python - AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'pydebug'

Question

When trying to run a python script, I get the error AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'pydebug'. I am using Python 2.6.

Full error:

File "/lib/python2.6/distutils/sysconfig.py", line 238, in get_makefile_filename
    return os.path.join(lib_dir, "config" + (sys.pydebug and "_d" or ""), "Makefile")
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'pydebug'

Answer 1

I hit this issue when attempting to run the Ubuntu 12.04.1 system gdb on a python I built myself. I expect Ubuntu has built some hooks into the system gdb so that it uses a debugging version of Python; but the hooks don't latch onto anything in my own python. I got around this by building my own gdb and running that instead.

Here's the command-line and full traceback:

price@neverland:~/LSST/ip_diffim[master] $ gdb --args python tests/SnapPsfMatch.py 
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 562, in <module>
    main()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 544, in main
    known_paths = addusersitepackages(known_paths)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 271, in addusersitepackages
    user_site = getusersitepackages()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 246, in getusersitepackages
    user_base = getuserbase() # this will also set USER_BASE
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 236, in getuserbase
    USER_BASE = get_config_var('userbase')
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.py", line 577, in get_config_var
    return get_config_vars().get(name)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.py", line 476, in get_config_vars
    _init_posix(_CONFIG_VARS)
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.py", line 337, in _init_posix
    makefile = _get_makefile_filename()
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/sysconfig.py", line 331, in _get_makefile_filename
    return os.path.join(get_path('platstdlib').replace("/usr/local","/usr",1), "config" + (sys.pydebug and "_d" or ""), "Makefile")
AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'pydebug'

so it seems to go looking for the wrong python (in /usr/lib) despite my having told the system not to do so:

price@neverland:~/LSST/ip_diffim[master] $ which python
/home/price/eups/Linux/python/2.7.2/bin/python
price@neverland:~/LSST/ip_diffim[master] $ echo $PYTHONPATH | grep usr
price@neverland:~/LSST/ip_diffim[master] $