Windows R Setup should also include JDK installation?

[katy-sadowski]

I just ran into an issue on my Windows 10 laptop where I was trying to set up a Strategus module and renv was unable to install rJava. Installing rJava outside of renv::restore() worked fine.

The error message seemed to point to the absence of the Java JDK as the reason rJava could not be installed (which renv does from source by default). I was able to solve this issue by installing the Amazon Corretto 8 JDK. I had previously only installed the JRE per HADES setup instructions: https://ohdsi.github.io/Hades/rSetup.html#Installing_Java

The reason this is an Issue and not a PR is that I'm not sure that we want all users to install the JDK, or if this is a better recommendation just for Strategus users, or if there's another better solution :)

[schuemie]

Would you happen to have saved the error message?

[katy-sadowski]

Unfortunately not. But it was related to being unable to find javac. When I looked into this, I gathered that javac was needed in order to install rJava from source (which is what renv was doing), and that in order to get javac I needed the JDK.

[schuemie]

Hmmm, the rJava documentation seems to suggest you need to have the JDK: "make sure you have JDK 1.4 or higher installed". I realize I always install the JDK (because I'm a Java developer), but I'm surprised rJava needs JDK if it is just going to run pre-compiled jars.

I guess I'll need to update the installation instructions.