nix-matlab/README.adoc

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= Matlab for Nix users
:source-highlighter: rouge
This repo is a collection of files that should help Nix and NixOS users install Matlab imperatively.
== Install
Like any other Matlab user, you should first go to your Matlab account on
Mathworks' website, at: https://www.mathworks.com/mwaccount/ and download the
installation zip file. Extract the zip file and note the `install` executable
you just extracted. To run that file, you'll need to get into a FHS environment
that a nix-shell will provide.
=== Run `matlab-shell` with an unstable Nix
....
nix run gitlab:doronbehar/nix-matlab#matlab-shell
....
=== Run `matlab-shell` with +++<s>stable</s>+++ legacy Nix
....
git clone https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nix-matlab
cd nix-matlab
nix-shell
....
=== Installation of Matlab itself
From inside the FHS shell, follow the following steps:
include::./install.adoc[]
IMPORTANT: Due to a not fully understood issue in Matlab, you might experience
difficulty openning text files in Matlab's editor. The symptoms are described
https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/1815470-matlab-live-editor-unable-to-open-this-file-in-the-current-system-configuration[here],
along with the
https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/1815470-matlab-live-editor-unable-to-open-this-file-in-the-current-system-configuration#answer_1079558[solution].
=== Adding `matlab` executables to your system
With what was done now, you run Matlab from the command line with:
....
# Legacy nix users (inside a clone of this repo)
$(nix-build)/bin/matlab
# Flake nix users (without cloning)
nix run gitlab:doronbehar/nix-matlab
....
But it's likely you'd like to make Matlab's FHS environment survive garbage
collections and add a desktop launcher to your system. To do that you can
follow one of the following paths according to your setup.
==== For NixOS users with a flakes setup
[source,nix]
----
inputs = {
# ...
nix-matlab = {
# Recommended if you also override the default nixpkgs flake, common among
# nixos-unstable users:
#inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
url = "gitlab:doronbehar/nix-matlab";
};
# ...
outputs = { self, nixpkgs, nix-matlab }:
let
flake-overlays = [
nix-matlab.overlay
];
in {
nixosConfigurations = (
HOSTNAME = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem {
modules = [ (import ./configuration.nix flake-overlays) ]
};
};
};
};
----
And in `./configuration.nix`:
[source,nix]
----
# All overlays given by flakes
flake-overlays:
{ config, pkgs, options, lib, ... }:
{
nixpkgs.overlays = [
(
final: prev: {
# Your own overlays...
}
)
] ++ flake-overlays;
}
----
Example evaluated
https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nixos-configs/-/blob/e28b5aaf86f21202a2b7daa05b098ee5ed85de6f/flake.nix#L5-16[here]
and
https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nixos-configs/-/blob/e28b5aaf86f21202a2b7daa05b098ee5ed85de6f/configuration.nix#L74[here].
==== For NixOS users without a flakes setup
The following setup should also fit flake NixOS users.
Add to your `configration.nix` (untested, but should work):
[source,nix]
----
nixpkgs.overlays = let
nix-matlab = import (builtins.fetchTarball "https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nix-matlab/-/archive/master/nix-matlab-master.tar.gz");
in [
nix-matlab.overlay
(
final: prev: {
# Your own overlays...
}
)
];
----
==== Home Manager setup
TODO
==== Usage in Other Flakes / `shell.nix`
Some people may wish to not install matlab globally, and only making it part of
the `buildInputs` of their project. Usually this paradigm follows along with
https://direnv.net/[`direnv`]
+ https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Development_environment_with_nix-shell#Using_Direnv[`shell.nix`]
/ https://nixos.wiki/wiki/Flakes#Direnv_integration[`flake.nix`] setup. For
example you can create in your project a `shell.nix`, or define `devShell` in
your `flake.nix` similarly to this:
[source,nix]
----
{ pkgs, nix-matlab }:
pkgs.mkShell {
buildInputs = (with nix-matlab.packages.x86_64-linux; [
matlab
matlab-mlint
matlab-mex
]);
# Define C include path env vars for c development
shellHook = nix-matlab.shellHooksCommon;
}
----
Note that Matlab still needs to be installed in a user-writeable location for
this `shellHook` to work, as explained xref:#user-content-install[here].
