Installation error: "/usr/bin/solc"' is a malformed function

[tuxayo]

/usr/bin/solc exists but it seems that there something wrong related that prevents the installation from finishing.

Leaving directory `/home/victor/.emacs.d/elpa/solidity-mode-20160426.31'

Compiling file /home/victor/.emacs.d/elpa/solidity-mode-20160426.31/solidity-mode-pkg.el at Fri Apr 29 13:21:06 2016
Entering directory `/home/victor/.emacs.d/elpa/solidity-mode-20160426.31/'

Compiling file /home/victor/.emacs.d/elpa/solidity-mode-20160426.31/solidity-mode.el at Fri Apr 29 13:21:06 2016
solidity-mode.el:383:1:Warning: `"/usr/bin/solc"' is a malformed function
solidity-mode.el:383:1:Warning: `(error line-start (file-name) ":" line ":"
    column ":" " Error: " (message))' is a malformed function
solidity-mode.el:386:28:Warning: reference to free variable `solidity'
solidity-mode.el:388:31:Warning: reference to free variable `source-inplace'
solidity-mode.el:391:12:Warning: reference to free variable `solidity-mode'
solidity-mode.el:393:17:Warning: reference to free variable
    `flycheck-checkers'
solidity-mode.el:393:17:Warning: assignment to free variable
    `flycheck-checkers'
solidity-mode.el:395:30:Warning: assignment to free variable
    `flycheck-solidity-executable'

In end of data:
solidity-mode.el:399:1:Warning: the function `flycheck-define-checker' is not
    known to be defined.

Compiling no file at Fri Apr 29 13:24:20 2016

emacs 24.5
Spacemacs 0.105.19
solc 0.3.2-81ae2a78

[tbrooke]

I get the same errors in emacs 25 with spacemacs - solidity-mode does not load

[tbrooke]

I am using Spacemacs and Emacs v 25

I was receiving this error message (see Issue 8)

Compiling file /home/victor/.emacs.d/elpa/solidity-mode-20160426.31/solidity-mode.el at Fri Apr 29 13:21:06 2016
solidity-mode.el:383:1:Warning: `"/usr/bin/solc"' is a malformed function
solidity-mode.el:383:1:Warning: `(error line-start (file-name) ":" line ":"
    column ":" " Error: " (message))' is a malformed function
solidity-mode.el:386:28:Warning: reference to free variable `solidity'
solidity-mode.el:388:31:Warning: reference to free variable `source-inplace'
solidity-mode.el:391:12:Warning: reference to free variable `solidity-mode'
solidity-mode.el:393:17:Warning: reference to free variable
    `flycheck-checkers'
solidity-mode.el:393:17:Warning: assignment to free variable
    `flycheck-checkers'
solidity-mode.el:395:30:Warning: assignment to free variable
    `flycheck-solidity-executable'

I commented out the following and it works fine, but I guess I don't have flycheck:

;;; --- interface with flycheck if existing ---
(when (require 'flycheck nil 'noerror)
  ;; add dummy source-inplace definition to avoid errors
  (defvar source-inplace)
  ;; add a solidity mode callback to set the executable of solc for flycheck
  ;; define solidity's flycheck syntax checker
  (flycheck-define-checker solidity-checker
    "A Solidity syntax checker using the solc compiler"
    :command ("/usr/bin/solc" source-inplace)
    :error-patterns
    ((error line-start (file-name) ":" line ":" column ":" " Error: " (message)))
    :modes solidity-mode
    :predicate (lambda () (eq major-mode 'solidity-mode)))
  (add-to-list 'flycheck-checkers 'solidity-checker)
  (add-hook 'solidity-mode-hook
            (lambda () (setq flycheck-solidity-executable solidity-solc-path))))

[LefterisJP]

Note: These are just byte-compiler warnings.
Solidity mode works fine with them, both normally from Melpa or from withing Spacemacs. I just tested it.

Will see how we can get rid of them. Since you do not have flycheck this code is never executed thanks to the

(when (require 'flycheck nil 'noerror)
...
)

But still it seems the byte compiler tries to compile them. I will try to find a way to address this but as stated before it should not stop you from using the mode.

[tbrooke]

I thought they were just compiler warnings - I retried the melpa version and it still doesn't load - and I went back to my version with flycheck commented out and it does work: https://github.com/tbrooke/emacs-solidity and it does

Spacemacs version 0.200.1
Emacs 25.1.1

[LefterisJP]

I believe this latest commit must have fixed the issue. It at least no longer shows the warnings when compiling in the normal Emacs.

@tbrooke Can you check and report back and tell me if it works? Note: Spacemacs uses Melpa and as such it may take a while until the commit is included in the latest Melpa Build. Best way to make sure is to check this link and make sure that the melpa version is NOT 20161013.203

[tbrooke]

Still 20161013.203 - I'lll try it later -- BTW I did look at spacemacs and found a lot of discussion about how they use flycheck in an unconventional way -- I didn't follow it all
syl20bnr/spacemacs#4782

[LefterisJP]

@tbrooke Had you have time to check if this is still an issue?

[tbrooke]

It enters solidity mode and the syntax highlighting works but I get the following message - which it just a warning


Compiling no file at Wed Oct 26 19:51:04 2016
Warning (bytecomp): ‘"/usr/bin/solc"’ is a malformed function
Warning (bytecomp): ‘(error line-start (file-name) ":" line ":" column ":" " Error: " (message))’ is a malformed function

[juergenhoetzel]

Compiling no file at Wed Oct 26 19:51:04 2016
Warning (bytecomp): ‘"/usr/bin/solc"’ is a malformed function
Warning (bytecomp): ‘(error line-start (file-name) ":" line ":" column ":" " Error: " (message))’ is a malformed function

Because the macro flycheck-define-checker is not defined at compile time, the the lisp reader tries to compile ("/usr/bin/solc" source-inplace) as invalid function application.

Possible workarounds:

1. define a dummy flycheck-define-checker macro in case flycheck is not available
2. Split the flycheck functionality in a seperate package