Describe the bug
multi_siena() fails at the first MCMC cycle with
Error in FUN(newX[, i], ...) :
R_ExternalPtrAddr: argument of type NILSXP is not an external pointer
The failure occurs inside maxlikec, where doMLModel dereferences the external pointers to the C++ data and model objects. At least one of them is NULL at that point.
Initialization appears to complete normally — the error only appears once MCMCcycle calls z$FRAN.
The error reproduces with the example code in the ?multi_siena help page, unmodified. It is therefore not specific to my data, effects object, or algorithm settings.
To Reproduce
library(multiSiena) (this also loads RSiena)
Run the example from the ?multi_siena help page, unchanged
See error
traceback()
5: FUN(newX[, i], ...)
4: apply(cbind(callGrid, 1:nrow(callGrid)), 1, doMLModel, z$Deriv,
z$thetaMat, z$nrunMH, z$addChainToStore, z$returnDataFrame,
z$returnDeps, z$returnChains, byGroup, z$theta, returnLoglik,
onlyLoglik)
3: z$FRAN(zsmall, byGroup = TRUE, returnLoglik = FALSE)
2: MCMCcycle(nrunMH = nrunMHBatches, nSampVar = nSampVarying, nSampCons = nSampConst,
nSampRate = nSampRates, bgain = bgain)
1: multi_siena(...)
The same error occurs with my own data.
Things already ruled out
Not a maxlike setting problem. The error occurs identically with set_algorithm_saom(maxlike = TRUE, ...) and with the default maxlike = FALSE.
Not a clustering problem. Occurs with nbrNodes = 1, and also with nbrNodes = 9 (where it surfaces as 9 nodes produced errors; first error: argument of length 0).
Not a namespace split between RSiena and multiSiena. environmentName(environment(multiSiena:::maxlikec)) returns "multiSiena", and after the error both multiSiena:::FRANstore() and RSiena:::FRANstore() return NULL for pData and pModel — not one populated and one empty.
Not data-specific, since the help-page example reproduces it.
Rstudio version: ‘2026.8.2.200’
R version 4.6.1 (2026-06-24 ucrt)
Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64
Running under: Windows 10 x64 (build 19045)
Matrix products: default
LAPACK version 3.12.1
other attached packages:
[1] multiSiena_1.2.38 RSiena_1.6.11
Describe the bug
multi_siena() fails at the first MCMC cycle with
Error in FUN(newX[, i], ...) :
R_ExternalPtrAddr: argument of type NILSXP is not an external pointer
The failure occurs inside maxlikec, where doMLModel dereferences the external pointers to the C++ data and model objects. At least one of them is NULL at that point.
Initialization appears to complete normally — the error only appears once MCMCcycle calls z$FRAN.
The error reproduces with the example code in the ?multi_siena help page, unmodified. It is therefore not specific to my data, effects object, or algorithm settings.
To Reproduce
library(multiSiena) (this also loads RSiena)
Run the example from the ?multi_siena help page, unchanged
See error
The same error occurs with my own data.
Things already ruled out
Not a maxlike setting problem. The error occurs identically with set_algorithm_saom(maxlike = TRUE, ...) and with the default maxlike = FALSE.
Not a clustering problem. Occurs with nbrNodes = 1, and also with nbrNodes = 9 (where it surfaces as 9 nodes produced errors; first error: argument of length 0).
Not a namespace split between RSiena and multiSiena. environmentName(environment(multiSiena:::maxlikec)) returns "multiSiena", and after the error both multiSiena:::FRANstore() and RSiena:::FRANstore() return NULL for pData and pModel — not one populated and one empty.
Not data-specific, since the help-page example reproduces it.
Rstudio version: ‘2026.8.2.200’
R version 4.6.1 (2026-06-24 ucrt)
Platform: x86_64-w64-mingw32/x64
Running under: Windows 10 x64 (build 19045)
Matrix products: default
LAPACK version 3.12.1
other attached packages:
[1] multiSiena_1.2.38 RSiena_1.6.11