[ESS] ess using stata: Symbol's value as variable is void:, inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords

[renato corbetta]

Thanks for the input, Stephen.  Sorry for not providing sufficient info.
Later last night I found a thread in the Archives from April 2005 where
a similar error was reported, but no solution was posted.
  
Anyway, I added (setq inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords nil) to my .emacs 
file,
but still no luck.  Emacs opens a Stata buffer but there is no active 
process.

I followed your directions and produced a backtrace of the error.  Here 
it is:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (void-variable 
inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords)
  eval(inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords)
  font-lock-eval-keywords(inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords)
  font-lock-set-defaults()
  font-lock-mode()
  noweb-old-turn-on-font-lock()
  (if (not noweb-mode) (noweb-old-turn-on-font-lock) (if (and ... 
noweb-use-font-lock-mode) (noweb-font-lock-mode)))
  turn-on-font-lock()
  run-hooks(inferior-ess-mode-hook)
  inferior-ess-mode()
  (let* ((symbol-string ...) (switches-symbol ...) (switches ...) 
(buf-name-str ...)) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format "(ess-multi 
0):  inf-ess-start-args=%s, comint-..echoes=%s\n" inf-ess-start-args 
comint-process-echoes)) (set-buffer buffer) (inferior-ess-mode) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format "(ess-multi post inf-ess: 
start-args=%s, comint-echoes=%s\n" inf-ess-start-args 
comint-process-echoes)) (setq ess-local-process-name proc-name) 
(goto-char (point-max)) (setq comint-input-ring-file-name 
(expand-file-name ess-history-file ess-directory)) 
(comint-read-input-ring) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format 
"(ess-multi 1):  start-args=%s \n" inf-ess-start-args)) (set-buffer (if 
switches ... ...)) (set-process-sentinel (get-process proc-name) (quote 
ess-process-sentinel)) (let (...) (if conselt nil ...)) 
(ess-make-buffer-current) (inferior-ess-wait-for-prompt) (goto-char 
(point-max)) (setq ess-sl-modtime-alist nil) (setq ess-sp-change t) 
(set-process-filter (get-process proc-name) (quote 
inferior-ess-output-filter)) (run-hooks (quote ess-post-run-hook)))
  (if (and proc (comint-check-proc ...)) (pop-to-buffer (process-buffer 
proc)) (let* (... ... ... ...) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) 
(set-buffer buffer) (inferior-ess-mode) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer 
...) (setq ess-local-process-name proc-name) (goto-char ...) (setq 
comint-input-ring-file-name ...) (comint-read-input-ring) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) (set-buffer ...) (set-process-sentinel 
... ...) (let ... ...) (ess-make-buffer-current) 
(inferior-ess-wait-for-prompt) (goto-char ...) (setq 
ess-sl-modtime-alist nil) (setq ess-sp-change t) (set-process-filter ... 
...) (run-hooks ...)) (if (and inferior-ess-same-window ...) 
(switch-to-buffer ...) (pop-to-buffer ...)))
  (let* ((proc-name name) (special-display-regexps nil) 
(special-display-frame-alist inferior-ess-frame-alist) (proc ...)) (if 
inferior-ess-own-frame (setq special-display-regexps ...)) (if (and proc 
...) (pop-to-buffer ...) (let* ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...) (if ... ... ...)))
  ess-multi("Stata" #<buffer *Stata*> "TERM=emacs stata ")
  (let ((ess-directory ...)) (ess-multi procname buf 
inferior-ess-start-args))
  (let* ((process-environment process-environment) (defdir ...) 
(temp-dialect temp-ess-dialect) (temp-lang temp-ess-lang) (procname ...) 
(startdir nil) (buf nil) (buf-name-str ...)) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format "(inf-ess 1.1): procname=%s 
temp-dialect=%s, buf-name=%s \n" procname temp-dialect buf-name-str)) 
(cond (... ... ... ...) (... ... ...) (... ... ... ...)) (set-buffer 
buf) (ess-setq-vars-local ess-customize-alist) (if ess-start-args (setq 
inferior-ess-start-args ess-start-args)) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer 
(format "(inf-ess 2.1): ess-language=%s, ess-dialect=%s buf=%s \n" 
ess-language ess-dialect ...)) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format 
"(inf-ess 2.2): start args = %s, inf-ess-start-args=%s \n" 
ess-start-args inferior-ess-start-args)) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer 
(format "(inf-ess finish [%s(%s), %s(%s,%s)]\n" ess-language ess-dialect 
inferior-ess-program ess-current-process-name ess-local-process-name)) 
(if startdir (setq default-directory startdir)) (setq-default 
ess-history-file (concat "." ess-dialect "history")) (let (...) 
(ess-multi procname buf inferior-ess-start-args)))
  (let ((temp-ess-dialect ...) (temp-ess-lang ...)) (save-excursion 
(set-buffer ess-dribble-buffer) (make-variable-buffer-local ...) 
(ess-setq-vars-default ess-customize-alist) (setq-default 
comint-use-prompt-regexp-instead-of-fields nil)) (run-hooks (quote 
ess-pre-run-hook)) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer (format "(inf-ess 1): 
lang=%s, dialect=%s, tmp-dialect=%s, buf=%s\n" ess-language ess-dialect 
temp-ess-dialect ...)) (let* (... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) (cond ... ... ...) (set-buffer buf) 
(ess-setq-vars-local ess-customize-alist) (if ess-start-args ...) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) (ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) 
(ess-write-to-dribble-buffer ...) (if startdir ...) (setq-default 
ess-history-file ...) (let ... ...)))
  inferior-ess("TERM=emacs stata ")
  (let ((sta-start-args ...)) (inferior-ess sta-start-args))
  stata(nil)
  call-interactively(stata)
  execute-extended-command(nil)
* call-interactively(execute-extended-command)

Thanks for the help. I truly appreciate it.  I gather from previous 
exchanges
that few developers are still working with Stata.  More and more people 
in my
field are migrating to R, but Stata remains widely used.

Renato


Stephen Eglen wrote:

>Mmmm. inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords is set on a mode by mode basis,
>and for  Stata, it seems to be locally set to nil.
>
>First, please send a backtrace of the error.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   If Emacs reports an error, backtraces can help us debug the problem.
>Type "M-x set-variable RET debug-on-error RET t RET".  Then run the
>command that causes the error and you should see a *Backtrace* buffer
>containing debug information; send us that buffer.
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>then send us the error you get after running M-x stata
>
>Furthermore, as a guess, try adding the following 
>(setq inferior-ess-font-lock-keywords nil)
>in your .emacs file (before ESS loads) to see if that makes a
>difference after you restart emacs.
>
>Thanks, Ste[hen
>
>
>  
>
*****************************************************************
Renato Corbetta, PhD                         Phone: 205-934-2336
238A Ullman                                  Fax: 205-975-5712
Department of Government                       
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
1212 University Blvd.
Birmingham, AL 35294-3050