[Ifeffit] RE : Ifeffit Digest, Vol 53, Issue 1

[Matt Newville]

Hi Emilano,

I use the python wrapper for Ifeffit on linux all the time, and also
use python "for several things on the beamline".  And just for the
record, I do not use debian packages.

Over the years, I've experienced many problems using a shared object
version of PGPLOT with Ifeffit and its wrappers.  These problems are
why I wrote PGPLOT_Install, and why I  strongly recommend following
the instructions for installing Ifeffit, which includes first
installing PGPLOT with the PGPLOT_Install script.  They are also why I
asked you to run 'ldd'  on both /usr/local/bin/ifeffit and
/usr/lib/python2.5/site-packages/Ifeffit/_ifeffit.so  to see what
libraries they load dynamically.

Is there a problem with doing these steps?  If so, try to find someone
who can help you follow the build instructions.

For 1.2.10,  I will make the following changes:
   a)  PGPLOT_Install will be altered to create libpgplot_iff.a
instead of libpgplot.a, and this
         will be installed to /usr/local/share/ifeffit/pgplot.
   b)  The configuration and makefiles will be altered to link against
this libpgplot_iff.a, and
         not with libpgplot that might be installed by some other package.

This will avoid the sorts of conflicts you're seeing an also eliminate
the possibility of assuming that using the debian/whatever PGPLOT
package will work, as it will not work for anything. It will cause
some headaches for everyone using the source installations will be
forced to do a COMPLETE re-install (including PGPLOT_Install).  But,
if someone decides to build and support a package for Ifeffit it will
then have no chance of conflicting with or depending on any PGPLOT
package.

Cheers,

--Matt