8:41 a.m.
Dear Colleagues,
I am having problems running a simple Gretl script to retrieve variables
from the FRED database. The script works perfectly when I run it on a
Mac, but when I run it on my Ubuntu 24.04 it fails on the line:
foreign language=R --send-data
under Ubuntu it generates the following output:
gretl version 2023c
Current session: 2025-10-13 10:15
? foreign language=R --send-data
? print("before loading libraries)
? library(fredr)
? print("loaded fredr)
? library(eFRED)
? print("loaded Fred libraries")
? source("functions/data_management.R")
? print("loaded functions")
? Fd <- Fred_data(gretldata$SLIST)
? Fdata <- Fd[[1]]
? write.csv(Fdata, "temp/FRED_full_from_R.csv", row.names = FALSE)
? end foreign
/home/roland/.gretl/R.msg: No such file or directory
If I create a dummy R.msg then I get the following output:
gretl version 2023c
Current session: 2025-10-13 10:15
? foreign language=R --send-data
? print("before loading libraries)
? library(fredr)
? print("loaded fredr)
? library(eFRED)
? print("loaded Fred libraries")
? source("functions/data_management.R")
? print("loaded functions")
? Fd <- Fred_data(gretldata$SLIST)
? Fdata <- Fd[[1]]
? write.csv(Fdata, "temp/FRED_full_from_R.csv", row.names = FALSE)
? end foreign
4th test
External command failed
If I run the Gretl script on the Mac it retrieves the variables.
I included the print statements for debugging purposes and they seem to
indicate that nothing is executed beyond the foreign language line.
If I run the R script from R on Ubuntu it also works.
The only difference between the Ubuntu and Mac versions is that Ubuntu
uses Gretl 2023c and the Mac uses Gretl 2025c.
Any suggestions would be very welcome.
Thanks,
Roland
8:45 a.m.
Am 13.10.25 um 10:41 schrieb Roland Clarke:
The only difference between the Ubuntu and Mac versions is that Ubuntu
uses Gretl 2023c and the Mac uses Gretl 2025c.
Any suggestions would be very welcome.
Hi Roland,
My immediate suggestion would be to update Gretl to a more recent
version if possible. If not, some further investigation is needed (let's
wait for the response of others).
Artur
9:12 a.m.
Hi Artur,
Thanks very much for the quick response. The reason my Ubuntu has Gretl 2023c is because
this is the repository version and I do not feel confident to compile the 2025b version.
If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with a Hansl script that
would be an even better option (The copy of the FRED database included with Gretl
unfortunately does not have all the variables which I need).
Many thanks,
Roland
On 13 Oct 2025, at 10:45, Artur T. <atecon(a)posteo.de> wrote:
Am 13.10.25 um 10:41 schrieb Roland Clarke:
>
> The only difference between the Ubuntu and Mac versions is that Ubuntu uses Gretl
2023c and the Mac uses Gretl 2025c.
>
> Any suggestions would be very welcome.
Hi Roland,
My immediate suggestion would be to update Gretl to a more recent version if possible. If
not, some further investigation is needed (let's wait for the response of others).
Artur
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11:48 a.m.
Am 13.10.2025 um 11:12 schrieb Roland Clarke:
If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with
a Hansl script that would be an even better option (The copy of the FRED database included
with Gretl unfortunately does not have all the variables which I need).
Indeed, let's try to grab the data without the R detour. In general it
would also help if you tell us what series you need.
Please try to update the Fred database within gretl, maybe that gives
you what you are looking for: Menu File/Databases/On server, a new
window opens, please check the entry "fedstl" there and re-download to
update.
cheers
sven
11:58 a.m.
On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 4:42 AM Roland Clarke <rolandclarke97(a)icloud.com> wrote:
Dear Colleagues,
I am having problems running a simple Gretl script to retrieve variables
from the FRED database. The script works perfectly when I run it on a
Mac, but when I run it on my Ubuntu 24.04 it fails on the line:
foreign language=R --send-data
under Ubuntu it generates the following output:
gretl version 2023c
Current session: 2025-10-13 10:15
? foreign language=R --send-data
? print("before loading libraries)
? library(fredr)
? print("loaded fredr)
? library(eFRED)
? print("loaded Fred libraries")
? source("functions/data_management.R")
? print("loaded functions")
? Fd <- Fred_data(gretldata$SLIST)
? Fdata <- Fd[[1]]
? write.csv(Fdata, "temp/FRED_full_from_R.csv", row.names = FALSE)
? end foreign
/home/roland/.gretl/R.msg: No such file or directory
Roland, can you tell us, where is "functions/data_management.R" coming
from, and what's the content of gretldata$SLIST? As things stand we're
not in a position to replicate this issue. I'd also note, there are
some unclosed quotes above that would presumably halt execution in R,
but maybe that's just a matter of transcription.
