps

When I enter gis.m, the splashscreen still locks up on me.

GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > gis.m
GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > Error in startup script: can't read "parts(w)": no such variable
while executing
"set $parts(w) [expr round($parts(w)/$parts(ewres))*$parts(ewres)]"
(procedure "MapCanvas::zoom_gregion" line 16)
invoked from within
"MapCanvas::zoom_gregion $mon"
(procedure "MapCanvas::create" line 40)
invoked from within
"MapCanvas::create"
(procedure "Gm::startmon" line 11)
invoked from within
"Gm::startmon"
(procedure "Gm::create" line 79)
invoked from within
"Gm::create"
(procedure "main" line 30)
invoked from within
"main $argc $argv"
(file "/usr/local/grass-6.3.0/etc/gm/gm.tcl" line 541)

[ cut non essential notes]

Assuming that goes okay, and you can run GRASS commands ("g.region -p"
and "g.list rast" are useful tests), you can try starting the GUI with
"gis.m".

ENV variables:

$ env | grep GRASS
GRASS_PAGER=cat
GRASS_GNUPLOT=gnuplot -persist
GRASS_WISH=wish
GRASS_VERSION=6.1.cvs
GRASS_HTML_BROWSER=firefox
GRASS_HEIGHT=480
GRASS_LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/grass-6.3.cvs/lib
GRASS_PERL=perl
GRASS_WIDTH=640
GRASS_TCLSH=tclsh

Another respondent suggested moving to the GRASS Windows distribution. I'll probably try that at some point. However, once I figure out the GUI, I may be more at home in a unix/linux environment.

Many thanks,

Katie Urey

neteler · August 26, 2008, 6:01pm

On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 6:49 PM, Katie Urey <bracket@comcast.net> wrote:

Glynn Clements wrote:

Katie Urey wrote:

A novice question follows. (new to cygwin, new to GIS, ok with UNIX, not
a programmer)

I observe something odd here:

...

----------------------------------------------
GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > g.list -f rast | head
----------------------------------------------

...

2656 1 2656 2656 1 1003 21:36:04 /usr/local/grass-6.3.0/driver/XDRIVER

so: GRASS 6.3.0, but:

...

ENV variables:

$ env | grep GRASS

...

GRASS_VERSION=6.1.cvs

6.1.cvs? How is that possible?

Markus

Katie_U · August 27, 2008, 4:45am

Markus Neteler wrote:

On Tue, Aug 26, 2008 at 6:49 PM, Katie Urey <bracket@comcast.net> wrote:


Glynn Clements wrote:


Katie Urey wrote:


A novice question follows. (new to cygwin, new to GIS, ok with UNIX, not
a programmer)

I observe something odd here:

...


----------------------------------------------
GRASS 6.3.0 (spearfish60):~ > g.list -f rast | head
----------------------------------------------


...


2656 1 2656 2656 1 1003 21:36:04 /usr/local/grass-6.3.0/driver/XDRIVER

so: GRASS 6.3.0, but:

...


ENV variables:

$ env | grep GRASS


...


GRASS_VERSION=6.1.cvs

6.1.cvs? How is that possible?

I found an old ref to this in .bashrc. Commented it out.... started fresh.. Ran grass63. Saw the same error. (hung splash screen)
Looked at GRASS* in my environment and saw a ref to 6.1 cvs again.

My hunch is that I'm making a very simple mistake. Would a re-install be easier than debugging this?

I apologize for the brevity of my comments. They may be too terse to aid debugging.

Markus

Glynn_Clements1 · August 27, 2008, 12:25pm

Katie Urey wrote:

> so: GRASS 6.3.0, but:
>
> ...
>
>> ENV variables:
>>
>> $ env | grep GRASS
>>
> ...
>
>> GRASS_VERSION=6.1.cvs
>
> 6.1.cvs? How is that possible?

I found an old ref to this in .bashrc. Commented it out.... started
fresh.. Ran grass63. Saw the same error. (hung splash screen)
Looked at GRASS* in my environment and saw a ref to 6.1 cvs again.

My hunch is that I'm making a very simple mistake. Would a re-install
be easier than debugging this?

If the GRASS_VERSION is due to something in .bashrc or similar,
re-installing won't have any effect.

/etc/profile, /etc/bashrc, /etc/bash.bashrc, ~/.profile,
~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_login, ~/.alias or ~/.grass.bashrc
may contain settings which could affect this.

