ImportError: No module named mpl_toolkits with maptlotlib 1.3.0 and py2exe

Question

I can't figure out how to be able to package this via py2exe now:

I am running the command:

python setup2.py py2exe

via python 2.7.5 and matplotlib 1.3.0 and py2exe 0.6.9 and 0.6.10dev

This worked with matplotlib 1.2.x

I have read http://www.py2exe.org/index.cgi/ExeWithEggs and tried to implement the suggestions for handling the mpl_toolkits since it's having become a namespace package.

I'm trying to get an answer here too: http://matplotlib.1069221.n5.nabble.com/1-3-0-and-py2exe-regression-td41723.html

Adding an empty __init__.py to mpl_toolkits makes it work, but this is only a workaround to the problem.

Can anyone suggest what I need to make py2exe work with mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1 in matplotlib 1.3.0 ?:

---

test_mpl.py is:

from mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1 import make_axes_locatable, axes_size

if __name__ == '__main__':
    print make_axes_locatable, axes_size

---

setup2.py is:

import py2exe
import distutils.sysconfig
from distutils.core import setup

# attempts to get it to work
import modulefinder
import matplotlib
import mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1
__import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace("mpl_toolkits")
__import__('pkg_resources').declare_namespace("mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1")
modulefinder.AddPackagePath("mpl_toolkits", matplotlib.__path__[0])
modulefinder.AddPackagePath("mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1", mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1.__path__[0])

# end of attempts to get it to work

options={'py2exe': {'packages' : ['matplotlib', 'mpl_toolkits.axes_grid1', 'pylab', 'zmq'],
                    'includes': ['zmq', 'six'],
                    'excludes': ['_gdk', '_gtk', '_gtkagg', '_tkagg', 'PyQt4.uic.port_v3', 'Tkconstants', 'Tkinter', 'tcl'],
                    'dll_excludes': ['libgdk-win32-2.0-0.dll',
                                     'libgdk_pixbuf-2.0-0.dll',
                                     'libgobject-2.0-0.dll',
                                     'tcl85.dll',
                                     'tk85.dll'],
                    'skip_archive': True },}

setup(console=['test_mpl.py'], options=options)

---

output is:

running py2exe
*** searching for required modules ***
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "setup2.py", line 23, in <module>
    setup(console=['test_mpl.py'], options=options)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\distutils\core.py", line 152, in setup
    dist.run_commands()
  File "C:\Python27\lib\distutils\dist.py", line 953, in run_commands
    self.run_command(cmd)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\distutils\dist.py", line 972, in run_command
    cmd_obj.run()
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\build_exe.py", line 243, in run
    self._run()
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\build_exe.py", line 296, in _run
    self.find_needed_modules(mf, required_files, required_modules)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\build_exe.py", line 1308, in find_needed_modules
    mf.import_hook(f)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\mf.py", line 719, in import_hook
    return Base.import_hook(self,name,caller,fromlist,level)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\mf.py", line 136, in import_hook
    q, tail = self.find_head_package(parent, name)
  File "C:\Python27\lib\site-packages\py2exe\mf.py", line 204, in find_head_package
    raise ImportError, "No module named " + qname
ImportError: No module named mpl_toolkits

Answer 1

There is a quite simple workaround to this problem. Find the directory from which mpl_tools is imported and simply add an empty text file named __init__.py in that directory. py2exe will now find and include this module without any special imports needed in the setup file.

You can find the mpl_tools directory by typing the following in a python console:

import importlib
importlib.import_module('mpl_toolkits').__path__

I found the solution here https://stackoverflow.com/a/11632115/2166823 and it seems to apply to namespace packages in general.