[HowTo] python plugins and GIMP with Windows

[Karro]

Well, no dice.

I just uninstalled GIMP, then uninstalled GTK, just in case.

I ran the install on GTK - the exact file I ran was "gtk-2.12.9-win32-1". It went fine as before. No errors that I could see.

Then I reboot my laptop.

Next, I attempted to install PyCairo.

I got the same three error messages. This time I recorded them:

1.
title: Could not create
message: pycairo-py2.5
I clicked "OK" (no other options)

2.
title: Could not set key value
message: Python 2.5 pycairo-1.4.12
I clicked "OK" (no other options)

3.
title: Could not set key value
message: "C:\Python25\Removpycairo.exe" -u "C:\Python25\pycairo-wininst.log"
Again, clicked "OK" (no other options)

And... finally it pretends to finish installing, and voila, I click "FINISH".

In the C:\Python25 folder, under "Lib\site-packages" (the default directory for the PyCairo install) there is now a Cairo folder, within which we find three files named "_init_" (one a python file and the other two "compiled" python files) as well as _cairo.pyd. In the former directory there is also a file called "pycairo-1.4.12-py2.5.egg-info". There are also several pygtk files and a gtk-2.0 folder. (I don't know if the pygtk files are left over from the previous install, but I suspect that has nothing to do with the current error.) Given these errors, I didn't bother trying to install pygtk or pygobject.

So... any chance you guys think a functional install of Python for GIMP will be included in future GIMP versions? Also... does any of this make sense to anybody? I guess I just don't get to use python scripts in my GIMP...

Another question: What the heck are each of these supposed to do? And why are they required to make GIMP python scripts useable? I've enjoyed using GIMP for sure (and you can't beat the price) but it's certainly doomed to be relegated to a very narrow niche-status if it's this difficult to get the full benefit of GIMP's python script functionality.

[jfrazierjr]

Well, no dice.

I just uninstalled GIMP, then uninstalled GTK, just in case.

I ran the install on GTK - the exact file I ran was "gtk-2.12.9-win32-1". It went fine as before. No errors that I could see.

Then I reboot my laptop.

Next, I attempted to install PyCairo.

I got the same three error messages. This time I recorded them:

1.
title: Could not create
message: pycairo-py2.5
I clicked "OK" (no other options)

2.
title: Could not set key value
message: Python 2.5 pycairo-1.4.12
I clicked "OK" (no other options)

3.
title: Could not set key value
message: "C:\Python25\Removpycairo.exe" -u "C:\Python25\pycairo-wininst.log"
Again, clicked "OK" (no other options)

And... finally it pretends to finish installing, and voila, I click "FINISH".

In the C:\Python25 folder, under "Lib\site-packages" (the default directory for the PyCairo install) there is now a Cairo folder, within which we find three files named "_init_" (one a python file and the other two "compiled" python files) as well as _cairo.pyd. In the former directory there is also a file called "pycairo-1.4.12-py2.5.egg-info". There are also several pygtk files and a gtk-2.0 folder. (I don't know if the pygtk files are left over from the previous install, but I suspect that has nothing to do with the current error.) Given these errors, I didn't bother trying to install pygtk or pygobject.

So... any chance you guys think a functional install of Python for GIMP will be included in future GIMP versions? Also... does any of this make sense to anybody? I guess I just don't get to use python scripts in my GIMP...

Another question: What the heck are each of these supposed to do? And why are they required to make GIMP python scripts useable? I've enjoyed using GIMP for sure (and you can't beat the price) but it's certainly doomed to be relegated to a very narrow niche-status if it's this difficult to get the full benefit of GIMP's python script functionality.

They are things related to pythons graphics manipulation libraries IIRC. Why undoing all of it, INCLUDING Python...
Reboot after you have uninstalled everything (at the end) and then follow the instructions and reboot after installing each component. I know it is critical to reboot after install Python because most times, the OS environment does not get set up correctly until after the reboot to "know" Python is there.

Here is what I think I did.

Install Python
Reboot
Install GTK
Reboot
Install the 3 libraries
Reboot
Install Gimp, if possible, uncheck the option to install GTK(so it does not install over the possibly newer one.)

[Karro]

They are things related to pythons graphics manipulation libraries IIRC. Why undoing all of it, INCLUDING Python...
Reboot after you have uninstalled everything (at the end) and then follow the instructions and reboot after installing each component. I know it is critical to reboot after install Python because most times, the OS environment does not get set up correctly until after the reboot to "know" Python is there.

Here is what I think I did.

Install Python
Reboot
Install GTK
Reboot
Install the 3 libraries
Reboot
Install Gimp, if possible, uncheck the option to install GTK(so it does not install over the possibly newer one.)

Success.... I think.

I still got the three error messages. But I guess that's not the problem. You clued me in with the "uncheck the option to install GTK". I realized that GIMP was installing a version of GTK over what I'd already installed. I think that might have been messing up the Python libraries.

However... the version that GIMP installs is a newer (and apparently better looking, this older GTK 2.12.9 is pretty ugly compared to the GTK 2.14.7, which is what I think GIMP comes with) version of GTK... so now I have to do it all over again but installing that newer GTK first. I found the newer version, so I'll go ahead and do that next.

Whew... this was tougher than I expected! Glad I finally got it to work. There's some neat stuff being written in Python! Anyway, one more round we go...