Gnumeric generates error "...undefined symbol: forkpty"

Support Software & Applications
1

gnumeric (1.12.50) displays the following error after attempting to launch python console from within gnumeric:

gnumeric
E Unable to open module file "/usr/local/lib/gnumeric/1.12.50/plugins/python-loader/python_loader".
  E /usr/local/lib/gnumeric/1.12.50/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so: undefined symbol: forkpty

This issue was posted as a bug here.

This is suspected to be a compilation issue:

Specifically, “undefined symbol: forkpty”. The use of forkpty is not in Gnumeric.
Someone from the distribution is going to have to look at that.

Don’t have the problem with version 1.12.46

This issue is a continuation of Gnumeric-python plugin

Looking at the output for ./configure, make, and make install, there is no symbol for “forkpty”.

2

Here is a similar issue and preliminary solution.

ldd provides the following linker information on ```
/usr/local/lib/gnumeric/1.12.50/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so

$ ldd /usr/local/lib/gnumeric/1.12.50/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so
	linux-vdso.so.1 (0x00007ffe25985000)
	libgobject-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0 (0x00007fa85469c000)
	libglib-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libglib-2.0.so.0 (0x00007fa854567000)
	libm.so.6 => /usr/lib/libm.so.6 (0x00007fa854423000)
	libc.so.6 => /usr/lib/libc.so.6 (0x00007fa854257000)
	libffi.so.7 => /usr/lib/libffi.so.7 (0x00007fa85424b000)
	libpcre.so.1 => /usr/lib/libpcre.so.1 (0x00007fa8541d9000)
	libpthread.so.0 => /usr/lib/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007fa8541b6000)
	/usr/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007fa854ae3000)

The undefined symbol: forkpty is a result of python_loader.so not being linked to /lib64/libutil.so.1.

Can verify starting gnumeric like this …

$ LD_PRELOAD=/lib64/libutil.so.1 gnumeric

Can now launch python console from gnumeric.

3

The gnumeric extra repo package does not install any files there. How did you install it?

4

Compiled it locally after downloading source.

5

Can you reproduce the issue with the repo package?

6

Confirmed.

After installing gnumeric from repo, then launching gnumeric and try to launch python console, get:

$ gnumeric
E Unable to open module file "/usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.49/plugins/python-loader/python_loader".
  E /usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.49/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so: undefined symbol: forkpty

If launch gnumeric with

$ LD_PRELOAD=/lib64/libutil.so.1 gnumeric

then able to launch python console.

Using the version from repo:

$ LD_PRELOAD=/lib64/libutil.so.1 gnumeric --version
gnumeric version '1.12.49'
datadir := '/usr/share/gnumeric/1.12.49'
libdir := '/usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.49'
$
7

For comparision with gnumeric 1.12.46 (last working version without problems)…

$ gnumeric --version
gnumeric version '1.12.46'
datadir := '/usr/share/gnumeric/1.12.46'
libdir := '/usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.46
$ ldd /usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.46/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so
	linux-vdso.so.1 (0x00007ffea6bdc000)
	libpython2.7.so.1.0 => /usr/lib/libpython2.7.so.1.0 (0x00007f9ad77b0000)
	libgobject-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f9ad7750000)
	libglib-2.0.so.0 => /usr/lib/libglib-2.0.so.0 (0x00007f9ad7618000)
	libc.so.6 => /usr/lib/libc.so.6 (0x00007f9ad7448000)
	libpthread.so.0 => /usr/lib/libpthread.so.0 (0x00007f9ad7420000)
	libdl.so.2 => /usr/lib/libdl.so.2 (0x00007f9ad7418000)
	libutil.so.1 => /usr/lib/libutil.so.1 (0x00007f9ad7410000)
	libm.so.6 => /usr/lib/libm.so.6 (0x00007f9ad72c8000)
	libffi.so.7 => /usr/lib/libffi.so.7 (0x00007f9ad72b8000)
	libpcre.so.1 => /usr/lib/libpcre.so.1 (0x00007f9ad7240000)
	/usr/lib64/ld-linux-x86-64.so.2 (0x00007f9ad7a00000)

Yes, gnumeric-1.12.47 onwards started python 3.x support

8

The developers of gnumeric have identified this issue as a linking problem with python-loader plugin.

9

This remains an issue with gnumeric 1.12.51:

$ gnumeric
E Unable to open module file "/usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.51/plugins/python-loader/python_loader".
  E /usr/lib/gnumeric/1.12.51/plugins/python-loader/python_loader.so: undefined symbol: forkpty

Have reported it with gnome bug.

10

Add LD_PRELOAD=/usr/lib/libutil.so.1 in /etc/environment as root. For some reason this doesn’t work if added in .profile instead. This seems the only way to run python console right now.

1 Like
11

Also have to reboot and then it works.