Installing Python Imaging Library (PIL) on Snow Leopard with updated Python 2.6.2

Question

I have a fresh install (started with a wiped drive) of Snow Leopard with the developer tools installed during the Snow Leopard installation.

I then installed Python 2.6.2, replacing the Snow Leopard default python 2.6.1. I've tried to install PIL by:

1. easy_install
2. pip
3. downloading source and running python setup.py build manually.

All yield the same error (link to pip log: http://drop.io/gi2bgw6 ). I've seen others have had success installing PIL using the Snow Leopard default python 2.6.1, so I'm not sure why I'm having so much trouble getting it to work with 2.6.2.

Answer 1

The problem I ran into was that PIL was being compiled against PowerPC architecture (-arch ppc).

Do this before setup/build/compile:

export ARCHFLAGS="-arch i386"

(Assuming you're on i386)

Answer 2

The python.org Python was built with an earlier gcc. Try using gcc-4.0 instead of SL's default of 4.2:

export CC=/usr/bin/gcc-4.0

See similar problem here .

That gets past the stdarg problem. You may then run into later build problems with various dependent libraries.

BTW, gcc-4.0 and gcc-4.2 are both included with Snow Leopard's Xcode 3 so no additional installs are needed.

UPDATED 2011-05: Note, that the newer Xcode 4 , released for experimental use with 10.6 and expected to be standard with 10.7, no longer includes PPC support so, if you install Xcode 4, this suggestion will not work. Options include using the newer 64-bit/32-bin Python 2.7.x installers from python.org or installing a newer Python 2.6 and PIL and the various 3rd-party libs using MacPorts, Homebrew, or Fink.

Answer 3

Modified Answer

Here are the steps that I took to successfully install PIL on Mac OS X 10.6 (without using MacPorts or Fink).

1. Install readline

    cd ~/src curl -O ftp://ftp.cwru.edu/pub/bash/readline-6.0.tar.gz tar -xvzf readline-6.0.tar.gz cd readline-6.0 ./configure make sudo make install 

2. Install gbdm

    cd ~/src curl -O ftp://mirror.anl.gov/pub/gnu/gdbm/gdbm-1.8.3.tar.gz tar -xvzf gbdm-1.8.3.tar.gz cd gdbm-1.8.3 # Need to modify Makefile.in perl -pi -e 's/BINOWN = bin/BINOWN = root/' Makefile.in perl -pi -e 's/BINGRP = bin/BINGRP = wheel/' Makefile.in ./configure make sudo make install 

3. Compile the latest Python 2.6.2+ from the Mercurial Repo

    cd ~/development hg clone http://code.python.org/hg/branches/release2.6-maint/ python-release2.6-maint.hg cd python-release2.6-main.hg ./configure --enable-framework MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.6 make sudo make frameworkinstall 

   Note : I did receive the following errors after running make . However, I continued on as I wasn't worried about missing these modules, and I was able to successfully install PIL.

    Failed to find the necessary bits to build these modules: _bsddb dl imageop linuxaudiodev ossaudiodev spwd sunaudiodev To find the necessary bits, look in setup.py in detect_modules() for the module's name. Failed to build these modules: Nav running build_scripts 

4. Update .bash_profile for the new Python 2.6.2+ and for virtualenvwrapper

    # Set PATH for MacPython 2.6 if Python2.6 is installed if [ -x /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/python2.6 ]; then PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin:${PATH}" export PATH fi # MDR April 23, 2009: Added for virtualenvwrapper if [ -x /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/virtualenvwrapper_bashrc ]; then export WORKON_HOME=$HOME/.virtualenvs export PIP_VIRTUALENV_BASE=$WORKON_HOME source /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/bin/virtualenvwrapper_bashrc fi 

5. Install easy_install, pip, virtualenv, and virtualenvwrapper for Python 2.6.2+

    curl -O http://peak.telecommunity.com/dist/ez_setup.py sudo python ez_setup.py sudo easy_install pip sudo easy_install virtualenv sudo easy_install virtualenvwrapper 

6. Create a virtualenv and then use pip to install PIL

    mkvirtualenv pil-test cdvirtualenv easy_install pip pip install http://effbot.org/downloads/Imaging-1.1.6.tar.gz 

Note : I was not able to install PIL using pip install pil , so I installed from the URL as shown above.

