Unable to open parameter file

mattia wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Hi all, I'm an IRAF newbie.

With every task I try to launch modifying parameters with epar, i got the error
Unable to open parameter file `uparm$***.par'
where *** is the chosen task

For instance

ecl> display filename.fits 1

works properly

while

ecl> epar display

after having set the various parameters gives me back message

Unable to open parameter file `uparm$tvdisply.par'.

does someone know what's wrong around?
thanks

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Mike Fitzpatrick wrote on Feb 10, 2009

These are usually either permissions or path problems, and usually occur when copying/using an existing login.cl file. For example, if the IRAF tree is owned by the 'iraf' user you cannot used the login.cl in the iraf$local directory while logged in as yourself because you do not have permission to write to the iraf$local/uparm/ directory. Likewise, copying an existing login.cl to a new directory would fail because the path given for the uparm directory would be wrong.

In general, a new MKIRAF to create a login.cl and uparm directory will fix your problem. Otherwise, look in the login.cl to see what path is being used (specifically the 'home' value), and then whether you can write there. This isn't fatal, it just won't remember the params you set.

-Mike

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mattia wrote on Feb 10, 2009

thanks for your reply Mike, a new mkiraf solved the problem

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vmpas wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Hi, I got the same problem. If I use imarith it gives me back the message
Unable to open parameter file `uparm$imlimarih.par'

Making a new mkiraf does'nt fix the problem.
Can anyone help me?

Thanks

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Mike Fitzpatrick wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Use the command

cl> =osfn ("uparm$")

to print out the full host path to the uparm directory to be sure it exists and that you can write to it. If the directory does exist, be sure it isn't owned by anyone else.

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vmpas wrote on Feb 10, 2009

The uparm directory exists, I'm the owner and I'm allowed to write to it.
But the uparm directory remains emty when I use imarith or imcombine, but it should create a .par file.
Last week it worked perfectly, now it doesn't. I did nothing to cause this....

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Mike Fitzpatrick wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Last week it worked perfectly, now it doesn't. I did nothing to cause this....

Unless you upgraded IRAF, the OS, or users during this last week, then *something* (non-IRAF) has certainly changed ......

Can you do a "touch foo" in the uparm directory at the host level to confirm you can write to it? Is this a remote disk that might now be mounted read-only? If you do a MKIRAF in e.g. /tmp and login through there are the parameters saved (meaning you other uparm$ dir has a problm but IRAF is okay)? Has the machine been rebooted in the last week?

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vmpas wrote on Feb 10, 2009

I didn't upgrade anything in the last week.
I can write to the uparm directory. The program and all other files I want to use are on the harddisk, so I'm allowed to write to it.
My computer was not rebooted in the last week, too.

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Mike Fitzpatrick wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Did you try doing a MKIRAF in /tmp and logging in from there (this gives you a fresh uparm directory)? Otherwise, if you do

cl> reset uparm = /tmp/     # trailing '/' required
cl> flpr 0                     # zero, not oh

are you able to save parameters?

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vmpas wrote on Feb 10, 2009

I installed the new Ubuntu 10.10 and reinstalled Iraf again. I also installed all my previously installed programs and tested Iraf. Again I got the same error as before.

Then I copied .fits files into /tmp directory and did mkiraf. I got a uparm directory, and was able to start iraf. I tested imarith and everything worked fine. But when I test imarith with .fits files on my desktop it doesn't work. Any ideas what could cause this?

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Mike Fitzpatrick wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Is there any chance there's a space in a directory name being used, e.g. /Users/vmpas/My Desktop/iraf ? If so, that's the problem, spaces are not allowed in pathnames.

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vmpas wrote on Feb 10, 2009

Yes, thanks, that was the problem. I changed the name of my directory and there was a space in it. Now everything works perfectly again.
Thanks

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Last post on Feb 10, 2009