Export in slave notebook

Question

I have a very complicated analysis running on a notebook named Called_notebook.nb which depends on two parameters. To automate the process, I call this notebook in a loop from a master notebook, like this:

Monitor[

 Do[
    Do[

        linked`i = i;
        linked`j = j;
        NotebookEvaluate[NotebookDirectory[] <> "Called_notebook.nb"],      

     {j, 10}],
 {i, 27}],


 {i, j}]

The problem is that the Called_notebook.nb is supposed to export figures to .png files, which does not happen within this approach (that is, the export command works when I run the slave notebook by itself but does not - no file appears - when I run it from the master notebook). I also tried to move the Export command to the master notebook, below the NotebookEvaluate, but then I get an error within the loop.

How can I solve this?

Druid · Answer 1 · 2019-05-02T20:24:27.470

I can present a solution to this issue (as far as I understand it).

The slave.nb notebook generates images dependent on the $i$ and $j$ parameters. The master.nb notebook performs a double loop controlled by the indices $i$ and $j$ calling the slave.nb notebook. Export takes place both from slave.nb and master.np. Exported files differ in their names depending on the location of the export command. They also differ from each other with the indices $i$ and $j$ specified in the name and the form of the image depending on these parameters.

slave.nb:

dir = NotebookDirectory[];
SetDirectory[dir];
image = ImageCompose[Image[RandomReal[{0, 1}, {100*i, 100*j}]], 
  Rasterize[StringJoin["i=", ToString[i], ", j=", ToString[j]], 
   RasterSize -> 75]] (*example i and j - dependant image*)
filename = 
 StringJoin["image-from-slave-", ToString[i], "-", ToString[j], 
  ".png"]
Export[filename, image]

master.nb:

dir = NotebookDirectory[];
SetDirectory[dir];
nb = StringJoin[ToString[NotebookDirectory[]], "slave.nb"];
For[i = 1, i <= 3, i++,
  For[j = 1, j <= 5, j++,
    NotebookEvaluate[nb];
    filename2 = 
     StringJoin["image-from-MASTER-", ToString[i], "-", ToString[j], 
      ".png"];
    Export[filename2, image];
    ];
  ];

Just SAVE these files in the COMMON directory (preferably in an empty folder) and run master.nb.

It turns out that the export runs correctly from both notebooks.

Hi! Thanks for the answer. What you propose is actually exactly my attempt, which does not work. — GaloisFan, May 02 '19 at 20:04
@GaloisFan But it does work! :) Please take the notebooks that I provided above and try. You can also compare your result with my - visible on the screenshot above. — Druid, May 02 '19 at 20:35
So, the only difference between our codes is that you use a for loop while I make use of the Do syntax. Perhaps that is what this is about. Upvoted! — GaloisFan, May 03 '19 at 12:22
@GaloisFan It seemed unlikely. And indeed, after rewriting the code using the loops Do[Do[_,{j,5}],{i,3}] everything still works correctly - export occurs from both notebooks. The difference certainly lies elsewhere. Please check yourself - here is an alternative version of the notebook master.nb: link — Druid, May 03 '19 at 12:46

Chris Degnen · Accepted Answer · 2019-05-02T19:36:24.240

1

Use UsingFrontEnd e.g.

UsingFrontEnd[NotebookEvaluate[NotebookDirectory[] <> "Called_notebook.nb"]]

and possibly

UsingFrontEnd[Do ...
  NotebookEvaluate[NotebookDirectory[] <> "Called_notebook.nb"]]
 ...]

also mentioned here

edited May 02 '19 at 19:36

answered May 02 '19 at 15:44

Chris Degnen

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I'm not sure how to use this. It doesn't look like a command in Mathematica 10. Do I simply put it in the code as you wrote? Thank you! – GaloisFan May 02 '19 at 16:25
Beware that are still lots of bugs in UsingFrontEnd – user5601 May 02 '19 at 16:44
So, I just added UseFrontEnd as you did, but it did not work. – GaloisFan May 02 '19 at 17:01
@user5601 Would you advice its use like this? The solution proposed in the answer did not work. – GaloisFan May 02 '19 at 17:02
Did you mean to use UsingFrontEnd? I think UseFrontEnd is a JLink symbol, not sure what it does. – Jason B. May 02 '19 at 19:17
@JasonB. Yes, quite right. Updated accordingly. – Chris Degnen May 02 '19 at 19:36
@JasonB. fyi https://mathematica.stackexchange.com/a/115340/363 – Chris Degnen May 02 '19 at 19:43
I have actually also tried UsingFrontEnd after your answer. It did not work either. – GaloisFan May 02 '19 at 20:03
Perhaps you ought to give a model example of what Called_notebook.nb does so a full test can be run. – Chris Degnen May 02 '19 at 21:20
My mistake: the solution worked perfectly! The problem was that I had hardcoded the value of i and j in the slave notebook for testing and forgotten about it. Thank you! – GaloisFan May 03 '19 at 12:21
So the trick with UsingFrontEnd[] have nothing to do in this particular case? It was all about $i$ ans $j$ indices controlling the loop. – Druid May 03 '19 at 12:54
@Druid No. The reason I hard coded the i and j in the slave notebook was exactly to test if the notebook would export correctly by itself since it was not doing so when called by the master notebook. – GaloisFan May 03 '19 at 20:10

Export in slave notebook

2 Answers2