Installing Eric IDE on Linux Mint with Qt5 Dependencies
Eric is a full-featured Python IDE built on PyQt5. This guide covers the complete installation process on Linux Mint.
Prerequisites
Install the required Qt5 components:
sudo apt install qt5-default qttools5-dev-tools
Installing Dependencies
Before installing Eric, ensure all Python dependencies are installed using pip:
python3 -m pip install PyQtWebEngine PyQtChart QScintilla
Obtaining Eric
Download the latest Eric archive from the official project page. The download link is available at:
http://eric-ide.python-projects.org/eric-download.html
For faster downloads, consider using aria2 or a similar download accelerator.
Installatoin Steps
- Extract the downloaded archive to
/opt:
sudo mv eric-*/ /opt/eric
- Navigate to the installation directory and run the installer:
cd /opt/eric
sudo python3 install.py
Resolving pip Installation Issues
A common problem occurs when pip reports packages as installed but the Eric installer cannot find them. This typically happens when multiple Python versions exist on the system and pip modules are installed to the wrong Python version's site-packages.
The solution involves explicit specifying the Python version when invoking pip:
python -m pip install <package> # Python 2.x
python3 -m pip install <package> # Python 3.x
This ensures the package gets installed to the correct Python version's directory structure.
PATH Configuration
After installation, you may encounter warnings about PyQt5 tools not being in your PATH:
WARNING: The scripts pylupdate5, pyrcc5 and pyuic5 are installed in '/home/user/.local/bin' which is not on PATH.
To resolve this, add the tool directory to your PATH in /etc/profile. Create an entry that exports the directory containing these scripts. For example, if the tools are in ~/.local/bin, add the following to your profile:
export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"
Reload the profile or restart your terminal for changes to take effect.
Verification
After successful installation, verify Eric is accessible by running:
eric6
The IDE should launch with the configured Qt5 backend.
