Embedding Python in a Qt Creator project - python

I'm working on a project that requires C++ to call a program written in Python that relies on Python exclusive modules.
The project is handled using Qt Creator, and Python 3.7.5 and its packages are installed via Miniconda. I've gotten a basic embedding working using Pybind11 where basic interfacing works, however, most external modules cannot be imported.
For example, when importing Numpy through Pybind11, the following error is thrown (reduced for brevity):
Importing the numpy c-extensions failed.
Original error was: /home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python3.7/site-packages/numpy/core/_multiarray_umath.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so: undefined symbol: PyMemoryView_FromObject
A similar error occurs when importing tensorflow through Pybind11:
ImportError: /home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python3.7/lib-dynload/_ctypes.cpython-37m-x86_64-linux-gnu.so: undefined symbol: PyUnicode_FromFormat
It appears to be a problem with Python's C API being found when reading C extension shared libraries. However, modules like lxml which use C source files import just fine. Additionally, I can import problem modules in projects separate from the project I'm working on, implying it's a setup problem. Note that this test project setup doesn't actually use any QT functionality, whereas the main one does.
My PYTHONHOME environment variable looks like:
['/home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python3.7', '/home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python3.7/site-packages', '/home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python37.zip', '/home/brentnallt/miniconda3/envs/car_class_nogpu/lib/python3.7/lib-dynload', '.']
Are there any special considerations I have to make when embedding with Qt Creator? Or is this likely a different problem from a setup error?

Maybe you can consider using PythonQt as an alternative module for calling and importing python libraries from Qt application.
I've used it a lot in my projects and it never failed, but never used it with any kinda data scientific modules maybe you could give it a chance
https://mevislab.github.io/pythonqt/

Related

Creating package from boost::python modules

I am trying to follow the tutorial for creating python packages from shared objects compiled from C++ via boost::python, but I am running into some problems I need clarification about.
Assume I have a local $install_dir into which I install the compiled shared objects in the form of a python package via CMake. Parallel to the tutorial liked above, my structure is:
$installdir/
my_package/
__init__.py
module/
__init__.py
_module.so
I have added $installdir to my $PYTHONPATH.
$installdir/my_package/__init__.py is empty.
$installdir/my_package/module/__init__.py contains:
from _module import *
When I then import my_package.module I get ModuleNotFoundError: No module named '_module' raised from $installdir/my_package/module/__init__.py.
The issue seems to be that _module.so is not found from $installdir/my_package/module/__init__.py.
Why is the approach from the tutorial not working?
If I add $installdir/my_package/module to $PYTHONPATH directly everything works fine, but it feels like that should not be neccessary, as $installdir/my_package/module/__init__.py should find _module.so locally.
I implemented the following portable workaround for now within $installdir/my_package/module/__init__.py:
import sys, pathlib
sys.path.insert(0,str(pathlib.Path(__file__).parent.absolute()))
from _module import *
Bonus Question:
Changing the file name extension from .so to .pyd breaks the import (ModuleNotFoundError) even without any packaging and .pyd being accessible directly via $PYTHONPATH. I define the extension via CMake's SUFFIX target property. This is obviously mostly cosmetic, but I would still like to understand the reason and how to fix it.
Edit:
This is Ubuntu 20.04 with python 3.8 and boost 1.71

