How to solve pkg_resources.VersionConflict error during bin/python bootstrap.py -d

Question

I am tring to create a new plone environment using python plone-devstart.py tool. I got a bootstrap error. So i used a command bin/python bootstrap.py -d from my project dir

Answer 1

You have the distribute fork of setuptools installed in your site packages, but your bootstrap.py is trying to install buildout 2.2.0, which uses the new merged setuptools 0.7 or newer egg.

The distribute fork of setuptools was merged back into the setuptools project and the transition is causing some pain.

Your options are:

Tell bootstrap to use an earlier zc.buildout version

Run bootstrap.py with the -v option, forcing it to stick to a specific, earlier version:

 $ bin/python bootstrap.py -d -v 2.1.1

Version 2.1.1 of buildout will not upgrade itself to 2.2 or newer and works with your distribute-supplied setuptools egg.

Uninstall the old distribute egg

Manually delete all distribute*, pkg_resources.py* and setuptools* files from your site-packages directory:

$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/setuptools*
$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/distribute*
$ rm -rf /home/oomsys/demobrun/lib/python2.7/site-packages/pkg_resources.py*

and (optionally) reinstall setuptools from with the latest ez_setup.py; the current version is 0.9.6, and the setuptools PyPI page links you to this ez_setup.py version.

You'll also need to upgrade your bootstrap.py script, see below.

Use a recent virtualenv

Version 1.9 or newer of virtualenv (released March 2013) lets you create a virtualenv without the setuptools egg using the --no-setuptools switch:

$ virtualenv --no-setuptools buildout_env

Use that to create a virtual env python to run your bootstrap.py. You still need to upgrade your bootstrap.py too. See below.

Upgrade your bootstrap.py.

For zc.buildout versions 2.2.0 and up the bootstrap.py script has been updated to load setuptools the-not-forked-version. Grab a new copy at from github (link to the 2 branch version), replace your old bootstrap.py with it, and bootstrap again.

Do make sure you removed the old forked really-distribute-but-pretending-to-be-setuptools egg first or run with a virtual env python that does not have that egg. See above.