How do I execute a R command in C, without using R extensions, something like:
int main() {
system("R g<- graph(c(0,1,0,4,0,9,1,7,1,9,2,9,2,3,2,5,3,6,3,9,4,5,4,8,5,8,6,7,6,8,7,8),n=10,dir=FALSE)
plot(g)")
return(0)
}
You can run R using the system() call as you have, but you can't stick R functions on the command line like that.
What you can do is to write the R code to a file and call it with system("R CMD BATCH foo.R") - minimally:
main(){system("R CMD BATCH test.R");}
Now, by default the output graphics from R CMD BATCH go to a PDF file, so you need to open a graphics window and make the script pause if you want to see it.
Of course your test.R file could be written by your C code before it runs it, and you could keep it in a temporary directory or something.
An alternative for R CMD BATCH is Rscript. I think for problems where C++ and R are not tightly integrated, i.e. there are distinct phases where R and C++ are used, nor large volumes or frequency of data exchange, using system calls can be very simple and robust.
An alternative is to run R and C++ alongside each other and exchange info between them. This can be done using the RInside pacakge, which is available on CRAN.
Related
I have looked extensively in the net, yet not found exactly what I want.
I have a big simulation program that outputs results in a MATLAB M-file (let's call it res.m) and I want to plot the results visually.
I want to start the simulation with C++ many times in a row and therefore want to automatize the plotting of the results.
I come up to two options:
Execute from C++ an Octave or MATLAB script that generates the graph.
-> Haven't found anyone who managed to do so
Use the Octave source files to read the res.m file and output them after with whatever plotting C++ tool.
-> Theoretically possible but I get lost in those files
Is someone able to solve this? Or has a better, easier approach?
The answer is to execute through the terminal.
I didn't manage to actually run a octave script from my c++ program directly, but there is a way around messing with/through the terminal and a extra Octave file. I used in my cpp:
string = "octave myProgr.m"
const char *command = str.c_str();
system(command);
myProgr.m is the script that plots the res.m file
I'm having some trouble getting Matlab to run an executable file. Essentially, I have a C++ code that does some calculations and outputs these calculations to a text file; then, Matlab reads these text files and uses the calculations to makes plots and stuff.
I've been trying to get Matlab to run the C++ exe file so that, when it runs it, the output files are automatically generated and Matlab can start doing its stuff. This just allows the user to run the program quicker. I am using the system() command Like so:
system('MyCppProgram.exe');
However, when I run that, although everything compiles, nothing is outputted from CPP and I even get back something that says "ans = -1" and I have no idea what that means.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Update: Result from test command.
[status, cmdout] = system('MyCppProgram.exe', '-echo');
status = -1
cmdout = ''
What I'd like to do is have my C++ code open up Mplus (statistical program that I've downloaded on my computer) and run it. Is it possible?
You may be able to do what you want with std::system() calls like:
std::system("program -e input_commands.txt"); // Assuming it accepts some sort of command line args
std::system("program < input_commands.txt"); // Assuming it responds to stdin
It depends on the program if this approach will work.
I have a simple C++ program that takes in inputs and outputs some string. Like this:
$ ./game
$ what kind of game? type r for regular, s for special.
$ r
$ choose a number from 1 - 10
$ 1
$ no try again
$ 2
$ no try again
$ 5
$ yes you WIN!
Now I want to write a c++ program can runs this c++ program and plays the game automatically without user input and then outputs it to a file or standard output.
Running it would look like this:
./program game r > outputfile
game is the game program, r for playing regular style.
How should I do this? The main reason I need this program is that I want to do automatic testing for a much bigger program.
You could use std::system from <cstdlib>:
std::system("game r > outputfile");
The return value is ./program's, the sole argument must be of type char const *.
There is no standard way to run a program and feed it standard input, though. Judging by your command line, you're on some Unix variant where popen from <stdio.h> should work:
FILE *sub = popen("game r > outputfile", "w");
then write to sub with the stdio functions and read outputfile afterwards.
(But for simple testing, I'd recommend implementing the core logic of your program as a set of functions/classes that can be run by a custom main function in a loop; or pick your favorite scripting language to handle this kind of thing.)
I'd be more efficient to add a caller function to your main source and have it control looping, logging, and feeding input. It would also not require system calls or other magic to pull off. Being a game programmer, we have our games play themselves as much as possible to help with debugging, and almost always this is done via internal code, not through external scripting or system calls. It makes it easier to feed viable input as well.
This scenario cries out for a "script", IMHO.
Bash, Perl, Python - you name it.
SIMPLEST CASE:
Just write a bash script to call ./program game r > outputfile.
Or ./program game r < test_input.txt > test_output.txt
For more advanced scenarios, you might want to look at "expect".
You might also want to look at "STAF", which might be a great way to "automate your automated tests":
http://staf.sourceforge.net/current/STAFFAQ.htm
I have a QT C++ application that runs the Octave program using QProcess. I am able to communicate with it by reading the standard output/error and writing to it's standard input using write method (for example: octave->write("5 + 5\n");).
As I told you I get response from octave (from the above example I get "ans = 10").
However, when the command I write to Octave standard input has a "plot" (for example, a simple plot([1 2 3 4 5]);), the actual graphic is never shown. I know Octave runs gnuplot, I have it installed, and gnuplot_x11 too. I even change the gnuplot binary path in my Octave process by executing gnuplot_binary("/usr/bin/gnuplot"); from MY APPLICATION. I know it runs good because if I retrieve the new value I get it right. But I don't know why Octave doesn't show the graphic.
Here I start octave:
QStringList arguments;
arguments << "--persist";
octave->setProcessChannelMode(QProcess::MergedChannels);
octave->start("/usr/bin/octave", arguments);
Here I write commands to octave process:
if (octave->state() == QProcess::Running) {
QString command = widget.txtInput->toPlainText();
if (command.isEmpty()) {
return;
}
command += "\n";
octave->write(command.toAscii());
}
With this I print the octave response to a text edit:
widget.txtOutput->append(octave->readAll() + "\n");
And finally, I use this when the octave process starts:
QString gnuplot_path(tr("\"/usr/bin/gnuplot\""));
QString gnuplot_cmd(tr("gnuplot_binary(%1)\n").arg(gnuplot_path));
octave->write(gnuplot_cmd.toAscii());
I will appreciate any help you could give me.
Thanks in advance.
Octave, like Matlab, can be run in batch mode to perform computations without graphical UI. I assume that Octave detects that it is not run from an interactive session, and therefore automatically goes into batch mode. You would expect Octave to suppress graphical output (e.g. gnuplot output) when being in batch mode.
Try to force Octave into interactive mode by using the --interactive command line option:
http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/doc/interpreter/Command-Line-Options.html
I know you probably already solved your problem but this might be helpful for other...
You can try to add a command to save your plot in a temporary folder in your octave request.
Then display the graph in your ap