Python/C++ wrapper Using external dll with Pybind11

Python version: 3.8.1
Spyder version: 3.3.6
Qt version: 5.12.9
Wrapper: develop using PyBind11
I am wrapping a dll develop in C++ which use Qt dlls to be used with Python. I wrote the wrapper with Visual Studio 2019 using the compiler MSVC (as my dll is compiled with MSVC). After generating the solution in VS2019 I obtain a .pyd file which can be import with python.
It works good when I use python on line command:
Start cmd.exe
$python
import MyLibName
I can use the functions/classes ...
But if I try with Spyder, I get the following error:
ImportError: DLL load failed while importing PyStack: The specified module could not be found..
So here are my questions :
Is there a way to get more information about ImportError like the name of the missing dll or something?
I don't understand why the issue only happen with spyder. I tried with IPython Qt Console and it work. Does spyder use a embeded python version or something ?
I don't fully understand how dll shall be managed, I mean shall I provide dll like libGLESV2.dll with the .pyd or just give a path where to find it ?
Thank you in advance.
My guess
I think I find out which part of Qt/python is producing this issue, but I still don't know how to solve it.
My dll use signals/slots which need an event loop to be performed. If an event loop is already running the dll will try to use it, if the loop version (ex : PyQt5==5.14.1) isn’t the same as mine (ex Qt==5.15.1) import will be impossible.
Note that the reverse is true, if I run my dll an then try to start a loop with %gui qt the command will throw an error.
How to reproduce the issue :
Compile a Qt project available here.
Copy the output dll in the folder PyMyStack/dependencies of the VS Project (available here)
Compile the VS project.
Open an IPython console (without using qt has event loop)
Import the module created with VS (Import PyMyStack)
Run the magic command %gui qt
Last command shall print : ERROR:root:DLL load failed while importing QtSvg: The specified procedure could not be found.
How to hide/solve the problem:
Disclaimer : The solutions presented here are surely not the best, if you know a better one please share it ☺
If you just want to import your lib in Spyder, you can use another event loop. Here are the steps to change this:
In Spyder menus go to Tools→Preferences
Select “IPython console”
Go to “Graphics” tab and change the backend combo box to any other values than Qt or Automatic
If you want to use Qt event loop you will have to update it. You can do this with pip command, but remember than Spyder is not compatible with some version. Here is the pip command:
Pip install PyQt5==X.Y.Z
Where X and Y are the same version use to compile your Qt project. The last digit version seems to not be important.

C++ - Python Embedding with numpy - error on deployment

I'm trying to embed python with numpy in a C++ application. I'm using Windows 10 and Visual Studio 2015.
Currently I have Anaconda and WinPython installed (because I'm using Python scripts that work only with one or the other). I don't have any environment variable related to python.
For my C++ application, I'm using the WinPython python, that have numpy and a handful of other packages installed. I managed to embed python and numpy in my application when using Visual studio, both for Debug and Release. Everything is working, python is initialized and I can use numpy array and functions. WinPython is correctly used. As a simple test in my code I have:
_putenv_s("PYTHONPATH", ".");
Py_InitializeEx(0);
PyRun_SimpleString("import sys");
PyRun_SimpleString("print(sys.path)");
PyRun_SimpleString("print(sys.prefix)");
PyRun_SimpleString("print(sys.executable)");
PyRun_SimpleString("import importlib.machinery");
PyRun_SimpleString("print(importlib.machinery.all_suffixes())");
init_numpy2();
That prints:
['C:\\DevC++\\Tesseler-Cmake\\build', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\python37.zip', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\DLLs', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\lib', 'C:\\DevC++\\Tesseler-Cmake\\build\\Release', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\lib\\site-packages', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\lib\\site-packages\\win32', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\lib\\site-packages\\win32\\lib', 'C:\\Git\\WPy64-3741\\python-3.7.4.amd64\\lib\\site-packages\\Pythonwin']
C:\Git\WPy64-3741\python-3.7.4.amd64
C:\DevC++\Tesseler-Cmake\build\Release\Tesseler.exe
['.py', '.pyw', '.pyc', '.cp37-win_amd64.pyd', '.pyd']
I then set-up an installer using Wix in Release, and checked that the Winpython python37.dll is shipped with my application. But when I run my program, I'm getting this error when calling import_numpy2():
['C:\\Tesseler', 'C:\\Tesseler\\python37.zip', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\Lib', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\DLLs', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\lib\\site-packages', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\lib\\site-packages\\win32', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\lib\\site-packages\\win32\\lib', 'C:\\Users\\Florian\\anaconda3\\lib\\site-packages\\Pythonwin']
C:\Users\Florian\anaconda3
C:\Tesseler\Tesseler.exe
['.py', '.pyw', '.pyc', '.cp37-win_amd64.pyd', '.pyd']
ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'numpy'
I don't understand why anaconda is added to the sys.path and sys.prefix since I never have any reference to it in my visual studio project, nor any environment variable referencing it.
I see why using a dll from anaconda could lead to some problem but I checked with Process Explorer that my application is using the python37.dll shipped with it, which is the case.
Any idea what could cause this error?
Update:
Following ideas described in this thread, I managed to make it work by creating a python subfolder and copying the whole numpy, scipy, pandas and statsmodels folders in it (these 4 modules are needed by my script). These folders were copied from C:\Git\WPy64-3741\python-3.7.4.amd64\Lib\site-packages. I also added this python subfolder to PYTHONPATH: _putenv_s("PYTHONPATH", ".;./python");
Anyway, if someone has a better solution I'm eager to hear it as I find it annoying to have to bundle these modules (more than 600 Mo) when my application is roughly 20 Mo...

