bugGNU Octave - Bugs: bug #46437, Inform users to load package...

 
 

bug #46437: Inform users to load package installed via a standard message

Submitted by:  None
Submitted on:  Fri 13 Nov 2015 05:58:29 PM UTC  
 
Category: Octave FunctionSeverity: 1 - Wish
Priority: 3 - LowItem Group: Feature Request
Status: Need InfoAssigned to: None
Originator Name: Originator Email: -unavailable-
Open/Closed: OpenRelease: 4.0.0
Operating System: Any

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Mon 16 Nov 2015 06:42:08 PM UTC, comment #4:

@Carnë:

First, I didn't think specifically of the io package, nor do I have a problem here :-)

Then:
Unimplemented hasn't been written by me. Looking at the io-related stanza for the first time, I wonder why check_message isn't called in the first place for the io package?

If the motive is that core Matlab equivalent functions living in Octave-Forge packages deserve separate messages I'd disagree; Matlab compatibility for me merely means Matlab code should be working in Octave yielding identical results, not Octave being an exact and /gratis/ clone of Matlab incl. all function locations and all GUI bells and whistles (not mentioning bugs and inconsistencies).
Users expecting otherwise should be enlightened by consistent nudges, as per my comment #2.

So, if I were to "improve that message" I would simply replace it by a calling 'check_pkg (fcn, "io")', analogously as for the other packages.

BTW I read Mike's suggestion in bug #45855 as some support for my POV, although he words it very neutral :-)

Philip Nienhuis <philipnienhuis>
Project Member
Sun 15 Nov 2015 05:22:53 PM UTC, comment #3:

Bug #45855 is related to this, this is probably even a duplicate.

Octave does warn users to load packages via a standard message. And it doesn't need to have a package installed. If the package is not installed it warns to install, and if it is installed, it warns to load the package:

Philip, your problem is specific to the io package because its functions do not match a Matlab toolbox (by the way, ML is a different programming language and does not stand for Matlab). Octave has a specific message for the functions xlsread and xlswrite. See _unimplemented_.m

http://hg.savannah.gnu.org/hgweb/octave/file/571508c1ed06/scripts/help/__unimplemented__.m#l98

So maybe you want to improve that message?

Carnë Draug <carandraug>
Project Member
Sat 14 Nov 2015 12:25:04 PM UTC, comment #2:

Why not do both?
From the repeated questions on this in the help ML I sometimes think novice Octave users (= the ones hitting this basic issue) can't have enough nudges.

The original suggestion could also have a check for the (pkg install..) "-auto" flag, so there's a little more to it there.

Philip Nienhuis <philipnienhuis>
Project Member
Fri 13 Nov 2015 06:30:30 PM UTC, comment #1:

This can be done easily, but will be of limited usefulness. The message only appears when the package is first installed, so the next time Octave starts the user might forget that the package needs to be loaded again.

Maybe more useful would be to add logic to the _unimplemented_ function so it says, for example:

so the user sees the message every time the function is called.

Mike Miller <mtmiller>
Project Administrator
Fri 13 Nov 2015 05:58:29 PM UTC, original submission:

As packages are no longer autoloaded by pkg install, it may be helpful to inform users to load them before use via a message like "To use the <package>, run 'pkg load <package>'".

It can be appended the standard message "For information about changes from previous versions of the <package> package, run 'news <package>'." that is shown after pkg install is completed.

Anonymous

 

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    Follow 4 latest changes.

    Date Changed By Updated Field Previous Value => Replaced By
    Mon 14 Aug 2017 05:21:12 PM UTCmtmillerCategoryOctave Forge Package=>Octave Function
      Severity3 - Normal=>1 - Wish
      Priority5 - Normal=>3 - Low
    Fri 13 Nov 2015 06:30:30 PM UTCmtmillerStatusNone=>Need Info

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