How do I set up a local python library directory / PYTHONPATH?
easy-install, macos, path, python, python-imaging-library
Solution
You are using the Apple-supplied Python 2.5 in OS X; it's a framework build and, by default, uses `/Library/Python/2.5/site-packages` as the location for installed packages, not `/usr/local`. Normally you shouldn't need to specify `--prefix` with an OS X framework build. Also beware that the `setuptools` (`easy_install`) supplied by Apple with OS X 10.5 is also rather old as is the version of Python itself.
That said, installing `PIL` completely and correctly on OS X especially OS X 10.5 is not particularly simple. Search the archives or elsewhere for tips and/or binary packages. Particularly if you are planning to use other modules like MySQL or Django, my recommendation is to install everything (Python and PIL) using a package manager like MacPorts.
Problem
In the process of trying to write a Python script that uses PIL today, I discovered I don't seem have it on my local machine (OS X 10.5.8, default 2.5 Python install). So I run: ``` easy_install --prefix=/usr/local/python/ pil ``` and it complains a little about /usr/local/python/lib/python2.5/site-packages not yet existing, so I create it, and try again, and get this: TEST FAILED: /usr/local/python//lib/python2.5/site-packages does NOT support .pth files error: bad install directory or PYTHONPATH You are attempting to install a package to a directory that is not on PYTHONPATH and which Python does not read ".pth" files from. The installation directory you specified (via --install-dir, --prefix, or the distutils default setting) was: ``` /usr/local/python//lib/python2.5/site-packages ``` and your PYTHONPATH environment variable currently contains: ``` '' ``` OK, fair enough -- I hadn't done anything to set the path. So I add a quick line to ~/.bash_profile: PYTHONPATH="$PYTHONPATH:/usr/local/python/lib/python2.5" and `source` it, and try again. Same error message. This is kindof curious, given that PYTHONPATH is clearly set; I can `echo $PYTHONPATH` and get back `:/usr/local/python/lib/python2.5`. I decided to check out what the include path looked like from inside: ``` import sys print "\n".join(sys.path) ``` which yields: /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python25.zip /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5 /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/plat-darwin /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/plat-mac /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/plat-mac/lib-scriptpackages /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/Extras/lib/python /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/lib-tk /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/lib/python2.5/lib-dynload /Library/Python/2.5/site-packages /System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.5/Extras/lib/python/PyObjC from which `/usr/local/python/yadda/yadda` is notably missing. Not sure what I'm supposed to do here. How do I get python to recognize this location as an include path? UPDATE As Sven Marnach suggested, I was neglecting to export PYTHONPATH. I've corrected that problem, and now see it show up when I print out `sys.path` from within Python. However, I still got the `TEST FAILED` error message I mentioned above, just with my new PYTHONPATH environment variable. So, I tried changing it from `/usr/local/python/lib/python2.5` to `/usr/local/python/lib/python2.5/site-packages`, exporting, and running the same `easy_install` command again. This leads to an all new result that at first looked like success (but isn't): ``` Creating /usr/local/python/lib/python2.5/site-packages/site.py Searching for pil Reading http://pypi.python.org/simple/pil/ Reading http://www.pythonware.com/products/pil Reading http://effbot.org/zone/pil-changes-115.htm Reading http://effbot.org/downloads/#Imaging Best match: PIL 1.1.7 Downloading http://effbot.org/media/downloads/PIL-1.1.7.tar.gz Processing PIL-1.1.7.tar.gz Running PIL-1.1.7/setup.py -q bdist_egg --dist-dir /var/folders/XW/XWpClVq7EpSB37BV3zTo+++++TI/-Tmp-/easy_install-krj9oR/PIL-1.1.7/egg-dist-tmp--Pyauy --- using frameworks at /System/Library/Frameworks [snipped: compiler warnings] -------------------------------------------------------------------- PIL 1.1.7 SETUP SUMMARY -------------------------------------------------------------------- version 1.1.7 platform darwin 2.5.1 (r251:54863, Sep 1 2010, 22:03:14) [GCC 4.0.1 (Apple Inc. build 5465)] -------------------------------------------------------------------- --- TKINTER support available --- JPEG support available --- ZLIB (PNG/ZIP) support available *** FREETYPE2 support not available *** LITTLECMS support not available -------------------------------------------------------------------- To add a missing option, make sure you have the required library, and set the corresponding ROOT variable in the setup.py script. To check the build, run the selftest.py script. zip_safe flag not set; analyzing archive contents... Image: module references __file__ No eggs found in /var/folders/XW/XWpClVq7EpSB37BV3zTo+++++TI/-Tmp-/easy_install-krj9oR/PIL-1.1.7/egg-dist-tmp--Pyauy (setup script problem?) ``` Again, this looks good, but when I go to run my script: Traceback (most recent call last): File "checkerboard.py", line 1, in import Image, ImageDraw ImportError: No module named Image When I check what's now under `/usr/local/python/` using `find .`, I get: ./lib ./lib/python2.5 ./lib/python2.5/site-packages ./lib/python2.5/site-packages/site.py ./lib/python2.5/site-packages/site.pyc So... nothing module-looking (I'm assuming site.py and site.pyc are metadata or helper scripts). Where did the install go? I note this: To check the build, run the selftest.py script. But don't really know what that is. And I also noticed the "No eggs found" message. Are either of these hints?