[R] Error installing package sna

[Uwe Ligges]

Greenerpole wrote:
> Dear R-users, 
> 
> These days, I have been struggling to install the package sna on my Ubuntu
> 8.04 laptop. My R version is currently R 2.7.2. And I had no trouble
> installing any other packages (including network). 
> 
> However when I run 'install.packages("sna")', compilation of C codes is ok,
> but a syntax error is reported when building help pages and sna does not
> want to install. 
> 
> I copied the log (just the part about help pages) at the end of this post.



I guess (untested) this one is related to the new Rd format and Rd 
parser which means that R-2.7.2 is too outdated to install a more recent 
version of the package. Please upgrade to R-2.9.1.

CCing the package maintainer who should either
a) fix the package for R < 2.9.0 or
b) declare R>=2.9.0 in the Depends field of the DESCRIPTION file

given my guess is right.


Best wishes,
Uwe Ligges







> Many thanks !
> 
> 
> ---
> 
> ** help
>  >>> Building/Updating help pages for package 'sna'
>      Formats: text html latex example 
>   add.isolates                      text    html    latex   example
>   bbnam                             text    html    latex   example
>   bbnam.bf                          text    html    latex   example
>   betweenness                       text    html    latex   example
>   bicomponent.dist                  text    html    latex   example
>   blockmodel                        text    html    latex   example
>   blockmodel.expand                 text    html    latex   example
>   bn                                text    html    latex   example
>   bonpow                            text    html    latex   example
> 
> 
> ******* Syntax error: \item in
> /-----
> Gould and Fernandez (following Marsden and others) describe
> <EM>brokerage</EM> as the role played by a social actor who mediates contact
> between two alters.  More formally, vertex v is a broker for distinct
> vertices a and b iff a -> v -> b and a -!> b.  Where actors belong
> to a priori distinct groups, group membership may be used to segment
> brokerage roles into particular types.  Let A -> B -> C denote the
> two-path associated with a brokerage structure, such that some vertex from
> group B brokers the connection from some vertex from group A to a vertex in
> group C.  The types of brokerage roles defined by Gould and Fernandez (and
> their accompanying two-path structures) are then defined in terms of group
> membership as follows:
> </p>
> <p>
> <dl>
> \item{eqn{Coordinator role; the broker mediates contact between two
> individuals from his or her own group.  Two-path structure: A -> A ->
> A}  
> \itemnormal-bracket32bracket-normaleqnnormal-bracket35bracket-normalItinerant
> broker role; the broker mediates contact between two individuals from a
> single group to which he or she does not belong.  Two-path structure: A
> -> B -> Anormal-bracket35bracket-normal  
> \itemnormal-bracket38bracket-normaleqnnormal-bracket41bracket-normalGatekeeper
> role; the broker mediates an incoming contact from an out-group member to an
> in-group member.  Two-path structure: A -> B ->
> Bnormal-bracket41bracket-normal  
> \itemnormal-bracket44bracket-normaleqnnormal-bracket47bracket-normalRepresentative
> role; the broker mediates an outgoing contact from an in-group member to an
> out-group member.  Two-path structure: A -> A ->
> Bnormal-bracket47bracket-normal  
> \itemnormal-bracket49bracket-normaleqnnormal-bracket52bracket-normalLiaison
> role; the broker mediates contact between two individuals from different
> groups, neither of which is the group to which he or she belongs.  Two-path
> structure: A -> B -> Cnormal-bracket52bracket-normal  
> \itemnormal-bracket54bracket-normaleqnnormal-bracket55bracket-normalTotal
> (cumulative) brokerage role occupancy.  (Any of the above
> two-paths.)normal-bracket55bracket-normal  
> </dl>
> </p>
> <p>
> The <EM>brokerage score</EM> for a given vertex with respect to a given role
> is the number of ordered pairs having the appropriate group membership(s)
> brokered by said vertex.  brokerage computes the brokerage scores for each
> vertex, given an input graph and vector of class memberships.  Aggregate
> scores are also computed at the graph level, which correspond to the total
> frequency of each role type within the network structure.  Expectations and
> variances of the brokerage scores conditional on size and density are
> computed, along with approximate z-tests for incidence of brokerage.  (Note
> that the accuracy of the normality assumption is not known in the general
> case; see Gould and Fernandez (1989) for details.  Simulation-based tests
> may be desirable as an alternative.)\-----
> ERROR: building help failed for package 'sna'
> ** Removing '/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/sna'
> 
> The downloaded packages are in
> 	/tmp/Rtmp1hqr3H/downloaded_packages
> Warning message:
> In install.packages("sna") :
>   installation of package 'sna' had non-zero exit status
>