Python-camelot (Error: GhostscriptNotFound while it is installed)

Question

I am trying to extract tabular data from pdf using camelot and I am getting the following error.

Code:

tables = camelot.read_pdf(file_name)

Error:

GhostscriptNotFound: Please make sure that Ghostscript is installed and available on the PATH environment variable

I have already installed Ghostscript and I have it available on the PATH environment variable.

Please find below version details:

Windows-10-10.0.17134-SP0
Python 3.6.5 |Anaconda, Inc.| (default, Mar 29 2018, 13:32:41) [MSC v.1900 64 bit (AMD64)]
NumPy 1.14.3
openCV 3.4.3
Camelot 0.3.2

Please help resolve this issue.

You can see here how Camelot is trying to find your GhostScript. https://github.com/socialcopsdev/camelot/blob/defaead6790f5737c348bc1106e6797cf480cee5/camelot/parsers/lattice.py#L176-L209 On Windows, it's looking for "gswin32c" or "gswin64c". Can you confirm that you can run "gswin32c" or "gswin64c" on your command line? — AKX, Nov 15 '18 at 12:09

score 10 · Answer 1 · edited Apr 05 '23 at 16:33

Adding both the "bin" and "lib" paths for Ghostscript to the PATH worked for me:

C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\bin
C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\lib

Then you will need to apply that change, depending on the specific use case.

In order of severity

Restart Python - this should just work
Have Python obtain Gostscript automatically and update the running environment
Reboot if you can and as a last resort

Generally and without going into each OS and each environment running the Python interpreter (e.g. Jupyter session, IDE or CLI), a reboot is normally excessive. For some a reboot is not even possible.

Just close and re-open your environment (defined above) after the app installer completes or you have altered the PATH yourself.

There is nothing stopping you from altering the PATH within your Python script using the subprocess module to install the additional application or the os module, or by referencing the apps absolute path e.g.

# Updating the current PATH inside Python

import os
from pathlib import Path
def update_app_path(app, new_path):
    # Get the PATH environment variable
    existing = [Path(p) for p in os.environ["PATH"].split(os.path.pathsep))
    # Copy it, deleting any paths that refer to the application of interest
    new_path = [e for e in existing if not Path(e/app).exists()]
    # Append a the new entry
    new_path.append(new_path)
    # or you could use new_path.append(Path(new_path).parent)
    # Reconstruct and apply the PATH
    os.environ["PATH"] = os.path.pathsep.join(map(str, new_path))

This works as Python takes a copy of the current environment when it starts and anything it then does after that, using os or shell calls, uses that copied environment. Altering the environment within Python does not change the user's environemnt outside of that running Python, and changes in this way are not permanent unless deliberately made so.

Worked for me (win 10). Note: The ghostscript installer only adds the `bin` path to the PATH — Toke Faurby, Jul 26 '22 at 09:08

score 5 · Answer 2 · edited Jul 10 '23 at 14:15

5

I uninstalled the 64bit and

Install the 32bit version
Add the following two paths to the PATH Windows environment:

C:\Program Files(x86)\gs\gs9.26\bin

C:\Program Files(x86)\gs\gs9.26\lib

and now it works

edited Jul 10 '23 at 14:15

Александр М

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answered Jun 02 '20 at 20:53

Alessandra

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just to clarify by saying **add the path** is for windows to add it on the ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES PATH? Thanks – Ice Bear Feb 25 '21 at 02:20
1

Yep exactly, i modify the answer. – Alessandra Apr 17 '22 at 22:18

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 06 '18 at 10:42

3

Download Ghostscript from here https://www.ghostscript.com/download/gsdnld.html and add it to the path if required

answered Dec 06 '18 at 10:42

Syenix

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Hello! you mean like environment variables path? I'm on windows by the way. – Ice Bear Feb 25 '21 at 02:18

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Nov 20 '19 at 22:53

2

For me using brew link -f --overwrite ghostscript solved the issue. I would recommend checking the suggested solutions on https://github.com/atlanhq/camelot/issues/282. That's where I also found my fix.

answered Nov 20 '19 at 22:53

AJoR

29
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score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Aug 27 '20 at 22:13

1

Tried all the solutions. The only option that works is to use 32 bit ghostscript.

answered Aug 27 '20 at 22:13

Kush

19
1

1

Welcome to Stack Overflow. Your late answer here duplicates two existing answers from [M Mehmood](https://stackoverflow.com/a/63275309/5698098) and [Alessandra](https://stackoverflow.com/a/62161242/5698098) without adding anything new or different. Duplication is rarely good, and it may result in down-votes as others see it as an unwanted distraction (possibly also leading up to removal by moderators, see [How to handle cleanup of late blatantly duplicate answers ('surfing') on popular questions](https://meta.stackoverflow.com/q/385063/5698098) for reference). – Ivo Mori Aug 27 '20 at 23:55
1

As you're starting out here, please take the [tour](https://stackoverflow.com/tour) to learn how Stack Overflow works and refer to [How do I write a good answer?](https://stackoverflow.com/help/how-to-answer). – Ivo Mori Aug 27 '20 at 23:56

score 1 · Answer 6 · edited Jan 10 '22 at 14:01

1

For me, uninstalling camelot and re-installing with conda install -c conda-forge camelot-py instead of pip solved the problem (as ghostscript is also re-installed)

edited Jan 10 '22 at 14:01

Ilya Peterov

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answered Jan 05 '22 at 13:50

Anthony

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score 0 · Answer 7 · edited Aug 06 '20 at 04:18

0

I had the same problem. I solved it by uninstalling the 64 bit version and installing the 32 bit version.

edited Aug 06 '20 at 04:18

Anthony

906
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8
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answered Aug 06 '20 at 00:40

M Mehmood

9
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score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Aug 31 '21 at 09:07

0

I realized that. If you are using the Python 64bit you need install ghostcript64 bit, else 32 bit.

