Why do I get the error '??? Output argument ‹variable› (and maybe others) not assigned during call to ‹function›.' ?

I am actually trying to run a source code that is termed as FESTIV.m used in Electrical Engineering. It needs another software GAMS to be installed as well and i have installed it as well. now when i am running the festiv.m code. it is giving me this error

Output argument "gamspath" (and maybe others) not assigned during call to "getgamspath".

Error in FESTIV (line 94)

gamspath=getgamspath();

I have attached the festiv.m file.

Answer 1

[Rik]

The error is in getgamspath. Consider this function:

function [output1,output2]=IncorrectFunction
output2=1;
end

Running it results in the error you saw:

answer=IncorrectFunction

Output argument "output1" (and maybe others) not assigned during call to "solution>IncorrectFunction".

Answer 2

[Walter Roberson]

Reading through https://github.com/NREL/FESTIV_MODEL/blob/master/getgamspath.m I can see that that problem can occur under these circumstances:

• file pathfile.txt already exists in the current directory, and has exactly one entry that mentions GAMS, but when you use that entry as a foldername to look for gamside.exe then there is no gamside.exe there. In such a case, the code does not give a warning or message: it just fails to set the output variable gamspath; OR
• file pathfile.txt already exists, and has either more than one entry that mentions GAMS, but when the program asks Windows to CD \ & dir gamside.exe /s then no gamside.exe is found anywhere under \ . This process ignores the contents of pathfile.txt other than to find out that there are multiple GAMS lines. Failure to find the file not strictly imply that gamside.exe does not exist anywhere on the computer: it could mean that it is on a different partition for example.
• file pathfile.txt does not exist in the current directory, or does exist but has no entries that mention GAMS, but when the program asks Windows to CD \ & dir gamside.exe /s then no gamside.exe is found anywhere under \ . This process ignores the contents of pathfile.txt (if it exists at all) other than to find out that there are no GAMS lines. Failure to find the file not strictly imply that gamside.exe does not exist anywhere on the computer: it could mean that it is on a different partition for example.

Note that it is always the current directory that is looked in when getgamspath is invoked.

Probably the most common circumstance is that the pathfile.txt either does not exist or else is empty. The file is created as empty if it does not exist, but after the function finds what it thinks is a possible path, it does not write the path found into the file, so a slow search for the executable would be done all over again...

Answer 3

[Nasir Abbas]

I updated the pathfile.text with the gamside.exe location and then it worked. I am not having the same error again. But now it is giving some other warnings and errors. the screenshot of that error is added.

[Nasir Abbas]

the errors coming after updating the pathfile are

Warning: The value of local variables may have been changed to match the globals. Future versions of MATLAB will require that you

declare a variable to be global before you use that variable.

> In READ_IN_SYSTEM_DATA_FROM_EXCEL (line 8)

In FESTIV (line 114)

Input File: PJM_5_BUS

Reading Input Files...Complete! (00 min, 06.30 s)

Modeling Initial Day-Ahead Unit Commitment...'gams' is not recognized as an internal or external command,

operable program or batch file.

Error using rgdx

File 'TEMP\TOTAL_DASCUCOUTPUT.gdx' not found!

Error in getgamsdata (line 18)

GENSET_TMP = rgdx(input1,gen_rgdx);

Error in RUN_DASCUC (line 23)

=

getgamsdata('TOTAL_DASCUCOUTPUT','DASCUC','YES',GEN,INTERVAL,BUS,BRANCH,RESERVETYPE,SYSTEMVALUE_VAL,RESERVEVALUE_VAL,GENPARAM,STORAGEVALUE_VAL,BRANCHPARAM);

Error in FESTIV (line 209)

RUN_DASCUC;

[Walter Roberson]

It looks like it also needs to know where the gams executable is. I am having difficulty tracing it short of installing all the software, but I recommend that you add the directory containing gams.exe to your MS Window PATH environment variable. https://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm

[Nasir Abbas]

I already had added the gams path to the enviroment varaiuables. but i again rechecked it and the path is added.

maybe the error is coming because the exectable file name is gamsidea while it is looking for gams.

i dont know. i just want to remove these errors as early as possible

[Nasir Abbas]

see the paths are added

[Walter Roberson]

gamside is a user interface, that depends upon gams.exe to do the work.

The installation discussion at https://www.gams.com/36/docs/UG_WIN_INSTALL.html has a mention of an executable named gams near the bottom of the page, which implies that gams.exe is expected to be there.

[Nasir Abbas]

i read the whole installation notes for windows but i did not found anything related gams.exe rather they talked about studio..exe.

can the newer verions of softwares be the reason these errors.