ggsave generates "Graphics API version mismatch" error

[btupper]

Hello,

I am encountering an issue with ggsave on linux that does not occur on macos. The steps below show that explicitly calling the png device and then printing the plot object works, but using ggsave with the same plot object throws the error shown. I have found that substituting the 'jpg' device in egnerates the same error. The output of traceback() and sessionInfo() are included.

We have the work around, but we would love to know how to use ggsave successfully.

Thanks!
Ben

library(ggplot2)

gg = ggplot(mtcars, aes(wt, mpg)) + 
  geom_point(colour = "red", size = 3)

# this works and the image is produced
png("my_other_image.png")
print(gg)
dev.off()
#> png 
#>   2

# this doesn't work and the image is not produced
ggsave(filename = "my_image.png", 
       device = "png",
       plot = gg)
#> Saving 7 x 5 in image
#> Error in f(...): Graphics API version mismatch

traceback()
# 4: f(...)
# 3: png_dev(..., res = dpi, units = "in")
# 2: dev(filename = filename, width = dim[1], height = dim[2], bg = bg, 
#        ...)
# 1: ggsave(filename = "my_image.png", device = "png", plot = gg)

sessionInfo()
#> R version 4.4.2 (2024-10-31)
#> Platform: x86_64-redhat-linux-gnu
#> Running under: Rocky Linux 8.10 (Green Obsidian)
#> 
#> Matrix products: default
#> BLAS/LAPACK: /usr/lib64/libopenblaso-r0.3.15.so;  LAPACK version 3.9.0
#> 
#> locale:
#>  [1] LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8       LC_NUMERIC=C              
#>  [3] LC_TIME=en_US.UTF-8        LC_COLLATE=en_US.UTF-8    
#>  [5] LC_MONETARY=en_US.UTF-8    LC_MESSAGES=en_US.UTF-8   
#>  [7] LC_PAPER=en_US.UTF-8       LC_NAME=C                 
#>  [9] LC_ADDRESS=C               LC_TELEPHONE=C            
#> [11] LC_MEASUREMENT=en_US.UTF-8 LC_IDENTIFICATION=C       
#> 
#> time zone: America/New_York
#> tzcode source: system (glibc)
#> 
#> attached base packages:
#> [1] stats     graphics  grDevices utils     datasets  methods   base     
#> 
#> other attached packages:
#> [1] ggplot2_3.5.1
#> 
#> loaded via a namespace (and not attached):
#>  [1] vctrs_0.6.5       cli_3.6.3         knitr_1.48        rlang_1.1.4      
#>  [5] xfun_0.47         generics_0.1.3    textshaping_0.4.0 labeling_0.4.3   
#>  [9] glue_1.8.0        colorspace_2.1-1  htmltools_0.5.8.1 ragg_1.3.2       
#> [13] scales_1.3.0      fansi_1.0.6       rmarkdown_2.28    grid_4.4.2       
#> [17] evaluate_0.24.0   munsell_0.5.1     tibble_3.2.1      fastmap_1.2.0    
#> [21] yaml_2.3.10       lifecycle_1.0.4   compiler_4.4.2    dplyr_1.1.4      
#> [25] fs_1.6.4          pkgconfig_2.0.3   rstudioapi_0.17.1 systemfonts_1.1.0
#> [29] farver_2.1.2      digest_0.6.37     R6_2.5.1          tidyselect_1.2.1 
#> [33] reprex_2.0.2      utf8_1.2.4        pillar_1.9.0      magrittr_2.0.3   
#> [37] tools_4.4.2       withr_3.0.2       gtable_0.3.6

^{Created on 2024-12-12 with reprex v2.0.2}

[clauswilke]

ggsave() uses ragg by default for png and jpg, if it is available. I bet your version of ragg is out of date.

[btupper]

Bingo! That was fast - thank you! I updated to ragg 1.3.3 from 1.3.2 and all is well again.