Also, if you have an old version of GRASS installed anywhere, remove
it.

--
Glynn Clements <glynn@gclements.plus.com>

Katie_U · September 2, 2008, 5:06pm

Glynn Clements wrote:

Katie Urey wrote:

so: GRASS 6.3.0, but:

...


ENV variables:

$ env | grep GRASS


...


GRASS_VERSION=6.1.cvs


6.1.cvs? How is that possible?


I found an old ref to this in .bashrc. Commented it out.... started fresh.. Ran grass63. Saw the same error. (hung splash screen)
Looked at GRASS* in my environment and saw a ref to 6.1 cvs again.

My hunch is that I'm making a very simple mistake. Would a re-install be easier than debugging this?

If the GRASS_VERSION is due to something in .bashrc or similar,
re-installing won't have any effect.

/etc/profile, /etc/bashrc, /etc/bash.bashrc, ~/.profile,
~/.bash_profile, ~/.bashrc, ~/.bash_login, ~/.alias or ~/.grass.bashrc
may contain settings which could affect this.

Also, if you have an old version of GRASS installed anywhere, remove
it.

A reinstall of cygwin and grass63 seemed the best route.

And, now all sorts of grass63 windows open just fine. My hunch (not proven) is that I had skipped this step in the install. It might help future installers if the source of #3 and #5 steps is clarified.

    For installation of Cygwin, see http://geni.ath.cx/grass.html#toc5.
    These instructions can be used, but at step #3 use
    http://grass.ibiblio.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/ (or a local
    mirror <http://grass.ibiblio.org/mirrors.php>\) instead of
    http://geni.ath.cx/grass. Also, in step #5 the version is 6.2.2-1
    instead of 6.0.cvs-1, and there's no grass.bat script.

Now, with spearfish data installed, there's much to learn. And, more documentation to read.

Many thanks to all who answered my questions.

Katie Urey

Hamish · September 2, 2008, 8:20pm

Katie Urey

A reinstall of cygwin and grass63 seemed the best route.
And, now all sorts of grass63 windows open just fine.

great.

My hunch (not proven) is that I had skipped this step in the install.
It might help future installers if the source of #3 and #5 steps is
clarified.

  For installation of Cygwin, see http://geni.ath.cx/grass.html#toc5.
    These instructions can be used, but at step #3 use
    http://grass.ibiblio.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/ (or a local
    mirror <http://grass.ibiblio.org/mirrors.php>\) instead of
    http://geni.ath.cx/grass. Also, in step #5 the version is 6.2.2-1
    instead of 6.0.cvs-1, and there's no grass.bat script.

I would note that the README.html on the website at
http://grass.osgeo.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/
has not picked up SVN updates since January. ("version is 6.2.2-1" above)
http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/log/grass-web/trunk/grass62/binary/mswindows/README.html

In the GRASS 6.3 cygwin install page that is updated, but probably not
much clearer. Any suggestions for improved text?

Now, with spearfish data installed, there's much to
learn. And, more documentation to read.

don't forget the search the wiki and reading the GRASS book is probably
very helpful.

Hamish

neteler · September 2, 2008, 10:17pm

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 10:20 PM, Hamish <hamish_b@yahoo.com> wrote:

Katie Urey

A reinstall of cygwin and grass63 seemed the best route.
And, now all sorts of grass63 windows open just fine.

great.

My hunch (not proven) is that I had skipped this step in the install.
It might help future installers if the source of #3 and #5 steps is
clarified.

  For installation of Cygwin, see http://geni.ath.cx/grass.html#toc5.
    These instructions can be used, but at step #3 use
    http://grass.ibiblio.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/ (or a local
    mirror <http://grass.ibiblio.org/mirrors.php>\) instead of
    http://geni.ath.cx/grass. Also, in step #5 the version is 6.2.2-1
    instead of 6.0.cvs-1, and there's no grass.bat script.

I would note that the README.html on the website at
http://grass.osgeo.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/
has not picked up SVN updates since January. ("version is 6.2.2-1" above)
http://trac.osgeo.org/grass/log/grass-web/trunk/grass62/binary/mswindows/README.html

Good observation!
There was a leftover index.html in that directory which won the race
against README.html. Now removed and it works:
http://grass.osgeo.org/grass62/binary/mswindows/

Markus