[matplotlib-devel] Freetype config recommendation for installing matplotlib from Source

[Jim P. <jim...@gm...>]

All,
  I needed to install matplotlib from source along with all dependencies,
and I found a "gotcha" related to how setupext.py discovers freetype2
dependencies.

The default is to use
freetype-config --version

which uses a custom binary provided by freetype to list the version number
and linker dependencies.  Versions 2.4 and 2.5 of freetype use pkg-config
to also provide this information but matplotlib skips it.

setting
PKG_CONFIG_PATH=<path-to-custom-dependency>

or using setup.cfg

basedirlist=<path-to-custom-dependency>

will not fix the problem if your PATH variable points to the
freetype-config binary in your system path first.

If freetype-config is no longer necessary for matplotlib to compile, I
would recommend using  pkg-config to get the linker and compiler flags, so
that typical end-user fixes to paths will work as desired.

BTW, a clean install of freetype.2.5.2 will not compile with matplotlib
without including a soft link
ln -s <include-dir>/freetype2 <include-dir>/freetype

I think this a problem with the freetype package.  They have references to
changes in the structure of their includes in version 2.5.1.

Cheers,
--Jim