Can plotly.io.to_image used inside a docker container?

[WurtzJd]

When using plotly.io.to_image inside a docker container I get :
"When used on Linux, orca requires an X11 display server, but none was detected. Please install X11, or configure your system with Xvfb."

I tried adding apt-get install -y x11-apps but it does not help.

Cheers

[jonmmease]

Hi @WurtzJd,

Inside a docker container you'll probably need to run orca with xvfb-run. See https://github.com/plotly/orca/blob/80855093193afba09a4dbebaa7bae776be88e15e/README.md#linux-troubleshooting-headless-server-configuration in the README. Also, in case it's useful to you, here's the docker configuration used by the plotly team uses https://github.com/plotly/orca/blob/master/deployment/Dockerfile

[etpinard]

@WurtzJd did using xvfb-run like @jonmmease suggested solve your problem?

[antoinerg]

@WurtzJd would you see a lot of value in us publishing an official Docker image for Orca?

In the meantime, you can find an example Dockerfile there: https://github.com/plotly/orca/blob/master/deployment/Dockerfile

[WurtzJd]

@jonmmease ,
I struggle to understand how to use the shell script. Where is supposed to be the "orca-X.Y.Z-x86_64.App" file?
The docker config you sent is a bit complex and I don't see which part I should use.

@antoinerg, it would be very useful to have a simple docker image indeed

[WurtzJd]

I also fail to use plotly orca outside docker when ssh into another machine. pio.write_image returns:

When used on Linux, orca requires an X11 display server, but none was detected. Please install X11, or configure your system with Xvfb

I just tried to install conda again, following the Git README:

1. download orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage
2. chmod +x orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage
3. ln -s /home/me/orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage /home/me/.pyenv/shims/orca

Now when I try orca --help I get
/home/me/.pyenv/shims/orca: 1: /home/me/.pyenv/shims/orca: Syntax error: redirection unexpected

And xvfb-run -a /home/me/orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage "$@" returns /home/jd/orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage: 1: /home/jd/orca-1.2.1-x86_64.AppImage: Syntax error: redirection unexpected

[scottwilson312]

Trying to get orca installed on an ubuntu docker image is a nightmare! Has anyone been able to do it?

[mathieuboudreau]

@scottwilson312 I've been on two sprints to try and do this in a docker image from Jupyter for use in a MyBinder session, and share your frustration.

Dockerfile for repo: https://github.com/electropy/notebooks/blob/orca/Dockerfile
MyBinder link: https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/electropy/notebooks/orca?urlpath=lab

At this point, I'm getting two issues.

In a terminal:

jovyan@jupyter-electropy-2dnotebooks-2dwlf11omd:~/work/notebooks$ orca --help
fuse: device not found, try 'modprobe fuse' first

Cannot mount AppImage, please check your FUSE setup.
You might still be able to extract the contents of this AppImage
if you run it with the --appimage-extract option.
See https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE
for more information
open dir error: No such file or directory


Cannot mount AppImage, please check your FUSE setup.
You might still be able to extract the contents of this AppImage
if you run it with the --appimage-extract option.
See https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE
for more information
open dir error: No such file or directory

And trying to use it in a Juptyer Notebook regardless, seems like it doesn't see orca in the python/jupyter path:

import plotly.io as pio
pio.write_image(fig, 'fig1.png')

ValueError: 
The orca executable is required in order to export figures as static images,
but the executable that was found at '/home/jovyan/work/notebooks/bin/orca'
does not seem to be a valid plotly orca executable. Please refer to the end of
this message for details on what went wrong.

If you haven't installed orca yet, you can do so using conda as follows:

    $ conda install -c plotly plotly-orca

Alternatively, see other installation methods in the orca project README at
https://github.com/plotly/orca.

After installation is complete, no further configuration should be needed. 

If you have installed orca, then for some reason plotly.py was unable to
locate it. In this case, set the `plotly.io.orca.config.executable`
property to the full path of your orca executable. For example:

    >>> plotly.io.orca.config.executable = '/path/to/orca'

After updating this executable property, try the export operation again.
If it is successful then you may want to save this configuration so that it
will be applied automatically in future sessions. You can do this as follows:

    >>> plotly.io.orca.config.save() 

If you're still having trouble, feel free to ask for help on the forums at
https://community.plot.ly/c/api/python

Here is the error that was returned by the command
    $ /home/jovyan/work/notebooks/bin/orca --help

[Return code: 1]

Note: When used on Linux, orca requires an X11 display server, but none was
detected. Please install X11, or configure your system with Xvfb. See
the orca README (https://github.com/plotly/orca) for instructions on using
orca with Xvfb.

