Hi Marc, Very good question. I think that allowing users to modify the standard config files is the right thing to do, but I'm really not sure. I worry that the next person will want to modify a different setting, and you don't want to get dragged into recreating IPython/Jupyter preferences. For debugging, would it be worth providing a warning if a config file is found, or if a config file is found with any nonstandard settings? (The default config file is entirely commented out.)
By the way, I debugged Samuel's suggestion by running "./sage -n" with a local installation: it printed error messages in the terminal where I ran it that let me know that something was wrong. I figured out that I had to use quotes, as in c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = ['import sys; ...'] rather than c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = [import sys; ...] I don't know where to view the corresponding error messages for the OS X app. A question for both of you: I think the standard situation is to not have a profile directory, you have to run "sage --ipython profile create". Is there a good way to do this instead from a Jupyter notebook? Then someone could create a profile directory without having to use the terminal, although they would need to use a text editor to modify it. -- John On Friday, June 24, 2022 at 3:12:52 PM UTC-7 Marc Culler wrote: > Thank you for figuring that out Samuel. Now here is a question for both > of you. The macOS app intentionally sets a minimal environment when it > starts sage. It is intentionally minimal because it would be dangerous, in > terms of security, but more importantly in terms of the potential for > creating hard-to-debug crashes of the app, to simply accept whatever weird > stuff the user happens to have in their environment. The decision to set a > specific minimal environment for the app was made after such a crash, which > was related to traces of an obsolete Sage installation left in a user's > .bashrc file. > > But dangerous should not necessarily mean impossible. It would be > feasible to add a preferences panel to the app which could include a PATH > string to be appended to the minimal default PATH at startup. Being forced > to type that string into a preferences dialog would at least alert the user > to the possibility that the next weird crash might be their own fault. But > Samuel's answer indicates that expert users can actually do this using a > completely orthogonal preferences setting (one of millions, I suspect) > namely editing an IPython config file hidden in the user's .sage > directory. His answer shows that it is not impossible, just difficult. > > My question is whether Samuel's approach is better than providing a simple > way to modify the PATH, and thereby inviing an unsophisticated user to make > a big mess which could cripple the app. The esoteric knowledge needed to > find and edit that config file provides a pretty good filter for ensuring > that people who do this know what they are doing, or at least know that > they are responsible for the consequences of making a mistake while doing > it. Also, it is unclear to me how many users would actually want to use > such a feature. Adding features that almost no one needs is not my idea of > a good design approach. > > What do the two of you think? > > - Marc > > On Friday, June 24, 2022 at 2:08:17 PM UTC-5 John H Palmieri wrote: > >> Hi Samuel, >> >> Thank you for this. One thing: I made a mistake in my comments on >> ask.sagemath.org. Changing sys.path changes the Python path, not the >> path for executables. One option is to use >> >> import os; os.environ["PATH"] += ":/usr/local/bin" >> >> Any better ways to do this? Your pointer on how to include this into >> IPython config files works, as long as the lines are in quotes: >> >> c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = [ >> 'import os; os.environ["PATH"] += ":/usr/local/bin" '] >> >> >> >> On Friday, June 24, 2022 at 10:09:39 AM UTC-7 slelievre wrote: >> >>> 2022-06-22 16:37:11 UTC, John H Palmieri: >>> > >>> > How do I set the PATH in the OS X Jupyter notebook, >>> > if I'm using the 3-manifolds binary app? I mean, I know >>> > how to do it in an individual notebook, but how do I set >>> > the default PATH for every notebook? For example, >>> > how do I add /usr/local/bin so that it's in the PATH >>> > every time I open a new notebook? >>> >>> Hi John, >>> >>> Good job with your comments at >>> >>> - Ask Sage question 62873 >>> https://ask.sagemath.org/question/62873 >>> Animating plots in Jupyter/Sagemath >>> >>> Here is a possibility for the missing bit, after reading >>> >>> - discussion at [Stack Overflow question 34976803]( >>> https://stackoverflow.com/q/34976803) >>> - [Lucy Park: When Python imports but IPython does not]( >>> https://www.lucypark.kr/blog/2013/02/10/when-python-imports-and-ipython-does-not/ >>> ) >>> >>> To define some code to be run at the start of each >>> Sage session, and/or each time the Sage Jupyter >>> kernel starts, edit one or both of the files >>> >>> - `$HOME/.sage/ipython-5.0.0/profile_default/ipython_config.py` >>> - `$HOME/.sage/ipython-5.0.0/profile_default/ipython_kernel_config.py` >>> >>> in which you should find a section like this: >>> >>> ## lines of code to run at IPython startup. >>> # Default: [] >>> # c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = [] >>> >>> Uncomment the last line in that section and add >>> any code to run. For example: >>> >>> ## lines of code to run at IPython startup. >>> # Default: [] >>> c.InteractiveShellApp.exec_lines = [ >>> import sys; sys.path.append('/usr/local/bin') >>> ] >>> >>> Feel free to consolidate your comments and this idea >>> into an answer to the Ask Sage question. --Samuel >>> >>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "sage-support" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to sage-support+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/sage-support/cca085d1-7134-4297-b666-1877f86aec84n%40googlegroups.com.