Allin Cottrell
12:04 p.m.
On 13/10/2025 11:12, Roland Clarke wrote:
Hi Artur,
Thanks very much for the quick response. The reason my Ubuntu has Gretl 2023c is because
this is the repository version and I do not feel confident to compile the 2025b version.
If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with a Hansl script that
would be an even better option (The copy of the FRED database included with Gretl
unfortunately does not have all the variables which I need).
I've been thinking about a function package for grabbing data from FRED
(similar to yahoo_get) for a while. I think I have a relatively clear
idea on how to proceed.
When I have a prototype, I'll send a message to the list.
-------------------------------------------------------
Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali (DiSES)
Università Politecnica delle Marche
(formerly known as Università di Ancona)
r.lucchetti(a)univpm.it
http://www2.econ.univpm.it/servizi/hpp/lucchetti
-------------------------------------------------------
12:08 p.m.
Am 13.10.25 um 14:04 schrieb Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti:
On 13/10/2025 11:12, Roland Clarke wrote:
> Hi Artur,
>
> Thanks very much for the quick response. The reason my Ubuntu has
> Gretl 2023c is because this is the repository version and I do not
> feel confident to compile the 2025b version.
>
> If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with
> a Hansl script that would be an even better option (The copy of the
> FRED database included with Gretl unfortunately does not have all the
> variables which I need).
I've been thinking about a function package for grabbing data from
FRED (similar to yahoo_get) for a while. I think I have a relatively
clear idea on how to proceed.
When I have a prototype, I'll send a message to the list.
That would be great, jack! Currently, I am grabbing series via bash +
wget (simply downloading csv files), before importing to gretl.
Maybe some helpful resources for you, Jack:
https://github.com/mortada/fredapi
https://fred.stlouisfed.org/docs/api/fred/
Artur
1:08 p.m.
Hi Allin,
I realise that I didn’t give all the information. I attach a zipped minimal version, in
which the source line has been replaced by the explicit R function which I use to retrieve
the data. You will see that the initial dataset contains three string series in which the
first variable SLIST is a list of variables to be downloaded from the FRED database. I
have reduced this to three, and taken out other irrelevant material in the script. The
datafile from which the script reads the variables is in the directory test/data.
As I mentioned this script works perfectly on a Mac with Gretl 2025b but fails in Ubuntu
24.04 with Gretl 2023c.
I hope this give the necessary information.
Many thanks for any suggestions,
Roland
On 13 Oct 2025, at 13:58, Cottrell, Allin <cottrell(a)wfu.edu>
wrote:
On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 4:42 AM Roland Clarke <rolandclarke97(a)icloud.com> wrote:
>
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I am having problems running a simple Gretl script to retrieve variables
> from the FRED database. The script works perfectly when I run it on a
> Mac, but when I run it on my Ubuntu 24.04 it fails on the line:
>
> foreign language=R --send-data
>
> under Ubuntu it generates the following output:
>
> gretl version 2023c
> Current session: 2025-10-13 10:15
>
> ? foreign language=R --send-data
> ? print("before loading libraries)
> ? library(fredr)
> ? print("loaded fredr)
> ? library(eFRED)
> ? print("loaded Fred libraries")
> ? source("functions/data_management.R")
> ? print("loaded functions")
> ? Fd <- Fred_data(gretldata$SLIST)
> ? Fdata <- Fd[[1]]
> ? write.csv(Fdata, "temp/FRED_full_from_R.csv", row.names = FALSE)
> ? end foreign
> /home/roland/.gretl/R.msg: No such file or directory
Roland, can you tell us, where is "functions/data_management.R" coming
from, and what's the content of gretldata$SLIST? As things stand we're
not in a position to replicate this issue. I'd also note, there are
some unclosed quotes above that would presumably halt execution in R,
but maybe that's just a matter of transcription.