This has been so painful and tiring, but I really really really want this feature to work :/

[mathieuboudreau]

I've tried other variants of installations (e.g. from conda), but they didn't work because MyBinder sessions are headless, I think.

[scottwilson312]

To solve the Fuse error to try running docker as privileged

…

On Fri, Apr 12, 2019, 7:02 AM Mathieu Boudreau ***@***.***> wrote: I've tried other variants of installations (e.g. from conda), but they didn't work because MyBinder sessions are headless, I think. — You are receiving this because you were mentioned. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#150 (comment)>, or mute the thread <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/APty_nrAwIeAxOxtCGcKZbXudb526xVZks5vgJHcgaJpZM4Yz1YV> .

[mathieuboudreau]

Unfortunately, I don't think I have control over that as the MyBinder service is what's running the docker image after it's built; I don't set the commands myself. Thanks though!

[jonmmease]

Hi @mathieuboudreau,

From your error messages, it looks like core issue is that your docker container is unable to use fuse to mount the AppImage. The AppImage format is really an archive containing a potentially complex file structure of the program and all the dependencies. When you run an AppImage, the image file is automatically mounted using fuse in an unarchived form so that the executable inside the archive can be run like a normal linux program.

I'm not experienced enough with using fuse inside docker to know if there is an easy way to get fuse working, so I'd recommend trying the --appimage-extract optioned mentioned in the error message (and described in the AppImage documentation at https://github.com/AppImage/AppImageKit/wiki/FUSE#docker).

Something like

# Download orca AppImage, extract it, and make it executable under xvfb
RUN wget https://github.com/plotly/orca/releases/download/v1.1.1/orca-1.1.1-x86_64.AppImage -P /home
RUN chmod 777 /home/orca-1.1.1-x86_64.AppImage 

# To avoid the need for FUSE, extract the AppImage into a directory (name squashfs-root by default)
RUN cd /home && /home/orca-1.1.1-x86_64.AppImage --appimage-extract
RUN printf '#!/bin/bash \nxvfb-run --auto-servernum --server-args "-screen 0 640x480x24" /home/squashfs-root/app/orca "$@"' > /usr/bin/orca
RUN chmod 777 /usr/bin/orca

Hope that helps!

[mathieuboudreau]

Thanks for that tip @jonmmease !

Unfortunately, now I get a [Return code: 1]. I think at the end of the day, MyBinder's BinderHub settings don't allow for extending the docker image permissions to --privileged that are needed to run the orca server, so that might be the final wall that I can't jump. I'll just have to stick with a local setup, which isn't the end of the world, it just would have been simpler for my users if I could have this all contained in the web for them.

[jonmmease]

When you run $ orca --help from the command line inside you're container you're getting [Return code: 1]? It's not clear to be what (besides potentially FUSE) would be requiring privileged permissions. 🤔

[mathieuboudreau]

jovyan@jupyter-electropy-2dnotebooks-2drrm4ffxs:~/work/notebooks$ orca --help
/usr/bin/xvfb-run: 184: /usr/bin/xvfb-run: /home/squashfs-root/app/orca: Permission denied
jovyan@jupyter-electropy-2dnotebooks-2drrm4ffxs:~/work/notebooks$

I tried to RUN chmod 777 /home/squashfs-root/app/orca in my docker file here, but it still throws the same error as above with it.

[jonmmease]

Over in plotly/plotly.py#1523 I started working on an update to plotly.py to automatically detect whether it should try to use Xvfb when calling orca. Basically, if we're on Linux, there's no X11 server active (based on the lack of a DISPLAY environment variable), and xvfb-run is on the path then use xvfb automatically.

With this branch, I was able to get the orca conda package working in Colab (plotly/plotly.py#1523 (comment)).

I'm wondering if this approach would work on binder since the conda package isn't using the AppImage format.