Error on installing matplotlib

Question

I've tried using pip install matplotlib and git clone then python setup.py install. But I get the same error:

[...]
llvm-gcc-4.2 -fno-strict-aliasing -fno-common -dynamic -g -Os -pipe -fno-common -fno-strict-aliasing -fwrapv -mno-fused-madd -DENABLE_DTRACE -DMACOSX -DNDEBUG -Wall -Wshorten-64-to-32 -DNDEBUG -g -fwrapv -Os -Wall -Wstrict-prototypes -DENABLE_DTRACE -arch i386 -arch x86_64 -pipe -DPY_ARRAY_UNIQUE_SYMBOL=MPL_ARRAY_API -DPYCXX_ISO_CPP_LIB=1 -I/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/numpy/core/include -I. -I/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/Extras/lib/python/numpy/core/include/freetype2 -I./freetype2 -I/System/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/include/python2.7 -c src/ft2font.cpp -o build/temp.macosx-10.7-intel-2.7/src/ft2font.o
cc1plus: warning: command line option "-Wstrict-prototypes" is valid for Ada/C/ObjC but not for C++
In file included from src/ft2font.cpp:3:
src/ft2font.h:16:22: error: ft2build.h: No such file or directory
src/ft2font.h:17:10: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
src/ft2font.h:18:10: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
src/ft2font.h:19:10: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
src/ft2font.h:20:10: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
src/ft2font.h:21:10: error: #include expects "FILENAME" or <FILENAME>
In file included from src/ft2font.cpp:3:
src/ft2font.h:34: error: ‘FT_Bitmap’ has not been declared
src/ft2font.h:34: error: ‘FT_Int’ has not been declared
src/ft2font.h:34: error: ‘FT_Int’ has not been declared
src/ft2font.h:86: error: expected ‘,’ or ‘...’ before ‘&’ token
[...]

It seems like I'm missing some package installed in my system? Or there any other better way to install matplotlib?

Answer 1

Hello @kartik,

You had to install libfreetype6-dev and libpng-dev from the repositories. I was using a virtualenv and installing matplotlib using pip when I ran into this issue.

Hints that I needed to do this came from the warning messages that popup early in the matplotlib installation so keep an eye out for those messages which indicate a dependency is found, but not the headers.

Hope this helps you!!