Allin Cottrell
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1:09 p.m.
Hi Riccardo,
That would be really great. I was looking at the FRED interface, and it looks possible,
but I am only just starting to use Hansl, and so could not see how to do it.
Thanks,
Roland
On 13 Oct 2025, at 14:04, Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
<p002264(a)staff.univpm.it> wrote:
On 13/10/2025 11:12, Roland Clarke wrote:
> Hi Artur,
>
> Thanks very much for the quick response. The reason my Ubuntu has Gretl 2023c is
because this is the repository version and I do not feel confident to compile the 2025b
version.
>
> If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with a Hansl script
that would be an even better option (The copy of the FRED database included with Gretl
unfortunately does not have all the variables which I need).
I've been thinking about a function package for grabbing data from FRED (similar to
yahoo_get) for a while. I think I have a relatively clear idea on how to proceed.
When I have a prototype, I'll send a message to the list.
-------------------------------------------------------
Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali (DiSES)
Università Politecnica delle Marche
(formerly known as Università di Ancona)
r.lucchetti(a)univpm.it
http://www2.econ.univpm.it/servizi/hpp/lucchetti
-------------------------------------------------------
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2:33 p.m.
Hi Sven,
Thanks very much for your reply. The series which I am trying to download from the FRED
database are the following:
CPIAUCSL Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average, SA
from 1947
CPIAUCNS Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers: All Items in U.S. City Average, NSA
from 1913
FEDFUNDS Monthy Federal Funds rate Dec 1914-2025, annual %, from FRED (FEDFUNDS)
GS2 Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 2-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an
Investment Basis
GS10 Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 10-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an
Investment Basis
GS30 Market Yield on U.S. Treasury Securities at 30-Year Constant Maturity, Quoted on an
Investment Basis
UNRATE Unemployment Rate
M1SL M1 (US)
M2SL M2 (US)
BOGMBASE Monetary Base (US)
MABMM301USM189S M3 for United States
GBRCPIALLMINMEI Consumer Price Index: Total for United Kingdom
SCPIUKM Spliced Consumer Price index in the United Kingdom
BOERUKM Bank of England Policy Rate in the United Kingdom
IRLTLT01GBM156N Long-Term Government Bond Yields: 10-Year: United Kingdom
MTGB10UKM 10 Year Government Bond Yields in the United Kingdom (Historic series)
YCLTUK Consol (Long-Term Bond) Yields in the United Kingdom
AURUKM Unemployment Rate in the United Kingdom
LRHUTTTTGBM156S Infra-Annual Labor Statistics: Monthly Unemployment Rate Total: 15 Years
or over for United Kingdom
MBM0UKM Monetary Base M0 in the United Kingdom
MANMM101GBM189S Monetary Aggregates and Their Components: Narrow Money and Components: M1
and Components: M1 for United Kingdom
MABMM201GBM189S M2 for the United Kingdom (DISCONTINUED)
DEUCPIALLMINMEI Consumer Price Indices (CPIs, HICPs), COICOP 1999: Consumer Price Index:
Total for Germany
INTDSRDEM193N Interest Rates, Discount Rate for Germany
IRLTLT01DEM156N Interest Rates: Long-Term Government Bond Yields: 10-Year: Main (Including
Benchmark) for Germany
ECBDFR ECB Deposit Facility Rate for Euro Area
IR3TIB01DEM156N Interest Rates: 3-Month or 90-Day Rates and Yields: Interbank Rates: Total
for Germany
IRLTCT01DEM156N Interest Rates: Long-Term Government Bond Yields: Combined Terms: Total
for Germany
The first 9 are available in the Gretl version of the FRED database. The rest are not. I
have updated the Gretl database. It looks as if the Gretl version only has US data, and
this is only up to April 2025. The ideal would be able to write a script to directly
address the FRED as Riccardo has suggested.
Many thanks,
Roland
On 13 Oct 2025, at 13:48, Sven Schreiber
<sven.schreiber(a)fu-berlin.de> wrote:
Am 13.10.2025 um 11:12 schrieb Roland Clarke:
> If anybody can suggest how to access the FRED database directly with a Hansl script
that would be an even better option (The copy of the FRED database included with Gretl
unfortunately does not have all the variables which I need).
