# PyCall installation problem?

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269>\
**Category:** New to Julia\
**Created:** [November 23, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269 "2017-11-23T12:26:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 11\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![BLI](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/bli/32/37206_2.png) [@BLI](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BLI)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 12:26pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/1 "2017-11-23T12:26:05Z")

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## Hi, I’m trying to update PyPlot and IJulia, but the update/addition stalls – it seems like the problem is PyCall:

julia\> Pkg.add(“PyCall”)  
INFO: Installing PyCall v1.15.0  
INFO: Building Conda  
INFO: Building PyCall  
INFO: Using the Python distribution in the Conda package by default.  
To use a different Python version, set ENV[“PYTHON”]=“pythoncommand” and re-run Pkg.build(“PyCall”).  
INFO: Downloading miniconda installer …  
INFO: Installing miniconda …  
INFO: Downloading miniconda installer …  
INFO: Installing miniconda …  
INFO: Downloading miniconda installer …  
INFO: Installing miniconda …  
… and then ad infinitum…

Any clues? [I do have both Anaconda 2.7 and 3.x installed for doing some Python work, but that did not create problems in the past.]

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**Author:** ![stevengj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stevengj/32/71_2.png) [@stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/stevengj)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/2 "2017-11-23T15:00:33Z")

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Does

```julia
using Conda
Conda.add("numpy")

```

work?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLI](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/bli/32/37206_2.png) [@BLI](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BLI)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:13pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/3 "2017-11-23T15:13:04Z")

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Yes,

using Conda

Conda.add(“numpy”)

works.

-B

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![BLI](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/bli/32/37206_2.png) [@BLI](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BLI)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:38pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/4 "2017-11-23T15:38:05Z")

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When I did

using Conda  
Conda.add(“numpy”)

## the appearance in the REPL was similar to using conda in a Python shell

After that, I did:

Pkg.add(“PyPlot”)

and the REPL appearance was again similar to when using conda (growing bars indicating state of installation, etc.)

Next, installing IJulia, etc. also worked – in summary most things work again. Thanks! [I don’t know what the difference between Conda.add() and Pkg.add(), or why things work now.]

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**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/5 "2017-11-23T15:45:27Z")

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> [@BLI](#):
>
> I don’t know what the difference between Conda.add() and Pkg.add(), or why things work now.

`Pkg.*` functions are managing _Julia_ packages, while `Conda.*` is for the packages space managed by [conda](https://github.com/conda/conda). Eg `python` uses the `conda`, but it can work with other languages, eg R. `Conda.jl` is Julia’s `conda` interface for some non-Julia dependencies.

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**Author:** ![BLI](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/bli/32/37206_2.png) [@BLI](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BLI)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/6 "2017-11-23T15:53:14Z")

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Thanks for clarification. I assume that for packages managed by conda (presumably PyCall, numpy, PyPlot, Ijulia, etc., I can use either Conda.add() or Pkg.add()… (?)

-B

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tamas\_Papp](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/tamas_papp/32/25949_2.png) [@Tamas\_Papp](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/Tamas_Papp)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/7 "2017-11-23T17:03:34Z")

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No. `Pkg.add()` does not directly manage packages by `conda`. It may do so indirectly, if the build script of the relevant Julia package asks for it.

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**Author:** ![stevengj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stevengj/32/71_2.png) [@stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/stevengj)\
**Post date:** [November 23, 2017, 5:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/8 "2017-11-23T17:39:05Z")

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> [@BLI](#):
>
> Next, installing IJulia, etc. also worked – in summary most things work again.

The PyCall build script [just calls `Conda.add("numpy")`](https://github.com/JuliaPy/PyCall.jl/blob/79909baa584a4ab6968e717c32eb130944d51f54/deps/build.jl#L200), so I’m not sure why it would be different when you ran it manually. Perhaps it was a temporary network glitch?

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**Author:** ![yaomg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b77776/32.png) [@yaomg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/yaomg)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2020, 9:13am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/9 "2020-10-15T09:13:32Z")

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Hello,  
I do not know if it is the same problem, I try to install PyCall, but I obtain the following error:

Error: Error building `PyCall`:  
│ ERROR: did not recognize option ‘1/.julia/conda/3’, please try -h  
┌ Info: Using the Python distribution in the Conda package by default.  
│ └ To use a different Python version, set ENV[“PYTHON”]=“pythoncommand” and re-run Pkg.build(“PyCall”).  
│ [ Info: Downloading miniconda installer …  
│ [ Info: Installing miniconda …  
│ ERROR: LoadError: failed process: Process(`'/Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/conda/3/installer.sh' -b -f -p '/Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/conda/3'`, ProcessExited(1)) [1]  
│  
│ Stacktrace:  
│ [1] pipeline\_error at ./process.jl:525 [inlined]  
│ [2] run(::Cmd; wait::Bool) at ./process.jl:440  
│ [3] run at ./process.jl:438 [inlined]  
│ [4] \_install\_conda(::String, ::Bool) at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/Conda/3rPhK/src/Conda.jl:169  
│ [5] \_install\_conda(::String) at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/Conda/3rPhK/src/Conda.jl:155  
│ [6] runconda(::Cmd, ::String) at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/Conda/3rPhK/src/Conda.jl:112  
│ [7] add(::String, ::String; channel::String) at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/Conda/3rPhK/src/Conda.jl:188  
│ [8] add at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/Conda/3rPhK/src/Conda.jl:187 [inlined] (repeats 2 times)  
│ [9] top-level scope at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/PyCall/BcTLp/deps/build.jl:84  
│ [10] include(::String) at ./client.jl:457  
│ [11] top-level scope at none:5  
│ in expression starting at /Users/ymedinag 1/.julia/packages/PyCall/BcTLp/deps/build.jl:43  
└ @ Pkg.Operations /Users/julia/buildbot/worker/package\_macos64/build/usr/share/julia/stdlib/v1.5/Pkg/src/Operations.jl:949

I use a Mac. Any help will be welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![stevengj](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/stevengj/32/71_2.png) [@stevengj](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/stevengj)\
**Post date:** [October 23, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/10 "2020-10-23T12:42:07Z")

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> [@yaomg](#):
>
> did not recognize option ‘1/.julia/conda/3’, please try -h

Anaconda doesn’t install into directories with spaces, which I’m guessing tha you have. (This is [out of our control](https://github.com/ContinuumIO/anaconda-issues/issues/716).) You’ll need to either rename your home directory to not use spaces or manually install Python somewhere else and tell PyCall where to find it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![yaomg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b77776/32.png) [@yaomg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/yaomg)\
**Post date:** [October 29, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/pycall-installation-problem/7269/11 "2020-10-29T19:25:18Z")

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Dear support,

I deeply thank you your help. I solved my problem by installing elsewhere without a space.

Best regards.

Yaocihuatl Medina-Gonzalez  
CNRS Research Scientist  
Chargée de Recherche CNRS  
Laboratoire du Futur (LOF UMR CNRS Solvay 5258)  
178 Avenue du Dr Albert Schweitzer,  
33600 Pessac  
[yaocihuatl.medina-gonzalez@u-bordeaux.fr](mailto:yaocihuatl.medina-gonzalez@u-bordeaux.fr)  
[yaocihuatl.medinagonzalez-ext@solvay.com](mailto:yaocihuatl.medinagonzalez-ext@solvay.com)