What does "Symbol not found / Expected in: flat namespace" actually mean?

When I import a module I built, I get this boost-python related error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<string>", line 1, in <module>
ImportError: dlopen(./myMod.so, 2): Symbol not found: __ZN5boost6python7objects15function_objectERKNS1_11py_functionERKSt4pairIPKNS0_6detail7keywordES9_E
Referenced from: ./myMod.so
Expected in: flat namespace
in ./myMod.so
What does this actually mean? Why was this error raised?
Description
The problem was caused by mixing objects that compiled with libc++ and object that compiled with libstdc++.
In our case, the library myMod.so (compiled with libstdc++) need boost-python that compiled with libstdc++ (boost-python-libstdc++ from now). When boost-python is boost-python-libstdc++, it will work fine. Otherwise - on computer that its boost-python has compiled with libc++ (or another c++ library), it will have a problem loading and running it.
In our case, it happens because that libc++ developers intentionally changed the name of all of their symbols to prevent you (and save you) from mixing code from their library and code from a different one: myMod.so need a function that take an argument from the type. In libc++, this type's name is std::__1::pair. Therefore, this symbol was not found.
To understand why mixing two version of the same API is bad, consider this situation: There are two libraries: Foo and Bar. They both have a function that takes a std::string and uses it for something but they use a different c++ library. When a std::string that has been created by Foo will be passed to Bar, Bar will think that this is an instance of its c++ library's std::string and then bad things can happen (they are a completely different objects).
Note: In some cases, there would be no problem with two or more different versions of the same API in a completely different parts of a program. There will be a problem if they will pass this API's objects between them. However, checking that can be very hard, especially if they pass the API object only as a member of another object. Also, a library's initialization function can do things that should not happen twice. Another version may do these things again.
How to solve that?
You can always recompile your libraries and make them match each other.
You can link boost-python to your library as a static library. Then, it will work on almost every computer (even one that doesn't has boost-python installed). See more about that here.
Summary
myMod.so need another version of boost-python, one that compiled with a specific c++ library. Therefore, It would not work with any another version.
In my case I was receiving:
ImportError: dlopen(/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.8/lib/python3.8/site-packages/xmlsec.cpython-38-darwin.so, 0x0002): symbol not found in flat namespace '_xmlSecDSigNs'
BACKGROUND:
M1 MacBook Pro with Montery
I was working with a python virtualenv (using pyenv) to use an earlier version of python3.8 (3.8.2), while my system had 3.8.10 installed natively.
While I was in the activated 3.8.2 virtualenv I noticed the path in dlopen() was pointing to the package in the native python install NOT the virtualenv install.
SOLUTION:
In my case, I did not need the native 3.8 version at all so I simply removed it and this solved the problem.
I encounter the same problem.
Expected in: flat namespace
Add the linker flag fixes the problem
-lboost_python37
change the dynamic library name to the one installed on the os.
By the way, my os is macOS High Sierra and I use brew to install boost_python3.
Symbol not found means the definition of the declared function or variable was not found. When a header file of a shared object is compiled with your program, linker adds symbols of declared functions and objects to your compiled program. When your program is loaded by the OS's loader, the symbols are resolved so that their definition will be loaded. It is only at this time where if the implementation is missing, loader complains it couldn't find the definition due to may be failing to resolve the actual path to the library or the library itself wasn't compiled with the implementation/source file where the definition of the function or object resides. There is a good article on this on the linux journal http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/6463.
In my case I was just failing to import all the required sources (c++ files) when compiling with Cython.
From the string after "Symbol not found" you can understand which library you are missing.
One of the solutions I found was to uninstall and reinstall it using the no-binary flag, which forces pip to compile the module from source instead of installing from precompiled wheel.
pip install --no-binary :all: <name-of-module>
Found this solution here
Here's what I've learned (osx):
If this is supposed to work (i.e. it works on another computer), you may be experiencing clang/gcc issues. To debug this, use otool -l on the .so file which is raising the error, or a suspect library (in my example it's a boost-python dylib file) and examine the contents. Anything in the /System/ folder is built with clang, and should be installed somewhere else with the gcc compiler. Never delete anything in the /System folder.
.so files are dynamic libraries (so = shared object). On Windows they are called .dll (dynamic-link library). They contain compiled code which contains functions available for usage to any executable which links them.
What is important to notice here is that those .so are not Python files. They were probably compiled from C or C++ code and contain public functions which can be used from Python code (see documentation on Extending Python with C or C++).
On your case, well, you have a corrupt .so. Try reinstalling the affected libraries, or Python, or both.
Problem
I had this same issue when running puma as part of Rails app
LoadError:
dlopen(/Users/alucard/.rbenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/ruby/gems/2.7.0/gems/puma-5.6.4/lib/puma/puma_http11.bundle, 0x0009): symbol not found in flat namespace '_ERR_load_crypto_strings'
/Users/alucard/.rbenv/versions/2.7.6/lib/ruby/gems/2.7.0/gems/puma-5.6.4/lib/puma/puma_http11.bundle
Solution
It was solved just by installing puma gem again gem install puma

