Allan Costa

☰

A quick fix for some IPython notebook IOErrors

Sep 04, 2015

It says some files are missing, like a custom.js.

I had a working version of IPython running in Ubuntu 14.04, but today I found an error when starting a notebook from it.

The error is pretty simple and has a quick fix for it:

$ ipython notebook
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/bin/ipython", line 11, in <module>
    sys.exit(start_ipython())
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/__init__.py", line 118, in start_ipython
    return launch_new_instance(argv=argv, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 591, in launch_instance
    app.initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/terminal/ipapp.py", line 305, in initialize
    super(TerminalIPythonApp, self).initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/core/application.py", line 386, in initialize
    self.parse_command_line(argv)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/terminal/ipapp.py", line 300, in parse_command_line
    return super(TerminalIPythonApp, self).parse_command_line(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in parse_command_line
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 487, in parse_command_line
    return self.initialize_subcommand(subc, subargv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize_subcommand
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 425, in initialize_subcommand
    self.subapp.initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/notebook/notebookapp.py", line 1001, in initialize
    super(NotebookApp, self).initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/application.py", line 243, in initialize
    self.migrate_config()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/application.py", line 169, in migrate_config
    migrate()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/migrate.py", line 230, in migrate
    if migrate_static_custom(custom_src, custom_dst):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/migrate.py", line 152, in migrate_static_custom
    with open(custom_js) as f:
IOError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/home/allan/.ipython/profile_default/static/custom/custom.js'

The error message in the last line is pretty clear.

The problem is I don’t want to use any custom Javascript, so a dirty hack was to create an empty file with the name Ipython wanted:

$ touch /home/allan/.ipython/profile_default/static/custom/custom.js

That fixed this first exception problem, but then it complained about another file:

$ ipython notebook
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/bin/ipython", line 11, in <module>
    sys.exit(start_ipython())
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/__init__.py", line 118, in start_ipython
    return launch_new_instance(argv=argv, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 591, in launch_instance
    app.initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/terminal/ipapp.py", line 305, in initialize
    super(TerminalIPythonApp, self).initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/core/application.py", line 386, in initialize
    self.parse_command_line(argv)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/IPython/terminal/ipapp.py", line 300, in parse_command_line
    return super(TerminalIPythonApp, self).parse_command_line(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in parse_command_line
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 487, in parse_command_line
    return self.initialize_subcommand(subc, subargv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize_subcommand
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 425, in initialize_subcommand
    self.subapp.initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/notebook/notebookapp.py", line 1001, in initialize
    super(NotebookApp, self).initialize(argv)
  File "<string>", line 2, in initialize
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/traitlets/config/application.py", line 75, in catch_config_error
    return method(app, *args, **kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/application.py", line 243, in initialize
    self.migrate_config()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/application.py", line 169, in migrate_config
    migrate()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/migrate.py", line 230, in migrate
    if migrate_static_custom(custom_src, custom_dst):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python2.7/dist-packages/jupyter_core/migrate.py", line 152, in migrate_static_custom
    with open(custom_css) as f:
IOError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/home/allan/.ipython/profile_default/static/custom/custom.css'

That simple hack worked again:

$ touch /home/allan/.ipython/profile_default/static/custom/custom.css

Now I have Ipython notebook up and running without further problems.

Written by Allan Costa

Dual boot on a SDD
I did a rm -r /bin!