[gdal-dev] Can't make Python binding work

[Christopher Barker]

Martin Hvidberg wrote:
> To start with the problem... In a new python file I write:

> When run it replies:
> 
> Traceback (most recent call last):
> 
>      _File "C:\Martin\Work_Eclipse\Hilfe\src\check_GDAL.py", line 8, in 
> <module>_
> 
>         import gdal
> 
> ImportError: No module named gdal
> 
> 
> To me that translates into, Python can't find the GDAL modules.

correct.

> I using GDAL from http://pypi.python.org/pypi/GDAL/

On that site, it says: "GDAL Python Bindings available at the Python 
Cheeseshop. An executable installer is available for both Python 2.4 or 
2.5 or as a Python egg."

but I don't see any Windows binaries for the python bindings, and that 
note doesn't include 2.6 anyway, i suspect it hasn't been updated for a 
while -- we really should have python 2.6 and 2.7 there, as well as GDAL 
1.7.*

> I downloaded http://download.osgeo.org/gdal/win32/1.6/gdalwin32exe160.zip

That is the binaries for the gdal libs and command line utilities -- it 
does not include th python bindings.

So you'll need to:

1) do: "easy install GDAL" -- which may find the binaries for you.

2) find a Windows installer for the binaries

3) download the source and do "python setup.py build", "python setup.py 
install", but that will require that you have the right compiler set up.

> *Question 1*: Are there any problems in using GDAL 1.6 with Python 2.6 
> on a win-xp?

I don't think there are any problems -- but it does look like there are 
no easy-to-install binaries.

There are other binaries of GDAL around -- but I don't if any of them 
have python bindings build in. FWTools and OSGeo4W do, but I don't know 
if they are compatible with the ESRI-supplied python.

The state of binaries for Windows is not good -- but I'm not offering to 
build them, so what can you do? If there is someone that does want to 
supply easy-to-install Windows binaries for Python folks, but isn't sure 
  what they should do, I'd be glad to provide input on that, but I don't 
work primarily on Windows, and compiling stuff there has always been a 
pain for me.

> Looking into ...\gdalwin32-1.6\bin\ in find no *.py files (nor *.pyc)
> 
> I would have expected some files with python extensions.

right -- that installer does not include the python bindings.

> What file exactly is the import statement supposed to find, 
> that will enable it to include osgeo functionality?

You are looking for the right things -- properly installed, there will 
be a "osgeo" package on your PYTHONPATH, probably in "site-packages"

Good luck, sorry I'm not more help.

-Chris


-- 
Christopher Barker, Ph.D.
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