Original Answer

From what I can see in your pip-log.txt file it appears that you installed Python 2.6.2 using the Mac Installer Disk Image from Python.org released on April 16, 2009. Can you confirm this?

From the pip log, gcc failed with exit status 1. The offending gcc command from your pip log is as follows:

gcc -arch ppc -arch i386 -isysroot /Developer/SDKs/MacOSX10.4u.sdk -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -dynamic -DNDEBUG -g -O3 -DHAVE_LIBJPEG -DHAVE_LIBZ -I/System/Library/Frameworks/Tcl.framework/Headers -I/System/Library/Frameworks/Tk.framework/Headers -IlibImaging -I/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/include -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/include -I/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/include/python2.6 -c _imaging.c -o build/temp.macosx-10.3-fat-2.6/_imaging.o

This appears to be a problem related to Snow Leopard changing the default value for the -arch flag from i386 to x86-64 according to Ronald Oussoren in Message 92083 of Python Issue 6802 . There is a patch available Python 2.6.2, but it has not been integrated into the Mac Installer Disk Image.

Your best solution that doesn't involve MacPorts or Fink would probably be to compile and install Python from the 2.6 release branch from either the Mercurial Python Repository or the Subversion Python Repository . According to Message 92315 of Issue 6802 , Ronald Oussoren fixed this in Revision r74686 .

I've been seeing similar errors using Python 2.6.2 installed from the Mac Disk Image while trying to then install Fabric in a virtualenv, so I plan to compile and install from the 2.6 release maintenance branch. If you want, I'll update when successful.

Answer 4

10.6 Snow Leopard install PIL without the hassle and without keeping MacPorts :)

Step 1: Install MacPorts
Step 2: sudo port install py26-pil
Step 3: mv /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.6/lib/python2.6/site-packages/* /Library/Python/2.6/site-packages/
Step 4: Uninstall MacPorts

Best of both worlds?

Answer 5

Following steps worked for me:

$ brew install pip
$ export ARCHFLAGS="-arch i386 -arch x86_64"
$ pip install pil

Answer 6

IT seems to me that the "No such file" is conjunction with stdarg.h is the most interesting error. There seems to be a header file missing. I don't know how to make sure it's installed on OS X, so this only half an answer, sorry about that, but maybe it pushes you in the right direction.

Answer 7

May be you should try pre-build universal binaries from pythonmac site

http://pythonmac.org/packages/py25-fat/index.html

These are for python2.5 , with python2.5 included(so may or may not be usable for you), I have been using it since I had problem using self build PIL with py2app.

Answer 8

I found a simpler method. sudo port install python26 sudo port install python_select

Then use python_select set python26 as default.

Then just install PIL as normal.

Answer 9

I was able to get PIP installed with SL's Python using these instructions:

http://jetfar.com/libjpeg-and-python-imaging-pil-on-snow-leopard/

Answer 10

On OS X Lion with current XCode and no gcc-4.0 I'm able to get around the missing stdard.h error by setting the follow environment variables:

export CC="/usr/bin/llvm-gcc-4.2"

I can't say I understand why this works.

By the way this works for the Pillow fork of PIL too.

Answer 11

Do you have XCode (comes on the Snow Leopard disc) installed? There are some key components (most notably GCC ) that need to be installed which XCode handles for you.

Answer 12

Solved in 2 steps:

Step 1: Uninstalled and Installed Xcode, suggested here: http://binarylionstudios.com/blog/2011/01/30/error-stdarg.h-no-such-file-or-directory/

to remove Xcode properlly follow this answer: How to fully remove Xcode 4

sudo /Developer/Library/uninstall-devtools --mode=all

use the install Xcode.app after you restart your mac

Step 2: after xcode was reinstalled, the installation failed

unable to execute gcc-4.2: No such file or directory PIL

to resolve that i followed this post: http://aravir-rose.blogspot.com/2011/12/installing-python-27s-imaging-library.html

Good luck!