PyInstaller - No module named 'codecs' - Windows 7

[qianfeng2]

Dear whom it may concern,

My script literally looks like this (Python 3.6.7-embed-win32):

print("Hello world")

Building it with PyInstaller (version 5.0.dev.0) (pyinstaller --onefile hello.py or even pyinstaller hello.py) results in an error:

Fatal Python error: Py_Initialize: unable to load the file system codec
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "encodings_init_.py", line 31, in (module)
ImportError: No module named 'codecs'.

Is there anything I can do on my window 7 computer?

Thanks in advance.

[rokm]

Is that a build-time or a run-time error?

[bwoodsend]

Python 3.6.7-embed-win32

The embedded Python builds aren't supported yet. See #4989.

[qianfeng2]

Is that a build-time or a run-time error?

It's a run-time error. I have build successfully since there is a hello.exe in dist dir. When I run hello.exe, it outputs this error.

[rokm]

Did you explicitly work around the missing support for collecting files from embedded python3X.zip (#4989)? As Brenainn said, PyInstaller does not support embedded python, and that ends up in build-time error...

[qianfeng2]

Did you explicitly work around the missing support for collecting files from embedded python3X.zip (#4989)? As Brenainn said, PyInstaller does not support embedded python, and that ends up in build-time error...

Thanks very much for your prompt response.
There is no build-time error in my computer using embeded python version since this website has saved me: https://dev.to/fpim/setting-up-python-s-windows-embeddable-distribution-properly-1081

Now it proceeds to a run-time error:) Is it possible to figure it out why? Alternatively I will then try the python-X.exe.

[rokm]

There is no build-time error in my computer using embeded python version since this website has saved me: https://dev.to/fpim/setting-up-python-s-windows-embeddable-distribution-properly-1081

Ah, that's a clever trick. :)

Now it proceeds to a run-time error:) Is it possible to figure it out why? Alternatively I will then try the python-X.exe.

Looks like PyInstaller does not construct base_library.zip correctly with this configuration (it ends up empty). As a very quick work-around, you can replace the generated base_library.zip with python36.zip (works only for onedir builds, though).

I'll check what's going on with base library generation...

[rokm]

Looks like our create_py3_base_library implementation is ignoring compiled modules:

pyinstaller/PyInstaller/depend/utils.py

Line 77 in 7d77825

if type(mod) in (modulegraph.SourceModule, modulegraph.Package):

Can you try modifying this file in your local PyInstaller installation, by adding modulegraph.CompiledModule to the above list? Since you're using python 3.6, that might do the trick without additional modifications...

[qianfeng2]

Haha, I am a little confused. Do you mean after changing the follow sentence *if type(mod) in (modulegraph.SourceModule, modulegraph.Package):* to *if type(mod) in (modulegraph.SourceModule, modulegraph.Package, modulegraph.CompiledModule):* , then it might solve the problem of my current run-time "no module named codecs" error? Thanks,

…

On Tue, Apr 13, 2021 at 8:08 PM Rok Mandeljc ***@***.***> wrote: Looks like our create_py3_base_library implementation is ignoring compiled modules: https://github.com/pyinstaller/pyinstaller/blob/7d77825f42a5929d08b3337fd7b4550bc5387f42/PyInstaller/depend/utils.py#L77 Can you try modifying this file in your local PyInstaller installation, by adding modulegraph.CompiledModule to the above list? Since you're using python 3.6, that might do the trick without additional modifications... — You are receiving this because you authored the thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#5730 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AIDYBECA6MYR5RJJA4HZG33TIQX47ANCNFSM4224YBXA> .

-- -------------------------------------------- Qian Feng, PhD Student Melbourne Integrative Genomics (MIG) School of Mathematics and Statistics University of Melbourne E-mail: ***@***.*** Phone: +61 (0)4526 01685 URL: https://qianfeng2.github.io

[rokm]

Yes, open python-3.6.7-embed-win32\Lib\site-packages\PyInstaller\depend\utils.py and change that line into:

if type(mod) in (modulegraph.SourceModule, modulegraph.Package, modulegraph.CompiledModule): 

and try rebuilding your application. This time around, base_library.zip should contain collected modules, with codecs.pyc among them.

[bwoodsend]

There's more broken in embedded Python than just that. There's several places where PyInstaller skips searching modules because it can't find them in the zipped base_library.zip. And I vaguely remember the archive writer not working either for some reason. I had a branch somewhere which I can't seem to find...

[rokm]

There's more broken in embedded Python than just that. There's several places where PyInstaller skips searching modules because it can't find them in the zipped base_library.zip. And I vaguely remember the archive writer not working either for some reason. I had a branch somewhere which I can't seem to find...

That's true, but as per article linked in #5730 (comment), you can avoid zip-related issues by simply renaming the python36.zip file into something else, and extracting its contents into folder called python36.zip.

[qianfeng2]

Yes, open python-3.6.7-embed-win32\Lib\site-packages\PyInstaller\depend\utils.py and change that line into:

if type(mod) in (modulegraph.SourceModule, modulegraph.Package, modulegraph.CompiledModule): 

and try rebuilding your application. This time around, base_library.zip should contain collected modules, with codecs.pyc among them.

Haha!!! It works!!! Now, my first hello.exe works very good!!! That's magic! I have spent two weeks struggling to solve this codecs issue.
Many thanks @rokm