[Matplotlib-users] can't import pylab

[Joe J. <jo...@th...>]

Hi

I've just compiled and installed matplotlib 0.71. When I tried some of the 
example scripts I found that they all segfault. It's "from pylab import *" 
that does it. I'm working on linux.

Here is the output. I have VERBOSE set to true in setup.py and there is more 
output than I'm showing here.
python -c 'from pylab import *'
...
...
SeparableTransformation::SeparableTransformation
Glyph::init_type
FT2Font::init_type
font search path ['/usr/share/matplotlib']
ft2font_module::new_ft2font
FT2Font::FT2Font
FT2Font::clear
Segmentation fault

If I use gdb to get a stack trace
(gdb) where
#0  0x408059e9 in FT_Get_Postscript_Name (face=0x8170e98) at ftobjs.c:2457
#1  0x407aa61f in FT2Font (this=0x80f7d60, facefile=
        {static npos = 4294967295, _M_dataplus = {<allocator<char>> = {<No 
data fields>}, _M_p = 0x814ebb4 "/usr/share/matplotlib/VeraIt.ttf"}, static 
_S_empty_rep_storage = {0, 0, 0, 0}}) at src/ft2font.cpp:96
#2  0x407b5ded in ft2font_module::new_ft2font(Py::Tuple const&) 
(this=0x811b300, args=@0x20) at Objects.hxx:456
#3  0x407bf1ef in 
Py::ExtensionModule<ft2font_module>::invoke_method_varargs(std::string 
const&, Py::Tuple const&) (
    this=0x811b300, name=@0xbfff8e70, args=@0x60) at Extensions.hxx:283
#4  0x407c960e in method_varargs_call_handler 
(_self_and_name_tuple=0x40858e10, _args=0x4078de8c)
    at CXX/cxx_extensions.cxx:1238

As this problem looks font related I should mention that there are two 
versions of freetype2 on my system (Suse 9.0). one in /usr/lib that came with 
my system, and one in /usr/local that I installed myself. I unistalled the 
headerfiles and static libs of the one which came with the system. The run 
time linker is finding the new one, so matplot is compiling and linking 
against the same version.

If someone can give me a clue about this I would be very happy.

Joe