ValueError: Unknown MS Compiler version 1900

Question

I am trying to run some code with Python 3.5 on Windows 10 with the use of cygwin (mingw). To be precise I am using the PyDSTool module, where I call the dopri integrator. The problem is, I am having trouble with distutils not recognizing Microsoft Visual Studio 2015. Is there a way to avoid this (without going back to older versions of Python, Windows, Visual Studio). The full Error can be seen bellow.

ValueError                                Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-16-bfeb915bfd7b> in <module>()
     60 print("\n")
     61 
---> 62 testODE = Dopri_ODEsystem(DSargs)
     63 
     64 print('Integrating...')

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\Dopri_ODEsystem.py in __init__(self, kw)
    371             print("stages using the makeLibSource and compileLib methods.")
    372         else:
--> 373             self.makeLib()
    374 
    375     @property

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in makeLib(self, libsources, libdirs, include)
     98             self.forceLibRefresh()
     99         self.makeLibSource(include)
--> 100         self.compileLib(libsources, libdirs)
    101 
    102     @property

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in compileLib(self, libsources, libdirs)
     78           precompiled libraries."""
     79 
---> 80         self._builder.build(libsources, libdirs, self._compiler)
     81 
     82     def forceLibRefresh(self):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\PyDSTool\Generator\mixins.py in build(self, libsources, libdirs, compiler)
    187                   script_args=script_args,
    188                   ext_modules=[extmod],
--> 189                   py_modules=[self.modname])
    190 
    191     def save_vfield(self, code, fname=None):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\core.py in setup(**attr)
    167     new_attr['distclass'] = NumpyDistribution
    168 
--> 169     return old_setup(**new_attr)
    170 
    171 def _check_append_library(libraries, item):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\core.py in setup(**attrs)
    146     if ok:
    147         try:
--> 148             dist.run_commands()
    149         except KeyboardInterrupt:
    150             raise SystemExit("interrupted")

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\dist.py in run_commands(self)
    953         """
    954         for cmd in self.commands:
--> 955             self.run_command(cmd)
    956 
    957     # -- Methods that operate on its Commands --------------------------

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\dist.py in run_command(self, command)
    972         cmd_obj = self.get_command_obj(command)
    973         cmd_obj.ensure_finalized()
--> 974         cmd_obj.run()
    975         self.have_run[command] = 1
    976 

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\command\build_ext.py in run(self)
    115                                      verbose=self.verbose,
    116                                      dry_run=self.dry_run,
--> 117                                      force=self.force)
    118         self.compiler.customize(self.distribution)
    119         self.compiler.customize_cmd(self)

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\ccompiler.py in new_compiler(plat, compiler, verbose, dry_run, force)
    594         raise DistutilsModuleError(("can't compile C/C++ code: unable to find class '%s' " +
    595                "in module '%s'") % (class_name, module_name))
--> 596     compiler = klass(None, dry_run, force)
    597     log.debug('new_compiler returns %s' % (klass))
    598     return compiler

C:\Anaconda3\lib\site-packages\numpy\distutils\mingw32ccompiler.py in __init__(self, verbose, dry_run, force)
     56 
     57         distutils.cygwinccompiler.CygwinCCompiler.__init__ (self, verbose,
---> 58                                                             dry_run, force)
     59 
     60         # we need to support 3.2 which doesn't match the standard

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\cygwinccompiler.py in __init__(self, verbose, dry_run, force)
    159             # Include the appropriate MSVC runtime library if Python was built
    160             # with MSVC 7.0 or later.
--> 161             self.dll_libraries = get_msvcr()
    162 
    163     def _compile(self, obj, src, ext, cc_args, extra_postargs, pp_opts):

C:\Anaconda3\lib\distutils\cygwinccompiler.py in get_msvcr()
     88         #     return ['vcruntime140']
     89         else:
---> 90             raise ValueError("Unknown MS Compiler version %s " % msc_ver)
     91 
     92 

ValueError: Unknown MS Compiler version 1900 

Answer 1

I made the following changes and it worked for me with the following configurations.

• OS : Win 7 Prof. SP1 64 bit
• CPython 3.6 , 64 Bit
• Mingw 64 (x86_64-7.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v5-rev0)
• Cython 0.25.2

I did the following

1. Add mingw in the PATH variable (C:\mingw-w64\x86_64-7.1.0-posix-seh-rt_v5-rev0\mingw64\bin for me)
2. Test by opening command line and command gcc works ( I have no other compilers)
3. Create distutils.cfg in C:\Python36\Lib\distutils

4. Add lines in that file:

   [build]
   compiler = mingw32
   

5. Manually applying this patch

6. Manually downloading the file vcruntime140.dll and putting it in C:\Python36\libs

Answer 2

Distutils and Numpy/Distutils currently do not have support for Visual Studio 2015, Visual C++ 14. Following tips drawn from the Python bug report, I was able to patch the necessary files and successfully build extension using a new install of Python 3.5 from Anaconda and Mingw64 with GCC 5.2.0 running within MSYS2 on Windows 7. I do not have Visual Studio installed. The solution was to patch one distutils file and two numpy/distutils files (if this applies). These patches have been submitted for inclusion in future revisions.

You can apply the patches yourself for a quick fix:

• distutils patch
• numpy/distutils patch

UPDATE

Please note that while the patches above worked for me it was not accepted for inclusion in upstream. The changes that came with VS 2015 are more complex than I appreciated.