Can't load Python modules installed via pip from site-packages directory

Question

I am trying to install and use the Evernote module (https://github.com/evernote/evernote-sdk-python) . I ran pip install evernote and it says that the installation worked.

I can confirm that the evernote module exists in /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages. However, when I try to run python -c "import evernote" I get the following error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
ImportError: No module named evernote

This is the contents of my .bash-profile:

[[ -s "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" ]] && source "$HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm" # Load RVM into a shell session *as a function*

# Setting PATH for Python 3.3
# The orginal version is saved in .bash_profile.pysave
PATH="/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.3/bin:${PATH}"
export PATH
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/bin/

I am having this same problem with other modules installed with pip. Help?

EDIT: I am a super newbie and have not edited that .bash-profile file.

EDIT: python -c 'import sys; print "\n".join(sys.path)' Outputs the following:

/Library/Python/2.7/site-packages/setuptools-1.3.2-py2.7.egg
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python27.zip
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-darwin
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-mac
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/plat-mac/lib-scriptpackages
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-tk
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-old
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/lib/python2.7/lib-dynload
/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/PyObjC
/Library/Python/2.7/site-packages

EDIT: I seemed to have made progress towards a solution by adding export PYTHONPATH=“/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages” to my .bash_profile file. However, now when I run python -c 'from evernote.api.client import EvernoteClient' it tries to import oauth2, which fails with the same error. The ouath2 module is present in the module directory.

Try this line to check if Evernote SDK is installed `python -c 'from evernote.api.client import EvernoteClient'` — JRodDynamite, Aug 13 '14 at 00:50
`python --version` gives my 2.7.5. I am not sure how that comment got added to the `.bash-profile`. I have Python 3 installed, but I have to use `python3` in order to use it. — Chase McCoy, Aug 13 '14 at 00:51
That line is what I was using, and it does not work. I get `ImportError: No module named evernote.api.client` — Chase McCoy, Aug 13 '14 at 00:51
What does `type python` output? what about `python -c 'import sys; print "\n".join(sys.path)'`? — Etan Reisner, Aug 13 '14 at 01:24
`type python` gives me: `python is /usr/bin/python` I updated my post with the output of that second command. — Chase McCoy, Aug 13 '14 at 01:27

score 86 · Accepted Answer · answered Aug 13 '14 at 02:04

86

/usr/bin/python is the executable for the python that comes with OS X. /usr/local/lib is a location for user-installed programs only, possibly from Python.org or Homebrew. So you're mixing different Python installs, and changing the python path is only a partial workaround for different packages being installed for different installations.

In order to make sure you use the pip associated with a particular python, you can run python -m pip install <pkg>, or go look at what the pip on your path is, or is symlinked to.

answered Aug 13 '14 at 02:04

Jason S

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18

`python -m pip install ` seems to work beautifully. – piperchester Feb 16 '15 at 04:03
2

What does `-m` do? – acollection_ Mar 10 '16 at 21:18
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@acollection_ : -m is from library Module – fernandosjp Jul 20 '16 at 17:57
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python -m pip install is the best workaround. Alternately, you can also do this: -> import sys -> sys.path.append("/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages") Adding these two lines to your python script or typing them in the interpreter works the same way. – naivecitizen Jan 15 '17 at 05:33
I get `/usr/bin/python: No module named pip` when I try to use this command. – annedroiid Jul 09 '18 at 13:15

score 61 · Answer 2 · answered Aug 13 '14 at 02:05

61

I figured it out! I added this line:

export PYTHONPATH=$PYTHONPATH:/usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages

to my .bash_profile and now I can import modules stored in that directory. Thanks for everyone who answered.

answered Aug 13 '14 at 02:05

Chase McCoy

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I got the feeling that solved the whole python not working on mac EPIC. Thanx! – Macilias Jan 18 '17 at 10:21
It's also common problem with python3. That solution also works with that – Marek Szmalc May 23 '17 at 13:41
This didn't work for me when pointing to Python3 site package folder – Nakul Tiruviluamala Apr 05 '21 at 07:15

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 13 '15 at 18:52

I faced similar problem,its related to /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages had no read or write permission for group and other, and they were owned by root. This means that only the root user could access them.

Try this:

$ sudo chmod -R go+rX /usr/local/lib/python2.7/site-packages

score 4 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 13 '14 at 20:05

4

None of this helped me with my similar problem. Instead, I had to fix the newly installed files permissions to be able to import. This is usually an obvious thing, but not so much when you use sudo when installing module/packages.

answered Sep 13 '14 at 20:05

cnaak

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I also had to delete some `.pyc` files from one of my packages. I think they were created after I had made the package directory readable, but before I made the package subdirs readable. The error message I was receiving which led me to the `.pyc` file problem was: `File "requests/__init__.py", line 97, in ` `from . import utils` `ImportError: cannot import name utils` In my case, I think it was `__init__.pyc` which was the problem, but I removed all `.pyc` files to be sure. Lesson: Do `chmod -R a+rX site-package-module-dir` as described in @prarit-lamba's answer – Josh Feb 09 '18 at 17:03

score -4 · Answer 5 · edited Jun 03 '17 at 21:33

-4

Simply just type in terminal:

sudo pip install pillow

and type import (whatever you like) or type from (whatever you like) import (whatever you like).

edited Jun 03 '17 at 21:33

Jonathan Leffler

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answered Jun 03 '17 at 20:03

amr

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Can't load Python modules installed via pip from site-packages directory

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