How to run the static image server?

[Redhawk18]

I set all my env variables for this project, but I wanted to ask how do I start the webdriver? I think I have to invoke something right, what would that be?

[andrei-ng]

Typically, if you just use the static_export_default feature, then ChromeDriver will be downloaded and used with your current installation of Chrome (assuming you have one). Webdriver is started automatically in this case, as the build script that downloads ChromeDriver will set the needed env variable for you.

If you want to start your own webdriver version that you downloaded and installed manually, be it geko or chrome driver, then you need to set WEBDRIVER_PATH as described here
https://docs.rs/plotly_static/0.1.0/plotly_static/#webdriver-configuration

[Redhawk18]

Oops, had the env named BROWSER_PATH instead, but I still couldn't get it to work.

school/t/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ cargo run --features=static_images
   Compiling plotly_static v0.0.4
   Compiling plotly v0.13.5
   Compiling data_visualization v0.1.0 (/home/redhawk/Desktop/school/tars/reception)
    Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 7.41s
     Running `target/debug/data_visualization`

thread 'main' panicked at src/graphing.rs:78:10:
called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: "Failed to create StaticExporter: Failed to spawn new WebDriver on port 4444: Failed to spawn 'chromedriver': Permission denied (os error 13)"
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

school/t/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) took 12s 
❯ sudo target/debug/data_visualization 

thread 'main' panicked at src/graphing.rs:78:10:
called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: "Failed to create StaticExporter: Failed to spawn new WebDriver on port 4444: WebDriver process exited before becoming ready on port 4444"
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

school/t/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) took 4s 
❯ echo $WEBDRIVER_PATH
/nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80

[andrei-ng]

Failed to spawn 'chromedriver': Permission denied (os error 13)"
Is Webdriver installed in a root only available path? Maybe that your app's user can't launch it.

And in the second try with sudo, is this path pointing to ChromeDriver /nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80 or Chrome Browser?

WEBDRIVER_PATH: Custom WebDriver binary location
BROWSER_PATH: Custom browser binary location

[Redhawk18]

Okay I think everything lines up with the docs, it must be something doesn't have access to something else.

    Finished `release` profile [optimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 54.38s
     Running `target/release/data_visualization`
35

thread 'main' panicked at src/graphing.rs:138:6:
called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: "Failed to create StaticExporter: Failed to spawn new WebDriver on port 4444: WebDriver process exited before becoming ready on port 4444"
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) took 55s 
❯ echo $BROWSER_PATH
/nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $WEBDRIVER_PATH

[package]
name = "data_visualization"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2024"

[features]
default = []
no_prune = []
static_images = ["plotly/static_export_default"]

[dependencies]
chrono = { version = "0.4.42" }
csv-async = { version = "1.3.1", features = ["tokio"] }
futures-util = "0.3.31"
plotly = { version = "0.13.5"  }
rayon = "1.11.0"
tokio = { version = "1.47.1", features = ["fs", "macros", "rt", "rt-multi-thread"] }

[profile.release]
debug = true

[Redhawk18]

I think its something about the build script actually, I'm gonna try to manually invoke it and play with that ```rs

    Finished `release` profile [optimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.24s
     Running `target/release/data_visualization`
35

thread 'main' panicked at src/graphing.rs:138:6:
called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: "Failed to create StaticExporter: Failed to spawn new WebDriver on port 4444: Failed to spawn 'chromedriver': Permission denied (os error 13)"
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

[Redhawk18]

More playing with it and it doesn't want to use a local instance of chromedriver for some reason

    Finished `release` profile [optimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.28s
     Running `target/release/data_visualization`
35

thread 'main' panicked at src/graphing.rs:138:6:
called `Result::unwrap()` on an `Err` value: Failed to extract static image from browser session

Caused by:
    0: WebDriver session error
    1: webdriver did not create session: session not created: probably user data directory is already in use, please specify a unique value for --user-data-dir argument, or don't use --user-data-dir
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $BROWSER_PATH
/nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $WEBDRIVER_PATH
/nix/store/f7yxl59hl7s3225rvk0h8yq93k16i5r1-electron-chromedriver-37.4.0

