In R-4.2.0 on windows, package 'stats' in options("defaultPackages") was not found.

Using R version 4.2.0 on Windows, this prior issue with loading stats.dll https://github.com/rdotnet/rdotnet/issues/127 seems to have resurfaced.

Here, I show that rnorm works with R 4.0.2 but fails with R 4.2.0.

Works with old R version 4.0.2

#r "nuget: R.NET"
open RDotNet

REngine.SetEnvironmentVariables("c:/program files/r/r-4.0.2/bin/x64", "c:/program files/r/r-4.0.2")
let  engine = REngine.GetInstance()
engine.Evaluate("set.seed(1);rnorm(1)").AsNumeric()
// val it: NumericVector = seq [-0.6264538107]

Fails with R version 4.2.0

#r "nuget: R.NET"
open RDotNet

REngine.SetEnvironmentVariables("c:/program files/r/r-4.2.0/bin/x64", "c:/program files/r/r-4.2.0")
let  engine = REngine.GetInstance()
(*
During startup - Warning message:
package 'stats' in options("defaultPackages") was not found 
val engine: REngine
*)
engine.Evaluate("set.seed(1);rnorm(1)").AsNumeric()
(*
Error in rnorm(1) : could not find function "rnorm"
In addition: Warning message:
'memory.limit()' is no longer supported
RDotNet.EvaluationException: Error in rnorm(1) : could not find function "rnorm"

   at RDotNet.REngine.Parse(String statement, StringBuilder incompleteStatement, REnvironment environment)
   at RDotNet.REngine.Defer(String statement, REnvironment environment)+MoveNext()
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.TryGetLast[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source, Boolean& found)
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.LastOrDefault[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)
   at RDotNet.REngine.Evaluate(String statement, REnvironment environment)
   at <StartupCode$FSI_0005>.$FSI_0005.main@()
Stopped due to error
*)

> engine.Evaluate("library(stats)").AsCharacter()
(*
Error: package or namespace load failed for 'stats' in inDL(x, as.logical(local), as.logical(now), ...):
 unable to load shared object 'C:/Program Files/R/R-4.2.0/library/stats/libs/x64/stats.dll':
  LoadLibrary failure:  The specified module could not be found.
RDotNet.EvaluationException: Error: package or namespace load failed for 'stats' in inDL(x, as.logical(local), as.logical(now), ...):
 unable to load shared object 'C:/Program Files/R/R-4.2.0/library/stats/libs/x64/stats.dll':
  LoadLibrary failure:  The specified module could not be found.

   at RDotNet.REngine.Parse(String statement, StringBuilder incompleteStatement, REnvironment environment)
   at RDotNet.REngine.Defer(String statement, REnvironment environment)+MoveNext()
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.TryGetLast[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source, Boolean& found)
   at System.Linq.Enumerable.LastOrDefault[TSource](IEnumerable`1 source)
   at RDotNet.REngine.Evaluate(String statement, REnvironment environment)
   at <StartupCode$FSI_0006>.$FSI_0006.main@()
Stopped due to error
*)

[lrasmus]

Workarounds that are available:

1. Add C:\Program Files\R\R-4.2.0\bin\x64 to the PATH environment variable using the standard Windows System Properties > Environment Variables
2. Update C:\Program Files\R\R-4.2.0\library\base\R\Rprofile (per earlier comment)
3. In calling application, immediately call engine.Evaluate("Sys.setenv(PATH = paste(\"C:/Program Files/R/R-4.2.0/bin/x64\", Sys.getenv(\"PATH\"), sep=\";\"))"); after initializing REngine (per earlier comment)

[lrasmus]

Awesome find @nhirschey!!! Thanks so much. rdotnet doesn’t itself explicitly call Rcmd_environ. I tried editing that file to update the PATH, and it didn’t appear to pick up my changed path. Even going so far as to remove that file entirely didn’t seem to make a difference for when rdotnet runs. I think that is only used for R CMD invocation.

But along those lines, I think the PATH changes are being made in C:\Program Files\R\R-4.2.0\library\base\R\Rprofile. At the bottom of that file, there is code to update the path with RTools. I can also edit it as such and have it work:

local({
    setRtools42Path <- 0
     setRtools42Path <- 1

    if (setRtools42Path) {
        rthome <- Sys.getenv("RTOOLS42_HOME", "c:/rtools42")
        rtpath <- paste0(rthome, "/x86_64-w64-mingw32.static.posix/bin;",
                         rthome, "/usr/bin")
        path <- Sys.getenv("R_CUSTOM_TOOLS_PATH", rtpath)
	## ADDED rbin
	rbin <- paste0(Sys.getenv("R_HOME"), "/bin/x64")
        Sys.setenv(R_RTOOLS42_PATH = rtpath)
	## UPDATED
        Sys.setenv(PATH = paste0(rbin, ";", path, ";", Sys.getenv("PATH")))
    }
})