Can not install Tidal 1.6.1 from local source files

Installation help
#1

Hi all,

I try to install TidalCycles 1.6.1 locally from the GitHub repository, but I got an error, when I use cabal install. Interestingly, I can install it successfully using cabal install tidal --lib
What I try to achieve is that I want to experiment locally with the TidalCycles source code.

The error message is:

cabal: Could not resolve dependencies:

[__0] trying: tidal-parse-0.0.1 (user goal)

[__1] next goal: template-haskell (dependency of tidal-parse)

[__1] rejecting: template-haskell-2.15.0.0/installed-2.15.0.0 (conflict:

tidal-parse => template-haskell>=2.10.0.0 && <2.15)

[__1] skipping: template-haskell-2.16.0.0, template-haskell-2.15.0.0 (has the

same characteristics that caused the previous version to fail: excluded by

constraint '>=2.10.0.0 && <2.15' from 'tidal-parse')

[__1] rejecting: template-haskell-2.14.0.0, template-haskell-2.13.0.0,

template-haskell-2.12.0.0, template-haskell-2.11.1.0,

template-haskell-2.11.0.0, template-haskell-2.10.0.0,

template-haskell-2.9.0.0, template-haskell-2.8.0.0, template-haskell-2.7.0.0,

template-haskell-2.6.0.0, template-haskell-2.5.0.0, template-haskell-2.4.0.1,

template-haskell-2.4.0.0, template-haskell-2.3.0.1, template-haskell-2.3.0.0,

template-haskell-2.2.0.0 (constraint from non-upgradeable package requires

installed instance)

[__1] fail (backjumping, conflict set: template-haskell, tidal-parse)

After searching the rest of the dependency tree exhaustively, these were the

goals I've had most trouble fulfilling: template-haskell, tidal-parse

My environment:

  • ghci 8.8.3
  • cabal 3.2.0.0
  • MacOS 10.15.5

I would be very happy for help.

#2

What command are you running?
It should be cabal install --lib or cabal v1-install from within the top level folder (where tidal.cabal lives)

#3

The error message appeared when I use cabal install --lib.
I have removed all tidal references from ~/.cabal and ~/.ghc and also run ghc-pkg unregister tidal. Now in the source folder I can use cabal v1-install which build everything successfully:

Starting tidal-1.6.1
Building tidal-1.6.1
Completed tidal-1.6.1

However, it seems that no references are created by this?

#4

Can you load the library? Cabal is in a state of flux, so some commands might not work but I think at this point you should have a working system.

#5

Unfortunately no. When I try to import Sound.Tidal.Context in ghci I get this error message:

Prelude> import Sound.Tidal.Context
**<no location info>:** 
**error:**
**Could not load module ‘Sound.Tidal.Context’**
**It is a member of the hidden package ‘tidal-1.6.1’.**
**You can run ‘:set -package tidal’ to expose it.**
**(Note: this unloads all the modules in the current scope.)**
Prelude>

The generated build files with cabal v1-install end up successfully in .cabal/lib/x86_64-osx-ghc-8.8.3/tidal-1.6.1-IxLdK44qt4X5pkdahLbi1n/
I should be able to add the package with ghc-pkg expose tidal, but unfortunately this does not work.

And when I start the ghci session for testing with ghci -package tidal or type in :set -package tidal, then I get this error message:

Prelude> import Sound.Tidal.Context
**<no location info>:** **error:**
**Could not find module ‘Sound.Tidal.Context’**
**Perhaps you haven't installed the "dyn" libraries for package ‘tidal-1.6.1’?**
**Use -v (or `:set -v` in ghci) to see a list of the files searched for.**
Prelude>

Interestingly, when I download it from the hackage server with cabal install tidal --lib, everything still works flawlessly even now.

#6

That's very frustrating. When you start ghci, I think it will give you the location of an environment file. You could try deleting that, and re-installing, to see if that helps. Due to a known bug, you will have to delete this file every time you re-install the tidal library.

If that doesn't help, you could report the issue here:

Otherwise, install with cabal v1-install instead of cabal install --lib. This will use the older install method which is far less buggy. This is what I do.

#7

Is this perhaps https://github.com/haskell/cabal/issues/6394 ?

My work-around for that is to delete offending lines (mentioning process, directory) from
$HOME/.ghc/x86_64-linux-8.8.3/environments/default

Note that ghc-pkg (register etc.) does not respect env files, so you need

ghc-pkg -f ~/.cabal/store/ghc-$(ghc --numeric-version)/package.db list

cf. tidal startup for emacs.

#8

Also, I noticed tidal-parse in the error message (top of this thread).

I guess this gets built because it appears in cabal.project.

It's not part of the sources that you'd get with cabal unpack tidal, so that might be the essential difference.

@yaxu - could you perhaps explain what tidal-parse does and who would need it? Its README is very terse.

Does it get built in CI? https://travis-ci.org/github/tidalcycles/Tidal/jobs/705355378 (yes)

I thought --ignore-project (-z) would help, but https://github.com/haskell/cabal/issues/6942

#9

I deleted the environment file under ~/.ghc/x86_64-darwin-8.8.3/environments/default and that actually fixed the problem for me. Thanks for the help!

@jwaldmann should I have this problem the next time, (i.e when I re-install the tidal library) then I will first try to delete the offending lines in the default. Thanks for the hint!

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