[package]
name = "data_visualization"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2024"

[features]
default = []
no_prune = []
static_images = ["plotly/static_export_chromedriver"]

[dependencies]
chrono = { version = "0.4.42" }
csv-async = { version = "1.3.1", features = ["tokio"] }
futures-util = "0.3.31"
plotly = { version = "0.13.5"  }
rayon = "1.11.0"
tokio = { version = "1.47.1", features = ["fs", "macros", "rt", "rt-multi-thread"] }

[profile.release]
debug = true

[andrei-ng]

Interesting. You are on Nix? Are these latest versions of Chrome Browser and Chromedriver? Maybe you are hitting some errors on newer version. I can only look at this myself in the weekend. If you figure it out , I'm curious what and why it fails.

[Redhawk18]

I really can't figure it out, everything is running as my user. Maybe its how its called in the build script?

[andrei-ng]

I really can't figure it out, everything is running as my user. Maybe its how its called in the build script?

1. Can you clone this repo and try to run the examples in plotly_static sub-package. Then we can rule out if it is anything in your application or it is plotly_static on your system.
2. If you can share more about your platform+setup, I can try to reproduce it. E.g., if there is a docker or anything similar where I could set it up as in your case for debugging

[Redhawk18]

I'm unsure to be honest

plotly.rs/plotly_static on  main is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) took 4s 
❯ chromedriver --port=4444
Starting ChromeDriver 140.0.7339.80 (670b6f192f4668d2ac2c06bd77ec3e4eeda7d648-refs/tags/140.0.7339.80@{#0}) on port 4444
Only local connections are allowed.
Please see https://chromedriver.chromium.org/security-considerations for suggestions on keeping ChromeDriver safe.
ChromeDriver was started successfully on port 4444.
^C

plotly.rs/plotly_static on  main is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) took 4s 
❯ cargo run --example test_chrome_path --features=chromedriver
warning: plotly_static@0.1.0: 'webdriver_download' feature disabled. Please install a 'chromedriver' version manually and make the environment variable 'WEBDRIVER_PATH' point to it.
    Finished `dev` profile [unoptimized + debuginfo] target(s) in 0.13s
     Running `/home/redhawk/Desktop/school/tars/reception/plotly.rs/target/debug/examples/test_chrome_path`

thread 'main' panicked at plotly_static/examples/test_chrome_path.rs:19:10:
Failed to build StaticExporter: Failed to spawn new WebDriver on port 4444: Failed to spawn 'chromedriver': Permission denied (os error 13)
note: run with `RUST_BACKTRACE=1` environment variable to display a backtrace

plotly.rs/plotly_static on  main is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $WEBDRIVER_PATH
/nix/store/r7h8rc2np7csi6z3b8vcm32jx4ygk3qi-chromedriver-unwrapped-140.0.7339.80

plotly.rs/plotly_static on  main is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $BROWSER_PATH
/nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80

[Redhawk18]

I feel really stupid I didn't catch this

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $BROWSER_PATH
/nix/store/yyv1f7xl23dfzqgg2vv3plcxqdiw4w1r-google-chrome-140.0.7339.80

school/tars/reception is 📦 v0.1.0 via 🦀 v1.89.0 via ❄  impure (devenv-shell-env) 
❯ echo $WEBDRIVER_PATH
/nix/store/f7yxl59hl7s3225rvk0h8yq93k16i5r1-electron-chromedriver-37.4.0

basically this translates on normal linux to /usr/bin/electron-chromedriver where you want /usr/bin/electron-chromedriver/bin/chromedriver 🤦

works perfectly now

[Redhawk18]

This is the shell the nixos people will need when someone asks in 3-4 years from now

          devenv.shells.default = {

            # https://devenv.sh/reference/options/
            languages.rust.enable = true;
            packages = with pkgs; [
              openssl
            ];

            env = {
              BROWSER_PATH = "${lib.getExe pkgs.google-chrome}";
              WEBDRIVER_PATH = "${lib.getExe pkgs.chromedriver}";
            };

          };