[BUG] julia.tools.PyCallInstallError: Precompiling PyCall failed.

[juanmvenegas]

Describe the bug
When running pysr.install(), installation fails when PyCall compilation starts.

Version (please complete the following information):

• OS: Windows 10
• Version 0.8.4 (installed via pip)

Configuration
Currently trying to install with julia v1.7.2, whioch was installed immediately before installing pysr.
Cannot move past installation step

Error message

[ Info: Julia executable: C:\Users\UA34141\AppData\Local\Programs\Julia-1.7.2\bin\julia.exe
[ Info: Trying to import PyCall...
┌ Error: `import PyCall` failed
│   exception =
│    InitError: could not load symbol "Py_CompileString":
│    The specified procedure could not be found.
│    Stacktrace:
│        @ C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\exception.jl:95 [inlined]
│      [2] pyeval_(s::String, globals::PyCall.PyDict{String, PyCall.PyObject, true}, locals::PyCall.PyDict{String, PyCall.PyObject, true}, input_type::Int64, fname::String) (repeats 2 times)
│        @ PyCall C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\pyeval.jl:34
│        @ PyCall C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\pyinit.jl:235
│      [4] _include_from_serialized(path::String, depmods::Vector{Any})
│        @ Base .\loading.jl:768
│      [5] _require_search_from_serialized(pkg::Base.PkgId, sourcepath::String)
│        @ Base .\loading.jl:854
│      [6] _require(pkg::Base.PkgId)
│        @ Base .\loading.jl:1097
│      [7] require(uuidkey::Base.PkgId)
│        @ Base .\loading.jl:1013
│      [8] top-level scope
│        @ C:\Users\UA34141\Miniconda3\envs\datasci\Lib\site-packages\julia\install.jl:36
│      [9] include(mod::Module, _path::String)
│        @ Base .\Base.jl:418
│     [10] exec_options(opts::Base.JLOptions)
│        @ Base .\client.jl:292
│     [11] _start()
│        @ Base .\client.jl:495
│    during initialization of module PyCall
└ @ Main C:\Users\UA34141\Miniconda3\envs\datasci\Lib\site-packages\julia\install.jl:38
┌ Info: PyCall is already installed but importing it failed.
└ Re-building PyCall may fix the issue...
[ Info: Run `Pkg.build("PyCall"; verbose=true)`
  Installing known registries into `C:\Users\UA34141\.julia`
    Building Conda ─→ `C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\scratchspaces\44cfe95a-1eb2-52ea-b672-e2afdf69b78f\6e47d11ea2776bc5627421d59cdcc1296c058071\build.log`
┌ Info: CONDA_EXE not found. Reverting to default in ROOTENV
│   CONDA_EXE = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\.julia\\conda\\3\\Scripts\\conda.exe"
└   ROOTENV = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\.julia\\conda\\3"
    Building PyCall → `C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\scratchspaces\44cfe95a-1eb2-52ea-b672-e2afdf69b78f\1fc929f47d7c151c839c5fc1375929766fb8edcc\build.log`
[ Info: PyCall is using C:\Users\UA34141\Miniconda3\envs\datasci\python.exe (Python 3.8.0) at C:\Users\UA34141\Miniconda3\envs\datasci\python.exe, libpython = C:\Users\UA34141\Miniconda3\envs\datasci\python38.dll
[ Info: C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\deps\deps.jl has not changed
[ Info: C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\prefs\PyCall has not changed
[ Info: `C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\..\deps\deps.jl`
const python = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\Miniconda3\\envs\\datasci\\python.exe"
const libpython = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\Miniconda3\\envs\\datasci\\python38.dll"
const pyprogramname = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\Miniconda3\\envs\\datasci\\python.exe"
const pyversion_build = v"3.8.0"
const PYTHONHOME = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\Miniconda3\\envs\\datasci"

"True if we are using the Python distribution in the Conda package."
const conda = false
ERROR: InitError: could not load symbol "Py_CompileString":
The specified procedure could not be found.
Stacktrace:
 [1] macro expansion
   @ C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\exception.jl:95 [inlined]
 [2] pyeval_(s::String, globals::PyCall.PyDict{String, PyCall.PyObject, true}, locals::PyCall.PyDict{String, PyCall.PyObject, true}, input_type::Int64, fname::String) (repeats 2 times)
   @ PyCall C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\pyeval.jl:34
 [3] __init__()
   @ PyCall C:\Users\UA34141\.julia\packages\PyCall\7a7w0\src\pyinit.jl:235
 [4] _include_from_serialized(path::String, depmods::Vector{Any})
   @ Base .\loading.jl:768
 [5] _require_search_from_serialized(pkg::Base.PkgId, sourcepath::String)
   @ Base .\loading.jl:854
 [6] _require(pkg::Base.PkgId)
   @ Base .\loading.jl:1097
 [7] require(uuidkey::Base.PkgId)
   @ Base .\loading.jl:1013
 [8] require(into::Module, mod::Symbol)
   @ Base .\loading.jl:997
during initialization of module PyCall

Additional context
I have tried to install pysr from conda in existing and new environments and have always run into issues, which is why I had to use pip.

Thanks for any help!

[MilesCranmer]

If you are using the conda version, can you try to downgrade to Julia 1.7.1 instead? As far as I know the conda version of Julia 1.7.2 has some issues–this is why pysr on conda will install 1.7.1 by default.

[MilesCranmer]

Wait, how are you installing julia with conda on Windows? As far as I know, there isn't actually a julia package set up on conda for windows. Only macOS and Linux have conda set up for julia: https://github.com/conda-forge/julia-feedstock.

On Windows, you should install julia manually, and then install pysr through pip, rather than conda. (I should mention this on the README actually...)

[juanmvenegas]

Sorry for not clarifying. I installed julia through the windows binaries: https://julialang.org/downloads/

I added julia to my PATH and then opened my conda env and installed pysr via pip. I can try to downgrade julia in case that may make a difference.

[MilesCranmer]

Hm, I am not sure. This shows up in your pasted error which might be a clue:

CONDA_EXE = "C:\\Users\\UA34141\\.julia\\conda\\3\\Scripts\\conda.exe"

did you try to install julia through conda initially?

I might try re-doing this in a fresh conda environment, with a fresh julia install (i.e., delete ~/.julia)–maybe the error will go away. I don't have good intuition for this error however.

You should also try to ask on the PyJulia github since this isn't actually a PySR error but a PyJulia one. pysr.install() just runs the PyJulia install procedure.

[juanmvenegas]

Thank you for your suggestions!

I deleted ~/.julia and started in a fresh environment and was able to succesfully run pysr.install().

[MilesCranmer]

Awesome!