pythonmacospipmacports

pip installs packages successfully, but executables not found from command line

I installed python2.7 and pip following these instructions, on MacOS X Yosemite, version 10.10.3.

I can successfully install packages and import them inside my python environment and python scripts. However, any executable associated with a package that can be called from the command line in the terminal are not found.

For example, I tried to install a package called "rosdep" as instructed here. I can run sudo pip install -U rosdep which installs without errors and the corresponding files are located in /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages. However, sudo rosdep init subsequently reports that the rosdep command is not found.

I even tried adding the above site-packages path to my $PATH, but the executables are still not found on the command line, even though the packages work perfectly from within python.

Why does this happen, and how can I fix it?

See also: Unable to import a module that is definitely installed - these two problems often have the same root cause.

Solution

  • check your $PATH

    tox has a command line mode: 

    audrey:tests jluc$ pip list | grep tox
tox (2.3.1)

    where is it?

    (edit: the 2.7 stuff doesn't matter much here, sub in any 3.x and pip's behaving pretty much the same way)

    audrey:tests jluc$ which tox
/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin/tox

    and what's in my $PATH? 

    audrey:tests jluc$ echo $PATH
/opt/chefdk/bin:/opt/chefdk/embedded/bin:/opt/local/bin:..../opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin...

    Notice the /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin? That's what allows finding my pip-installed stuff

    Now, to see where things are from Python, try doing this (substitute rosdep for tox).

    $python
>>> import tox
>>> tox.__file__

    that prints out:

    '/opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/site-packages/tox/__init__.pyc'

    Now, cd to the directory right above lib in the above. Do you see a bin directory? Do you see rosdep in that bin? If so try adding the bin to your $PATH.

    audrey:2.7 jluc$ cd /opt/local/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7
audrey:2.7 jluc$ ls -1

    output:

    Headers
Python
Resources
bin
include
lib
man
share