Plotting backend is set to vtk even though no vtk is present

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

In the docker images no vtk is included, but plot still uses VTKPlotter.

Two related issues:

• can the backend fall back to matplotlib if dolfin is not configured with vtk?

• can the backend fall back to matplotlib if running in a jupyter notebook?

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

Here's how to check if we're in an ipython notebook setting, contributed by Min RK:

import sys

def in_ipython_kernel():
    """Return True if in an IPython kernel, False otherwise

    avoids importing IPython unnecessarily.
    """
    if 'IPython' not in sys.modules:
        # IPython hasn't even been imported
        return False
    from IPython import get_ipython
    ip = get_ipython()
    if ip is None:
        # IPython isn't running
        return False
    # check for kernel attribute
    return bool(getattr(ip, 'kernel'))

[Prof Garth Wells]

How about always defaulting to matplolib? This could smooth the way to removing VTK.

[Martin Sandve Alnæs]

3d support with matplotlib is horrible.

[Prof Garth Wells]

@martinal Yes - I'll try to merge some X3DOM plotting today. I've seen that Python has a standard library module webbrowser for opening a browser, which will be handy.

[Anders Logg (Chalmers)]

Removing milestone: 1.7 (automated comment)

[Jan Blechta]

Is this still an issue? This might have been fixed.

[Jan Blechta]

parameters.plotting_backend == 'matplotlib'