[R-pkg-devel] Package valgrind problem I can't solve: Direction?

[Peter Dunn]

Hi all

I am trying to compile (on my Mac) an R package (tweedie) which includes Fortran 77 code. I’m not much of a programmer, but can still manage to write and update F77 code. I’m new to valgrind.

In checking my package (which passes the build-and-check with no errors), I use valgrind like this:

R -d "valgrind  --tool=memcheck --leak-check=full --track-origins=yes" --vanilla  < tweedie-Ex.R


…on my package example, which gives me a series of messages like this:

==53843== Conditional jump or move depends on uninitialised value(s)
==53843==    at 0x1118F61FB: smallp_ (in /Users/pdunn2/Library/R/3.4/library/tweedie/libs/tweedie.so)
==53843==    by 0xBFA4FB88FFFFFFEB: ???
==53843==    by 0x3FF91CB2DA3A50E7: ???
==53843==    by 0x104888757: ???
==53843==    by 0xFFFFFFEC03E375AF: ???
==53843==    by 0x3FE18C2EE1BE47CB: ???
==53843==    by 0x104885DEF: ???
==53843==    by 0x104885DF7: ???
==53843==    by 0x3FE518F314C67BE7: ???
==53843==    by 0x11364CEAF: ???
==53843==    by 0x104885DBF: ???
==53843==    by 0x100000007: ??? (in /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Resources/bin/exec/R)
==53843==  Uninitialised value was created by a stack allocation
==53843==    at 0x1118F59A6: smallp_ (in /Users/pdunn2/Library/R/3.4/library/tweedie/libs/tweedie.so)



I can see the piece of R code in the example from which this comes.  The subroutine  smallp  is mentioned in the second line of the output.

I simply cannot find the issue.  (Spent days looking so far.)  There are only a few conditional jumps, and everything not passed to the subroutine  smallp  is initialised. I have checked the calls to  smallp  as well. I have compiled the fortran code separately (after wrapping into a complete program), with all kinds of flags:

gfortran -O2 -fimplicit-none  -Wall  -Wline-truncation  -Wcharacter-truncation  -Wsurprising  -Waliasing  -Wunused-parameter  -fwhole-file  -fcheck=all  -std=f2008  -pedantic  -fbacktrace),

Then, using valgrind shows no errors.

So it has got to the point where I simply don’t know what else to do.  I am happy to spend time looking and debugging… but I don’t know what else to do.  Clearly an issue must exist, but I cannot find it.

Can anyone suggest any tools or valgrind flags or anything else that might shed light? Or ways to get more info?  For example, a line number in the Fortran code where the issue first presents, or some such things?  I need some pointers or strategy to make progress with tracking down the issue.

The package has been on CRAN for many years, and I have never noticed any issues with its accuracy that have not been fixed.  But as it stands, I cannot update the package (which I want to do to fix an (unrelated) error).

Thanks for any advice.

P.

> sessionInfo()
R version 3.4.2 (2017-09-28)
Platform: x86_64-apple-darwin15.6.0 (64-bit)
Running under: macOS Sierra 10.12.6

Matrix products: default
BLAS: /System/Library/Frameworks/Accelerate.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/vecLib.framework/Versions/A/libBLAS.dylib
LAPACK: /Library/Frameworks/R.framework/Versions/3.4/Resources/lib/libRlapack.dylib

locale:
[1] en_AU.UTF-8/en_AU.UTF-8/en_AU.UTF-8/C/en_AU.UTF-8/en_AU.UTF-8

attached base packages:
[1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base

loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
[1] compiler_3.4.2 tools_3.4.2    yaml_2.1.14
>

USC, Locked Bag 4, Maroochydore DC, Queensland, 4558 Australia.
CRICOS Provider No: 01595D
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
This email is confidential. If received in error, please delete it from your system.

	[[alternative HTML version deleted]]