Re: [Matplotlib-users] Installation problem "cannot find -ltk" Suse 9.1

[Todd M. <jm...@st...>]

On Fri, 2005-03-18 at 05:02, Jason Hoogland wrote:
> Second question: I can't install Matplotlib and maybe someone will have seen 
> the symptom before or have some bright ideas to help me figure it out.  I'm 
> running SuSE 9.1, python 2.3.3, and seem to have Tcl/Tk/Tkinter installed OK.  

> I set BUILD_GTKAGG = 0 in setup.py.  In an xterm as root I ran this and the 
> output follows
> 
> \start
> 
> # python setup.py build
> Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> Xlib: Invalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 key
> Using default library and include directories for Tcl and Tk because a
> Tk window failed to open.  You may need to define DISPLAY for Tk to work
> so that setup can determine where your libraries are located.
> running build
> running build_py
> creating build
> creating build/lib.linux-i686-2.3
> copying lib/pylab.py -> build/lib.linux-i686-2.3
> creating build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/matplotlib
> copying lib/matplotlib/patches.py -> build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/matplotlib
> copying lib/matplotlib/_image.py -> build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/matplotlib
> 
> ... etc copying a bunch of files into the build directory

[mostly snipped]

> g++ -pthread -shared build/temp.linux-i686-2.3/src/_tkagg.o -L/usr/local/lib 
> -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/lib -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/lib -ltk 
> -ltcl -lpng -lz -lstdc++ -lm -lfreetype -lz -lstdc++ -lm -o 
> build/lib.linux-i686-2.3/matplotlib/backends/_tkagg.so
> /linux1/usr/bin/../lib/gcc-lib/i586-suse-linux/3.3.3/../../../../i586-suse-linux/bin/ld: 
> cannot find -ltk
> collect2: ld returned 1 exit status
> error: command 'g++' failed with exit status 1
> 
> \end
> 
> I'm figuring the "Tk window open failed" bit at the start is just because it 
> seems to take a few seconds for Tk windows to appear on my system, and its 
> not coded to wait.  

That "Tk window open failed" problem looks to me like it may be *the*
problem.   matplotlib opens a Tk window to help figure out where Tk is; 
the fallback isn't working.  In your case I think the Tk window failed 
because "root" is trying to open a window on a display owned by your
non-priviledged account.   Having the system say "no" to root about
anything is really counter intuitive to me,  but I've experienced it
myself and it's discussed some here:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/1998/09/msg00113.html

The article suggests that if you do

% xhost +localhost

in your non-priviledged account before trying to build as root,  X will
allow the Tk window open.

> So assuming that's not fatal, it seems the problem boils 
> down to "cannot find -ltk".  I have searched for a few hours on google to no 
> avail.  The only things I can suspect are maybe:
> 
> - I might be missing some installed components for development stuff in Tcl or 
> g++?

Maybe.  On my RHEL3 system,  I have tk-devel-8.3.5-92.2 installed.

Hope this helps,
Todd