Also set path for 64bit: C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\bin C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\lib

or for below for 32bit C:\Program Files(x86)\gs\gs9.26\bin C:\Program Files(x86)\gs\gs9.26\lib

answered Aug 31 '21 at 09:07

Shivaji fullstack

107
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Using python 64bits, ghostcript64bit (9.55.0) and the path : `C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.55.0\bin` and `C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.55.0\lib` works to me. – Diego Montania Mar 28 '22 at 20:20

Guy Cohen · Answer 9 · 2021-10-10T07:08:48.937

Here is my solution (Windows OS (11, 64 BIT)):

Download and install the desired ghost version you wish (32,64 - does not matter)
Using "dir /x" command, get the short version of the path of your installation (c:\progra~1\blahbla...). My location (I love altering the default suggestion) is "C:\Program Files\gs\GPLGhostScript" and the short name is "c:\progra~1\gs\GPLGhostScript"
Add this to the path together with \bin. In my case "c:\progra~1\gs\GPLGhostScript\bin" (no need for lib path as suggested by others)
Restart your PC
Test your installation of GhostScript according to this link.

Good luck :)

score 0 · Answer 10 · edited Dec 02 '21 at 14:32

0

A very simple way is to install Ghostscript from the official website.

Then give the location while set-up the library in the Anaconda script folder. Wait for 10 minutes after closing the Python platforms.

edited Dec 02 '21 at 14:32

Tomerikoo

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answered Oct 11 '21 at 12:55

Vikrant Thakur

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Oct 20 '21 at 04:48

0

This worked for me:

C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.55.0\bin

Just find the path location, copy it, and paste it into user and system variables Path (Environment variables).

answered Oct 20 '21 at 04:48

Alexander Garzo

79
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How do I paste its path into user and system variables Path? @AlexanderGarzo – StressedBoi69420 Dec 02 '21 at 14:45
Search on google/youtube how to set your variables path. – Alexander Garzo Dec 03 '21 at 17:32
Search for "Environmental Variables" on your computer, click "Path", then "Edit", then "New", paste in the path location, click OK, then restart your computer. – user3710004 Mar 02 '22 at 21:57

score 0 · Answer 12 · edited Nov 26 '21 at 16:26

0

I solved this problem.

I downloaded Ghostscript.
Then installed it at C:/programfiles.
Added set path: C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\bin + C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.26\lib
Restarted my computer.

After these steps, it worked.

edited Nov 26 '21 at 16:26

RiveN

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answered Nov 26 '21 at 08:12

Benny

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Adding set PATH https://stackoverflow.com/a/69008991/16105404 – StressedBoi69420 Dec 02 '21 at 15:20

Jaivik · Answer 13 · 2021-12-16T06:31:16.383

I was facing same issue for 2 days. I found solution at below link.

for windows 10, I used below method

in "search the web and windows" write "under edit environment variable for your account in control panel."
edit path for lib and bin library of Ghostscript here. add ; to separate the path at end also. set path in environment variable

For more info used below link. It worked fine for me.

https://github.com/atlanhq/camelot/issues/465#issuecomment-975976344

score 0 · Answer 14 · answered Oct 03 '22 at 15:10

In case you are fed up with all the errors derived from the usage of Ghostscript and want to find a way to use Camelot without using Ghostscript, here is the fork of it which does not rely on it. Camelot fork without Ghostscript

Installation guide is similar, but this time from the github repo itself.

First, install these dependencies:

!pip install pdf2image
!pip install python-dateutil
!apt-get install poppler-utils

Then clone the repo

$ git clone https://www.github.com/h2oai/camelot

Finally, go to the repo directory and install camelot from there.

$ cd camelot
$ pip install ".[base]"

Import camelot and happily use it :)

score 0 · Answer 15 · answered May 21 '23 at 11:18

For those who might be stuck with ghostscript, as per the official documentation, ghostscript will be replaced by poppler as the default image conversion backend in v0.12.0.

For now, you can avoid the whole ghostscript issue by changing the image conversion backend in the reader:

import camelot 
camelot.read_pdf("example.pdf",backend="poppler")

score -1 · Answer 16 · answered Mar 02 '22 at 21:59

This is how I solved for this error on a Windows computer, similar to what Alexander Garzo posted:

Went to File Explorer -> C drive -> Program Files -> gs -> gs9.55.0 -> shift-clicked on bin folder -> copied as path ("C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.55.0\bin")
Then went to environmental variables -> Path -> Edit -> New -> pasted above -> OK -> restarted computer.

I then ran the following code in Python:

import ctypes
from ctypes.util import find_library
find_library("".join(("gsdll", str(ctypes.sizeof(ctypes.c_voidp) * 8), ".dll")))

The output was "C:\Program Files\gs\gs9.55.0\bin\gsdll64.dll" which means the solution worked. I was then able to install and use Camelot with no problems.

score -2 · Answer 17 · answered Aug 11 '21 at 10:29

I was getting this Error (OSError: Ghostscript is not installed. You can install it using the instructions here: https://camelot-py.readthedocs.io/en/master/user/install-deps.html) I tried everything mentioned here and also in Github. but after installing Ghostscript from here and then adding to the PATH. I keep trying methods to solve it. BUT the solution is to just Restart your computer and everything Works. so Restart is Must.

Python-camelot (Error: GhostscriptNotFound while it is installed)

Code:

Error:

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