Learning Forum

[robgics]

I start up Ansys with "ansys191 -g".  I click Help->Tutorials, and I get an error box:

 

Failed to execute default Web Browser

Input/output error.

 

Is there an error log somewhere I can get more information as to what the problem is?  Or is there an environment variable I need to set so it can find firefox?

 

Thanks.

[Rob]

Try without the -g option. 

[robgics]

That just brings up a text interface.  I want the graphical interface.

I did a test, and using Ansys 18.1 (ansys181 -g), I was able to bring up the tutorials in a web browser.  Then doing the same thing with 19.1, I wasn't.  So something has changed.  Well, I'm sure LOTS of things changed between those versions, but specifically I mean in regards to opening the tutorials in a web browser.

 

 

[tsiriaks]

Can you post the screenshot of the error ? 

What OS version is this ?

Please post the value of your PATH environment variable

[robgics]

OS: RHEL6 using Open on Demand

PATH: /opt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/AnsysEM19.1/Linux64opt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/ACPopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/fensapice/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/CEI/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/TurboGrid/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/polyflow/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/autodyn/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/Icepak/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/tgrid/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/CFX/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/icemcfd/linux64_amd/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/fluent/binopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/Framework/bin/Linux64opt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/aisolopt/aci/sw/ansys/19.1/v191/ansys/binusr/local/binusr/local/sbinopt/rh/git19/root/usr/binusr/local/binusr/local/sbinusr/local/binusr/local/sbinusr/local/binusr/local/sbinopt/TurboVNC/binusr/local/binusr/local/sbinopt/rh/git19/root/usr/binusr/lpp/mmfs/binusr/local/binusr/local/sbinusr/lib64/qt-3.3/binbinusr/binusr/local/sbinusr/sbinsbinopt/puppetlabs/binstorage/home/rug262/binstorage/home/rug262/bin

 

Edit: Sorry about all the frowny faces, that's not my doing.  I tried to fix it in the code view, but the web editor here will not be denied apparently.

[tsiriaks]

no worries, we know it's the forum issue but yea, it's hard to read. 

What is the output of

which firefox

also, I'm not sure if this would work for M-APDL but it works for AnsysEM products. Try setting this environment variable

ANS_BROWSER_NAME=/firefox

 

[robgics]

which firefox:  /usr/bin/firefox

Setting the ANS_BROWSER_NAME env var didn't make a difference.

Someone doing some sleuthing noticed that for Ansys 18.1, the tutorials were in the /v181/commonfiles/help/en-us/help/ans-tut directory.  But in our install, there are no subdirectories under /v191/commonfiles/help/en-us.

Are they just simply not installed?  Is there a different procedure to install those than there was in 18.1, or perhaps they are moved to a different directory for 19.1?

 

Thanks.

 

[tsiriaks]

Starting in 19.0, the 'local' help document is moved out of the main installation. So, if you need to open a local help document, you will have to do an extra installation.

But you are setting to open the online help document, so I don't think that is an issue.

What if you try

export PATH=/usr/bin:$PATH

then launch ANSYS from this terminal

[robgics]

Well, the goal is the tutorials overall.  It probably wouldn't hurt to have those installed locally, but I'm guessing that they'd just open via the browser anyway, and doing that seems to be the problem.

I tried setting the PATH with /usr/bin at the front, but it gives the same error.

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[tsiriaks]

You can go to the customer portal and download the local help documents , there is '?' sign that describes how to configure to point the software to use local help document, it will NOT open via the browser.

As for your online help issue, I still think it has something to do with your PATH environment variable. Can you not load the entire module (nothing related to ANSYS v19.1 in your PATH)  and just run the entire command to open M-APDL GUI ?

 

[robgics]

Ok, I started a new session, and without loading the ansys module, just called ansys191 using the full path.  The interface came up without complaint, but trying to open the tutorials gave the same I/O error.  Exiting ansys, I then executed "firefox" on the command line without changing anything, and it came right up.  So, the path to firefox shouldn't be the issue.  And now I think we've removed any path issues that might be associated with the ansys module on our system.

 

[robgics]

Oooh kaaaaay.  So, something happened because now it works.  I clicked the "?" icon in Ansys, the firefox opened with help.  I then clicked everything under the Help menu, and everything (including tutorials) opened in a tab in firefox.

I'm now going to restart my session and see if I an recreate what causes it to not work, and then to work.

 

[robgics]

So, if I start up my system, load my ansys module, start ansys and try to click anything under the Help menu, it gives me the error.  I then close ansys.  I launch firefox from the command line and after it comes up, without doing anything else, I close it.  I then launch ansys again and this time, everything under the Help menu works.  It launches firefox and displays the requested help item in the browser.

I've compared a before and after output of "env" but there is no difference.  So starting firefox does not appear to be setting some env var that ansys then uses.  Clearly SOMETHING is changed by starting and exiting firefox, but I do not know what it is.

 

[JakeC]

Hi robgics,

It might be worth checking your default application settings as described here:

https://www.centos.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=54162

 

$ grep 'ht' /usr/share/applications/defaults.list
text/html=firefox.desktop
application/xhtml+xml=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/http=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/https=firefox.desktop
where the left hand side is the MIME type and the right hand side (of the has the .desktop application to launch.
 
Thank you,
Jake

[robgics]

Result:

text/html=mozilla-firefox.desktop

 

I ran that grep before and after starting firefox, and nothing was changed.  So running firefox isn't changing those default values.  Remember also that version 18.1 works just fine on this system without having to do anything.  

Since it's not an environment variable that gets set when firefox runs (at least, not within my ability to see), I'm wondering if it's some file permission somewhere.

 For the record, I am fully willing to believe the problem is something about how the system is configured.  But since the error is on Ansys's part, and was apparently introduced by a change from 18.1 to 19.1, I'm hoping that the issue can be tracked down via help here.  I'm not blaming Ansys (yet!).

 

[JakeC]

Hi Robgics,

 

As mentioned earlier 18.1 had local help files installed, and the newer versions do not.  Which is why it worked before.

Please add the other lines in that defaults.list file that you do not have:

application/xhtml+xml=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/http=firefox.desktop
x-scheme-handler/https=firefox.desktop

 

Thank you,

Jake

[robgics]

Thanks for that clarification on how the help changed, Jake.  I see the "local help" packages in the customer portal.  I may try installing those to see if that resolves the problem, that might be quicker. 

[robgics]

I tried it with those default values, and it still throws an error.

[JakeC]

I assume it is the same error, correct?

Can you paste in the changes you made?

 

What happens if you run the following:

/ansys_inc/v191/Tools/mono/Linux64/bin/mono /usr/ansys_inc/v191/commonfiles/help/HelpViewer/ANSYSHelpViewer.exe

 

Thank you,

Jake

[JakeC]

Also if in firefox you go to:

aboutreferences

And then set Firefox as the default browser, do you get the same error?

 

Thank you,

Jake

[robgics]

Changes made to file:

Before:

$: cat /usr/share/applications/defaults.list | grep ht

text/html=mozilla-firefox.desktop

After: 

$: cat /usr/share/applications/defaults.list | grep ht

text/html=firefox.desktop

application/xhtml+xml=firefox.desktop

x-scheme-handler/http=firefox.desktop

x-scheme-handler/https=firefox.desktop

 

And yes, it was the same I/O error window as posted above.

 

I tried running the command you sent, and that opened Mozilla-Firefox to the "Welcome to Ansys Help" page.  

 

Edit: I went in to make that change in Firefox, and it tells me that it is already my default browser.

 

[robgics]

Any other suggestions?