Indeed, let's try to grab the data without the R detour. In general it would also
help if you tell us what series you need.
Please try to update the Fred database within gretl, maybe that gives you what you are
looking for: Menu File/Databases/On server, a new window opens, please check the entry
"fedstl" there and re-download to update.
cheers
sven
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4:53 p.m.
On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 9:09 AM Roland Clarke <rolandclarke97(a)icloud.com> wrote:
Hi Allin,
I realise that I didn’t give all the information. I attach a zipped minimal version, in
which the source line has been replaced by the explicit R function which I use to retrieve
the data. You will see that the initial dataset contains three string series in which the
first variable SLIST is a list of variables to be downloaded from the FRED database. I
have reduced this to three, and taken out other irrelevant material in the script. The
datafile from which the script reads the variables is in the directory test/data.
As I mentioned this script works perfectly on a Mac with Gretl 2025b but fails in Ubuntu
24.04 with Gretl 2023c.
I hope this gives the necessary information.
It does indeed, thanks!
I find that your test script runs fine, both with current gretl and
with gretl 2023c as built today from the historic sources using
current gcc. I'm afraid I'm not in a position to test with the
original Debian build of 2023c, but actually there wouldn't be much
point in that since there's nothing we can do to fix a release from
two years ago, even if we could replicate a problem and figure out its
cause.
Anyway, I hope that Jack's new hansl code does what you need.
Allin
5:06 p.m.
On 13/10/2025 18:53, Cottrell, Allin wrote:
I find that your test script runs fine, both with current gretl and
with gretl 2023c as built today from the historic sources using
current gcc. I'm afraid I'm not in a position to test with the
original Debian build of 2023c, but actually there wouldn't be much
point in that since there's nothing we can do to fix a release from
two years ago, even if we could replicate a problem and figure out its
cause.
If you're feeling adventurous, you could download the current deb file
from debian testing <https://packages.debian.org/testing/math/gretl> and
install it by hand via the dpkg command, along with its dependencies.
Alternatively, there's a bash script that makes building gretl on linux
machines relatively straightforward. Go to the main gretl webpage
<https://gretl.sourceforge.net/> and look for the words "However, if
you're on Linux and want to build current gretl". I know of quite a few
people that use this script to compensate for the fact that the version
of gretl you get on some distros, such as Ubuntu, may be quite old.
--
-------------------------------------------------------
Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti
Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali (DiSES)
Università Politecnica delle Marche
(formerly known as Università di Ancona)
r.lucchetti(a)univpm.it
http://www2.econ.univpm.it/servizi/hpp/lucchetti
-------------------------------------------------------
5:38 p.m.
Hi Allin,
Thanks very much to you and to Jack. Jack’s new Hansl code does exactly what I want. I am
still doing a few tests on it (and trying to understand some the subtle details) but so
far it is working really well.
Thanks,
Roland
On 13 Oct 2025, at 18:53, Cottrell, Allin <cottrell(a)wfu.edu>
wrote:
On Mon, Oct 13, 2025 at 9:09 AM Roland Clarke <rolandclarke97(a)icloud.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Allin,
>
> I realise that I didn’t give all the information. I attach a zipped minimal version,
in which the source line has been replaced by the explicit R function which I use to
retrieve the data. You will see that the initial dataset contains three string series in
which the first variable SLIST is a list of variables to be downloaded from the FRED
database. I have reduced this to three, and taken out other irrelevant material in the
script. The datafile from which the script reads the variables is in the directory
test/data.
>
> As I mentioned this script works perfectly on a Mac with Gretl 2025b but fails in
Ubuntu 24.04 with Gretl 2023c.
>
> I hope this gives the necessary information.
It does indeed, thanks!
I find that your test script runs fine, both with current gretl and
with gretl 2023c as built today from the historic sources using
current gcc. I'm afraid I'm not in a position to test with the
original Debian build of 2023c, but actually there wouldn't be much
point in that since there's nothing we can do to fix a release from
two years ago, even if we could replicate a problem and figure out its
cause.
Anyway, I hope that Jack's new hansl code does what you need.
Allin
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12 comments
5 participants
participants (5)
-
Artur T. -
Cottrell, Allin -
Riccardo (Jack) Lucchetti -
Roland Clarke -
Sven Schreiber