[Automatic Configuration] First package loading does not suggest to install miniconda anymore

[astamm]

In the Automatic Configuration section of the Managing an R Package’s Python Dependencies vignette, it says that:

Unless the user has explicitly instructed reticulate to use an existing Python environment, reticulate will prompt the user to download and install Miniconda (if necessary).

which was the behaviour I indeed used to see if no miniconda install was detected on my machine.

However now, the following behaviour occur.

If I execute the following code:

# install.packages("remotes")
# remotes::install_github("lmjl-alea/rgudhi")
library(rgudhi)
n <- 10
X <- seq_circle(n)
ac <- AlphaComplex$new(points = X)

then it triggers:

Would you like to create a default python environment for the reticulate package? (Yes/no/cancel)

while previously it used to propose to trigger reticulate::install_miniconda().

If I do

reticulate::py_config()

it triggers the same question as well, suggesting it did not detect (or at least set up) an existing Python environment either.

I am running :

• on Mac OS (2021) Ventura 13.6 with Apple M1 Pro chip.
• R version: 4.3.1
• RStudio version: 2023.09.0 Build 463

Thanks in advance for your help.

[mkoohafkan]

I also ran into this issue, and clicking "yes" in the popup did not solve it as it would try (and fail) to create a virtualenv instead. I solved it by manually creating a conda environment named "r-reticulate". It might be better to just throw an error telling the user to create a default environment named "r-reticulate" using their preferred environment manager.

[Ray569743422]

Have you tried no ？

[t-kalinowski]

Beginning with reticulate version 1.31, reticulate no longer prompts users to install miniconda. Instead, if user has expressed no preference for a Python installation, reticulate will fall back to prompting users to create a default venv named "r-reticulate".

See here for a description of how reticulate selects which python installation to bind to, and how you can configure or customize the behavior: https://rstudio.github.io/reticulate/articles/versions.html

[astamm]

That means this documentation (https://rstudio.github.io/reticulate/articles/python_dependencies.html#installation) is out-of-date. It still says

Specifically, after the rscipy package is loaded, the following will occur:

• Unless the user has explicitly instructed reticulate to use an existing Python environment, reticulate will prompt the user to download and install Miniconda (if necessary).

• After this, when the Python session is initialized by reticulate, all declared dependencies of loaded packages in Config/reticulate will be discovered.

• These dependencies will then be installed into an appropriate Conda environment, as provided by the Miniconda installation.

[t-kalinowski]

That section is only applicable if Config/reticulate/autoconfigure: is in a loaded packages DESCRIPTION file.

Are you loading a package with an autoconfigure field in DESCRIPTION?

[astamm]

Yes, I probably should have mentioned that in the original message associated with the issue.