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Error with psconvert finding gswin64

See original GitHub issue

Description of the problem

Trying to save or show a figure results in an error with ghostscript (gs) not found with a fresh conda install on Windows 10. This is with following the installation instructions at https://github.com/GenericMappingTools/pygmt/blob/v0.2.1/CONTRIBUTING.md#setting-up-your-environment. Note sure if there’s something wrong with the conda gmt package at https://github.com/conda-forge/gmt-feedstock?

Full code that generated the error

pytest --verbose -x

Full error message

(pygmt) PS H:\github\pygmt> pytest --verbose -x
======================================== test session starts ========================================
platform win32 -- Python 3.8.6, pytest-6.2.2, py-1.10.0, pluggy-0.13.1 -- C:\Users\username\.conda\envs
\pygmt\python.exe
cachedir: .pytest_cache
Matplotlib: 3.3.4
Freetype: 2.10.4
rootdir: H:\github\pygmt, configfile: pyproject.toml
plugins: cov-2.11.1, mpl-0.12
collected 0 items / 1 error

============================================== ERRORS ===============================================
________________________ ERROR collecting examples/gallery/coast/borders.py _________________________
examples\gallery\coast\borders.py:25: in <module>
    fig.show()
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\figure.py:277: in show
    png = self._preview(
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\figure.py:349: in _preview
    self.savefig(fname, dpi=dpi, **kwargs)
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\figure.py:232: in savefig
    self.psconvert(prefix=prefix, fmt=fmt, crop=crop, **kwargs)
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\helpers\decorators.py:267: in new_module
    return module_func(*args, **kwargs)
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\helpers\decorators.py:411: in new_module
    return module_func(*args, **kwargs)
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\figure.py:173: in psconvert
    lib.call_module("psconvert", build_arg_string(kwargs))
H:\github\pygmt\pygmt\clib\session.py:503: in call_module
    raise GMTCLibError(
E   pygmt.exceptions.GMTCLibError: Module 'psconvert' failed with status code 78:
E   psconvert [ERROR]: System call [@gswin64c -q -dNOSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=bbox -DPSL_no_pa
gefill -dMaxBitmap=2147483647 -dUseFastColor=true "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13356/gm
t_1.ps-" 2> "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13356/psconvert_12992c.bb"] returned error 1.
------------------------------------------ Captured stderr ------------------------------------------
The system cannot find the path specified.
The system cannot find the path specified.
psconvert [ERROR]: System call [@gswin64c -q -dNOSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=bbox -DPSL_no_pagefi
ll -dMaxBitmap=2147483647 -dUseFastColor=true "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13356/gmt_1.
ps-" 2> "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13356/psconvert_12992c.bb"] returned error 1.
====================================== short test summary info ======================================
ERROR examples/gallery/coast/borders.py - pygmt.exceptions.GMTCLibError: Module 'psconvert' failed ...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! stopping after 1 failures !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
========================================= 1 error in 2.92s ==========================================

I’ve hit this issue a few times now since late last year, and had a friend who had a similar issue with not finding ghostscript last month, and I think the workaround he did was to manually download the ghostscript executable (gswin32.exe?) and place it at the right path. Not sure if it’s a problem with our university’s Windows system (we have funny network drives) or something with the gmt conda package not linking to ghostscript properly. This looks similar-ish to issue #393

Edit: Might be an upstream gmt issue actually. Running pure GMT doesn’t work either:

gmt basemap -R0/1/0/1 -JX1 -Baf -Vi -png map

begin [INFORMATION]: Creating a workflow directory C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13584
basemap [INFORMATION]: Constructing the basemap
basemap [INFORMATION]: Auto-frame interval for x-axis (item 0): a0.2f0.1
basemap [INFORMATION]: Auto-frame interval for y-axis (item 0): a0.2f0.1
basemap [INFORMATION]: Map scale is 0.001 km per cm or 1:100.
end [INFORMATION]: Process GMT figure queue: 1 figures found
end [INFORMATION]: Processing GMT figure #0 [map png ]
The system cannot find the path specified.
psconvert [INFORMATION]: Processing C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13584/gmt_0.ps-...
psconvert [INFORMATION]: Find HiResBoundingBox ...
The system cannot find the path specified.
psconvert [ERROR]: System call [@"C:/Users/username/.conda/envs/pygmt/Library/bin/gswin64c.exe" -q -dNOSAFER -dNOPAUSE -dBATCH -sDEVICE=bbox -DPSL_no_pagefill -dMaxBitmap=2147483647 -dUseFastColor=true "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13584/gmt_0.ps-" 2> "C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13584/psconvert_12268c.bb"] returned error 1.
end [ERROR]: Failed to call psconvert
end [ERROR]: gmtinit_process_figures returned error 78
end [INFORMATION]: Destroying the current workflow directory C:/Users/username/.gmt/sessions/gmt_session.13584
basemap [ERROR]: Unable to call module end for a one-liner plot.

System information

Please paste the output of python -c "import pygmt; pygmt.show_versions()":

PyGMT information:
  version: v0.2.2.dev90+g8e2b3691
System information:
  python: 3.8.6 | packaged by conda-forge | (default, Jan 25 2021, 22:54:47) [MSC v.1916 64 bit (AMD64)]
  executable: C:\Users\username\.conda\envs\pygmt\python.exe
  machine: Windows-10-10.0.16299-SP0
Dependency information:
  numpy: 1.19.5
  pandas: 1.2.1
  xarray: 0.16.2
  netCDF4: 1.5.5.1
  packaging: 20.8
  ghostscript: 9.53.3
  gmt: 6.1.1
GMT library information:
  binary dir: C:/Users/username/.conda/envs/pygmt
  cores: 6
  grid layout: rows
  library path: C:/Users/username/.conda/envs/pygmt/Library/bin/gmt.dll
  padding: 2
  plugin dir: C:/Users/username/.conda/envs/pygmt/Library/bin/gmt_plugins
  share dir: C:/Users/username/.conda/envs/pygmt/Library/share/gmt
  version: 6.1.1