Python 3: Installing gi package with pip

Question

I am trying to run this Matplotlib example using Python 3. To run this I needed to install gi first (I am using pyenv):

$ python --         


        

Answer 1

First, pip install gi will install another unrelated package, the correct name is pgi. But after running:

$ pip uninstall gi
$ pip install pgi
$ python toolmanager.py
[...]
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "toolmanager.py", line 14, in 
    import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
  File "/home/hakon/.pyenv/versions/3.6.1/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/pyplot.py", line 115, in 
    _backend_mod, new_figure_manager, draw_if_interactive, _show = pylab_setup()
  File "/home/hakon/.pyenv/versions/3.6.1/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/backends/__init__.py", line 32, in pylab_setup
    globals(),locals(),[backend_name],0)
  File "/home/hakon/.pyenv/versions/3.6.1/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/backends/backend_gtk3cairo.py", line 6, in 
    from . import backend_gtk3
  File "/home/hakon/.pyenv/versions/3.6.1/lib/python3.6/site-packages/matplotlib/backends/backend_gtk3.py", line 12, in 
    raise ImportError("Gtk3 backend requires pygobject to be installed.")
ImportError: Gtk3 backend requires pygobject to be installed.

It seems that pygobject for Python 3 cannot be installed from PyPI. So I tried to install everything from the Ubuntu distribution package python3-gi instead:

$ sudo apt-get install python3-gi
$ pyenv local system
$ python3 --version
Python 3.5.3
$ python3 toolmanager.py

and this works fine :)