==== Adding packages to matlab's environment
Another non-trivial example usage of this flake, somewhat similar to the above,
is to create a matlab development environment that includes external tools that
you want to run from within matlab. The following `flake.nix` uses nix-matlab
as an input flake and adds lammps package to the FHS environment. With this
flake, you can run `nix develop` and run `system('lmp')` from within matlab's
CLI:
[source,nix]
----
{
description = "Matlab fhs environment with lammps included, uses gitlab:doronbehar/nix-matlab";
inputs = {
# https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nix-matlab
nix-matlab = {
url = "gitlab:doronbehar/nix-matlab";
inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
};
nixpkgs = {
url = "github:nixos/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
};
};
outputs = { self
, nixpkgs
, nix-matlab
}: let
pkgs = import nixpkgs {
system = "x86_64-linux";
};
in {
packages.x86_64-linux = {
matlab-lammps = pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {
name = "matlab-lammps";
targetPkgs = ps: (nix-matlab.targetPkgs ps ++ [
pkgs.lammps
]);
runScript = pkgs.writeScript "matlab-lammps" (nix-matlab.shellHooksCommon + ''
exec $MATLAB_INSTALL_DIR/bin/matlab "$@"
'');
meta = {
description = "MATLAB with lammps included in FHS environment";
};
};
matlab-lammps-shell = pkgs.buildFHSUserEnv {
name = "matlab-lammps-shell";
targetPkgs = ps: (nix-matlab.targetPkgs ps ++ [
pkgs.lammps
]);
runScript = pkgs.writeScript "matlab-lammps" (nix-matlab.shellHooksCommon + ''
echo matlab is installed in $MATLAB_INSTALL_DIR/bin/matlab
exec bash
'');
meta = {
description = "MATLAB shell with lammps included in FHS environment";
};
};
};
devShell.x86_64-linux = pkgs.mkShell {
buildInputs = [
self.packages.x86_64-linux.matlab-lammps-shell
];
# From some reason using the attribute matlab-shell directly as the
# devShell doesn't make it run like that by default.
shellHook = ''
exec matlab-lammps-shell
'';
};
};
}
----
== FAQ
=== Matlab says that my license was installed for a different Host ID, why does it happen?
I haven't had reports of this issue by users of this repo, but I experience it
myself sometimes, and I think it's a good thing to include in this README. I
use Gnome with NetworkManager on my laptop, and rarely I use USB tethering with
my Android. From some reason while I'm tethered, I get the following error when
I launch matlab from the command line:
----
The hostid of your computer ("000000000000 111111111111") does not match the hostid of the license
file (XXXXXXXXXXXX).
----
I get this error although I set in my `/etc/nixos/configuration.nix`:
[source,nix]
----
networking.hostId = "6b216943" # fake id
----
As explained in the https://www.mathworks.com/support/lme/R2021a/9[link in the
full error message], I can reactivate the license and not go again through the
whole installation procedure. But I will be required to reactivate the license
again afterwards when I switch again to WiFi internet connection. It's somewhat
annoying, and I haven't found a solution / explanation why does my host id
changes when I switch to a wired connection.
== Previous work / Credits
Core parts of this repo are based on
https://github.com/tviti/nix-cfg/tree/e6531426e86273e450c6133a0deae9008411fffd/pkgs/matlab[@tviti's
work]. My part was making it a bit more accessible for modern Nix flake setup,
and making the shell and steps a bit more approachable.
The idea for a `shellHooksCommon` was by
https://gitlab.com/DavidRConnell[@DavidRConnell], first discussed in
https://gitlab.com/doronbehar/nix-matlab/-/merge_requests/1#note_631741222[!1].