opencv (opencv-python) package no longer works with py2exe

[urishab]

opencv-python is a package that has precompiled binaries for opencv for python.
Since version 4.5.4.58 it is no longer compatible with py2exe.
With version 4.5.4.58 py2exe fails while bundling the application with the following:

  File "C:\Projects\FluHema\pyenv\lib\site-packages\py2exe\vendor\modulefinder.py", line 220, in import_hook
    self.ensure_fromlist(m, fromlist)

  File "C:\Projects\FluHema\pyenv\lib\site-packages\py2exe\vendor\modulefinder.py", line 310, in ensure_fromlist
    self.ensure_fromlist(m, all, 1)

  File "C:\Projects\FluHema\pyenv\lib\site-packages\py2exe\vendor\modulefinder.py", line 315, in ensure_fromlist
    raise ImportError("No module named " + subname)

ImportError: No module named cv2.config-3.9

With the most recent version of opencv-python, py2exe succeeds in bundling the app but the app later fails during runtime failing to find "config.py" when importing cv2

[albertosottile]

Hello, thanks for reporting this. Could you provide here a minimal script and setup.py file that I can use to test this issue?

[urishab]

python 3.9.13
pip install py2exe opencv-python
pip freeze:

cachetools==5.2.0
future==0.18.2
numpy==1.23.2
opencv-python==4.6.0.66
pefile==2022.5.30
py2exe==0.11.1.1

test.py:

import cv2
print('hello')

py2exe_test.py:

from distutils.core import setup
import py2exe #@UnusedImport
setup(console = [{  "script": "test.py", }, ],)

run:
python py2exe_test.py py2exe
dist\test.exe

result:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "test.py", line 1, in <module>
  File "<frozen zipimport>", line 259, in load_module
  File "cv2\__init__.pyc", line 181, in <module>
  File "cv2\__init__.pyc", line 111, in bootstrap
  File "cv2\__init__.pyc", line 109, in load_first_config
ImportError: OpenCV loader: missing configuration file: ['config.py']. Check OpenCV installation.

[UlisesRN01]

Same bug with

Python 3.10

py2exe 0.12.0.1
opencv-python 4.6.0.66

Any solution?

[whizbuzzer]

@UlisesRN01 uninstall opencv-python and opencv-contrib-python and the install version 4.5.3.56 for both. (python -m pip install opencv-python==4.5.3.56 and python -m pip install opencv-contrib-python==4.5.3.56). Version 4.6.0.66 has a recursion related import error ImportError: ERROR: recursion is detected during loading of "cv2" binary extensions. Check OpenCV installation.)

[albertosottile]

I gave a look at this issue and unfortunately I do not have good news. It is quite easy for me to add the config.py and config-3.py files in the bundle's archive, but then opencv-python wants to have direct filesystem access to them. See https://github.com/opencv/opencv/blob/b77330bafc497ddf65074783c0e3fb989604b555/modules/python/package/cv2/__init__.py#L99-L109 .

Essentially, opencv is now incompatible with zipimport, a key requirement to function with py2exe. This leaves us two options:

• implement a hack on the py2exe side, similar to what was done for matplotlib here that bypasses the initialization mechanism of opencv and provides an alternative compatible with zipimport (I guess cv2.bootstrap would have to be completely reimplemented)
• report this issue upstream, so that they can provide an alternative mechanism to load/pass these configuration files (perhaps one already exists, but I am not aware of it)

Unfortunately, I do not have the capacity for pursuing the first option (I did this for matplotlib as that package is definitely more popular, and the solution was indeed not that complicated). Therefore, I would encourage you to ask for help upstream, for the moment. In any case, I am of course willing to review PRs regarding this issue.