How to solve pkg_resources.VersionConflict error during bin/python bootstrap.py -d

Question

I am tring to create a new plone environment using python plone-devstart.py tool. I got a bootstrap error. So i used a command bin/python bootstrap.py -d from my project directory. It(bin/python bootstrap.py -d command) worked fine before But now i got an error like ``` oomsys@oomsysmob-6:~/demobrun$ bin/python bootstrap.py -d Downloading http://pypi.python.org/packages/source/d/distribute/distribute- 0.6.49.tar.gz Extracting in /tmp/tmpDqVwYA Now working in /tmp/tmpDqVwYA/distribute-0.6.49 Building a Distribute egg in /tmp/tmpv4Bzyv /tmp/tmpv4Bzyv/distribute-0.6.49-py2.7.egg Traceback (most recent call last): File "bootstrap.py", line 118, in <module> ws.require('zc.buildout' + VERSION) File "build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/pkg_resources.py", line 698, in require File "build/bdist.linux-i686/egg/pkg_resources.py", line 600, in resolve pkg_resources.VersionConflict: (setuptools 0.6c11 (/home/oomsys/demobrun /lib/python2.7/site-packages/setuptools-0.6c11-py2.7.egg), Requirement.parse('setup…

Accepted Answer

You have the `distribute` fork of `setuptools` installed in your site packages, but your `bootstrap.py` is trying to install `buildout` 2.2.0, which uses the new merged `setuptools` 0.7 or newer egg.

The `distribute` fork of `setuptools` was merged back into the `setuptools` project and the transition is causing some pain.

Your options are:

Tell `bootstrap` to use an earlier `zc.buildout` version

Run `bootstrap.py` with the `-v` option, forcing it to stick to a specific, earlier version:

```
 $ bin/python bootstrap.py -d -v 2.1.1
```

Version 2.1.1 of buildout will not upgrade itself to 2.2 or newer and works with your `distribute`-supplied `setuptools` egg.

Uninstall the old `distribute` egg

Manually delete all `distribute*`, `pkg_resources.py*` and `setuptools*` files from your `site-packages` directory:

```
$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/setuptools*
$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/distribute*
$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pkg_resources.py*
```

and (optionally) reinstall `setuptools` from with the latest `ez_setup.py`; the current version is 0.9.6, and the `setuptools` PyPI page links you to this `ez_setup.py` version.

You'll also need to upgrade your `bootstrap.py` script, see below.

Use a recent `virtualenv`

Version 1.9 or newer of `virtualenv` (released March 2013) lets you create a virtualenv without the `setuptools` egg using the `--no-setuptools` switch:

```
$ virtualenv --no-setuptools buildout_env
```

Use that to create a virtual env python to run your `bootstrap.py`. You still need to upgrade your `bootstrap.py` too. See below.

Upgrade your `bootstrap.py`.

For `zc.buildout` versions 2.2.0 and up the `bootstrap.py` script has been updated to load `setuptools` the-not-forked-version. Grab a new copy at from github (link to the 2 branch version), replace your old `bootstrap.py` with it, and bootstrap again.

Do make sure you removed the old forked really-`distribute`-but-pretending-to-be-`setuptools` egg first or run with a virtual env python that does not have that egg. See above.

How to solve pkg_resources.VersionConflict error during bin/python bootstrap.py -d

Solution

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