[Rd] How to get R to compile with PNG support

[Dirk Eddelbuettel]

On 20 April 2011 at 12:16, Karl-Dieter Crisman wrote:
| ++++
| 
| R is now configured for i686-pc-linux-gnu
|  Source directory:          .
|  Installation directory:    /home/sageserver/sage/local
|  C compiler:                gcc -std=gnu99
| -I/home/sageserver/sage/local/include
| -L/home/sageserver/sage/local/lib/   Fortran 77 compiler:
| sage_fortran  -g -O2
|  C++ compiler:              g++  -g -O2
|  Fortran 90/95 compiler:    sage_fortran -g -O2  Obj-C compiler:
|  Interfaces supported:      X11
|  External libraries:        readline, BLAS(ATLAS), LAPACK(generic)
| Additional capabilities:   PNG, NLS
|  Options enabled:           shared R library, R profiling
|  Recommended packages:      yes
| 
| 
| However:
| 
| 
| > capabilities()
|    jpeg      png     tiff    tcltk      X11     aqua http/ftp  sockets
|   FALSE    FALSE    FALSE    FALSE    FALSE    FALSE     TRUE     TRUE
| 
|  libxml     fifo   cledit    iconv      NLS  profmem    cairo
|    TRUE     TRUE     TRUE     TRUE     TRUE    FALSE    FALSE

Random guess: did you connect via ssh without x11 forwarding?

I cannot see how configure find png.h and libpng but the binary fails. As all
other X11 related formats are also shown false, methinks you are without a
valid DISPLAY. 

That is actually an issue related to your headless use---which is what Sage
may default too; see the R FAQ on this and the prior discussion on the
xvfb-run wrapper which 'simulates' an x11 environment (which you need for
png).  So maybe you should revisit the Cairo devices---they allow you
plotting without an x11 device (and also give you SVG).

Dirk

-- 
Dirk Eddelbuettel | edd at debian.org | http://dirk.eddelbuettel.com