Re: [Matplotlib-users] Building a binary package of matplotlib for OS-X

[Robert K. <rk...@uc...>]

Chris Barker wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> As promised, I've been working on building my binary package for 
> matplotlib 0.82 for OS-X. I've got the one for Apple's python2.3 on OS-X 
> 10.3.* working now. I'm having a little trouble with a version for 
> Python 2.4. If I use:
> 
> $ sudo python2.4 setup.py install
> 
> It seems to work fine (Yahoo!)
> 
> But if I use bdist_mpkg, then install the package, I get this when I try 
> to import matplotlib:
> 
>  >>> import matplotlib
> Traceback (most recent call last):
>   File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
>   File 
> "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", 
> line 509, in ?
>     defaultParams = {
>   File 
> "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", 
> line 245, in wrapper
>     ret = func(*args, **kwargs)
>   File 
> "/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.4/lib/python2.4/site-packages/matplotlib/__init__.py", 
> line 318, in _get_data_path
>     raise RuntimeError('Could not find the matplotlib data files')
> RuntimeError: Could not find the matplotlib data files
> 
> I suspect this is a Py2app error (or a setup.py incompatibility with 
> matplotlib), but I don't know where it is looking for the matplotlib 
> data files, so I'm not sure how to debug this.
> 
> By the way, if I install with "setup.py install", then remove 
> site-packages/matplotlib, then install with the package, it works, so I 
> guess that means that the data files are being installed outside of 
> site-packages/matplotlib where would that be?

Probably 
/System/Libraray/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/share/...

I always use the following setup.cfg when building matplotlib:

[install]
install-data=/usr/local

You can check where the package is placing the data files by looking at 
matplotlib-<etc>.mpkg/Contents/Packages/matplotlib-data-<etc>.pkg/Contents/Info.plist 
under the IFPkgFlagDefaultLocation key. Note that this isn't quite the 
same as the install-data. It is usually <install-data>/share/matplotlib.

At my request, matplotlib now searches /usr/local/share/matplotlib by 
default on OS X.

-- 
Robert Kern
rk...@uc...

"In the fields of hell where the grass grows high
  Are the graves of dreams allowed to die."
   -- Richard Harter