[ESS] running R remotely via tramp

[Jeremie Juste]

Hello Chris,

I cannot provide a fix for your problem because I don't know what is
inside the /home/me/bin/R.csd3. This file seems to be on your localhost
isn't it? but as a way around the problem you can try 

   - ssh to the remote host (outside of emacs)
   - start screen session
   - detach it
   - open shell in emacs (M-x shell)
   - ssh to the remote host again in the emacs shell
   -  resume the screen session (screen -r)
   -  start the version of R of your preference
   - finally attach ESS to the R process using M-x ess-remote in the shell buffer where you started R



Hope this helps,
Jeremie



> Dear ESS-help,
>
> I have just upgraded my ess via melpa, and my ability to run R
> remotely has stopped.
>
> I had been doing so via the function (after earlier help from this
> list https://stat.ethz.ch/pipermail/ess-help/2016-January/010863.html)
>
>   (defun Rcpu ()
>     "Run R on CSD3"
>     (interactive)
>     (let ((inferior-ess-r-program "/home/me/bin/R.csd3")
>       (ess-directory "/ssh:me using cpu:~/"))
>       (R)))
>
> R.csd3 is actually a bash script, that loads some modules required to
> run R on the remote host before starting a recent version of R.  It
> worked this morning, then I did an update of packages, restarted
> emacs, and it broke.
>
> Now when I M-x Rcpu I get the error
>
> Error (ess): /home/me/bin/R.csd3 could not be found on the system. Try
> running `R-newest' instead, which searches your system for R.
>
> M-x R-newest starts /usr/bin/R on the remote system which is woefully
> out of date and won't let me install many current packages.
>
> I have looked into R-newest and I wonder whether the change is this
> one
> https://github.com/emacs-ess/ESS/commit/7d49e421ca015c4e43688f4479860d1af8379c8d#diff-30e55f182c26885d03642d3872bfe26d
> - does
>
> (executable-find inferior-ess-r-program)
>
> know to look on the remote server?
>
> Thanks for any advice,
>
> Chris