Compiling IronPython into an exe that uses standard library packages

In my IronPython script, I'm using standard libary modules like ConfigParser, logging and JSON.
Then I use pyc.py to create an executable. At first I ran into problems, namely '...ImportException: no module named ...'
since they weren't being included in the exe and accompanying dlls.
So I ran a solution from here: IronPython: EXE compiled using pyc.py cannot import module "os" and it mostly worked.
For example, importing 'ConfigParser' would work since in the IronPython 'Lib' folder as a module, it's there as 'ConfigParser.py'. However I'm still having trouble using JSON and logging since they're inside of folders with their name (packages?).
I'm feeling that I'm just missing something simple, and probably need to read up more on python modules and how they really work, but I'm not sure what I should be looking for.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
EDIT:
I can't answer my own question yet, so I'll leave this here.
Somehow got it to work in a really 'hacky' way. There must be another much cleaner solution to this that I'm missing (some option in pyc.py?)
Here's what I did:
1) Made the StdLib.dll file generated from the link above (IronPython: EXE compiled using pyc.py cannot import module "os"). This would be missing the std lib packages.
2) Used SharpDevelop to compile the standard lib packages that weren't included in the above dll following the method here: http://community.sharpdevelop.net/blogs/mattward/archive/2010/03/16/CompilingPythonPackagesWithIronPython.aspx
3) Used SharpDevelop to build my program and tie together all the references.
- Reference to the dlls made in step 2
- Reference to the StdLib.dll made in step 1
Again, there must be a better solution to this.
I've found two ways to compile standard library python packages:
1st way: Individually compile each package into a dll
Using pyc.py, run something like (this example compiles logging package):
ipy pyc.py ".\Lib\logging\__init__.py" ".\Lib\logging\config.py" ".\Lib\logging\handlers.py" /target:dll /out:logging
This creates a logging.dll file, which you can then use like this:
import clr
clr.AddReference('StdLib') #from the compilation of non-package std libraries
clr.AddReference('logging')
import logging
**Note: This is assuming you've run the solution from IronPython: EXE compiled using pyc.py cannot import module "os" to create StdLib.dll
2nd way: Modify the compilation script that generated StdLib.dll
I changed this line:
#Build StdLib.DLL
gb = glob.glob(r".\Lib\*.py")
gb.append("/out:StdLib")
To this:
#Build StdLib.DLL
gb1 = glob.glob(r".\Lib\*.py")
gb2 = glob.glob(r".\Lib\*\*.py")
gb3 = glob.glob(r".\Lib\*\*\*.py")
gb = list(set(gb1 + gb2 + gb3))
gb.append("/out:StdLib")
This includes the subfolders in the Lib directory which get missed in the original regex (only modules get included). Now, packages like xml, json, logging, etc. get included into StdLib.dll

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