ImportError for py_test depending on library, with identical setup

[fferroni]

Description of the problem / feature request:

I have a Bazel BUILD file, which contains two trivial Python py_tests, one importing tensorflow and the other importing numpy. Both build successfully but the Tensorflow one fails with a Tensorflow ImportError

load("@imports//:requirements.bzl", "requirement")

py_test(
    name = "test_numpy",
    srcs = ["test_numpy.py"],
    deps = [
        requirement("numpy"),
    ],
)

py_test(
    name = "test_tensorflow",
    srcs = ["test_tensorflow.py"],
    deps = [
        requirement("tensorflow"),
    ],
)

The test_numpy test is simply:

import numpy as np


def test_numpy():
    """
    >>> test_numpy()
    array([1, 2, 3])
    """
    return np.array([1, 2, 3])


if __name__ == "__main__":
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()

while the test_tensorflow is almost identical in the pattern

import tensorflow as tf


def test_tensorflow():
    """
    >>> test_tensorflow()
    0
    """
    return tf.constant(0)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    import doctest
    doctest.testmod()

The requirements are being fetched from a requirements.txt, which has the following lines:

numpy==1.14.2
tensorflow==1.8.0

However, the numpy one passes just fine, whereas the tensorflow one does not. Both build successfully. I get the following error:

...
test_tensorflow.py", line 1, in <module>
    import tensorflow as tf
ImportError: No module named 'tensorflow'
ERROR: Non-zero return code '1' from command: Process exited with status 1

Feature requests: what underlying problem are you trying to solve with this feature?

Trying to test functions which depend on Tensorflow and Numpy within a Bazel project. The numpy imports work, but the Tensorflow ones do not.

What operating system are you running Bazel on?

Ubuntu 16.04

What's the output of bazel info release?

release 0.12.0

Any other information, logs, or outputs that you want to share?

As I said, they both build fine.
If I cd into the test_tensorflow.runfiles/ I get the following pypi folders:

pypi__gast_0_2_0
pypi__setuptools_39_1_0 
pypi__termcolor_1_1_0
pypi__grpcio_1_11_0
pypi__six_1_11_0
pypi__wheel_0_31_0
pypi__absl_py_0_2_0
pypi__numpy_1_14_2
pypi__tensorboard_1_8_0
pypi__astor_0_6_2
pypi__protobuf_3_5_2_post1
pypi__tensorflow_1_8_0

If I cd into the test_numpy.runfiles/ I get the following pypi folders:

pypi__numpy_1_14_2 

I tried different versions of tensorflow as well, but the problem is the same.

[iirina]

I'm not sure this is a Bazel bug. Have you checked out this Stackoverflow question? Seems similar to yours.

[fferroni]

It is related to this bug actually,

bazelbuild/rules_python#71
bazelbuild/rules_python#92

I used their workaround and it works.

[brandjon]

Closing as dup of those rules_python issues.