how to set python environment variables

Question

I've slowly been working my way through all of the dependencies required to get PyTables installed. That included updating Numpy, install numexpr and cython and the hdf5 libraries.

I am now getting an error that states it cannot find a local HDF5 installation. It states that I should set an HDF5_DIR environment variable. I have created a windows environment variable HDF5 and HDF5_DIR, and I've added the hdf5 bin directory to my path. Still no joy.

Is there a separate set of environment variables for python? I suspect there is, but searching for python and environment variable just leads to LOTS of descriptions of how to set up PYTHONPATH.

Answer 1

Let me make things much easier on you - visit Christoph Gohlke's Python Extension Packages for Windows Repository, and get every single package you need from there. NumPy and SciPy are compiled using Intel's Math Kernel Library, which makes certain functions significantly faster. All the supporting libraries are either contained in the installer, or linked so you can easily get an installer for the version of Python you're using. And, most importantly, any dependencies are listed, so for example when you go to the pytables link you'll see that it requires numexpr, and that in turn requires NumPy.

I'd also recommend getting pandas and matplotlib, along with their recommended dependencies, as well as IPython, which makes working with scientific and visual data a lot easier, and it makes iterative development in general much more fun than with the command line and/or IDLE alone with features like command completion and inline documentation hooks.