what does echo $XDG_CONFIG_HOME give and what version of mpl are you using? The code is in matplotlib/__init__.py if you want to take a look at it.

Thanks @tacaswell echo $XDG_CONFIG_HOME returns nothing (i.e. empty).

What version of mpl are you using? Could you try using the master branch if you are not already?

The code for matplotlib_fname is found in https://github.com/matplotlib/matplotlib/blob/master/lib/matplotlib/__init__.py#L715. In pseudo code:

def matplotlib_fname():
     * look for matplotlibrc in PWD
     * look for matplotlibrc in the directory pointed to in the MATPLOTLIBRC environment variable 
     * look for matplotlibrc in get_configdir
     * look for matplotlibrc in get_data_path **OR** raise an exception

So it looks like the 3rd item isn't being triggered. Do you have a MATPLOTLIBRC environment variable defined?

I didn't have it set, so I just did:

export MATPLOTLIBRC=/opt/my_home_directory/.matplotlib/.matplotlibrc

(I also tried making that variable point to .matplotlib instead)

but it didn't fix the problem:

In [1]: import os, matplotlib

In [2]: os.getenv("MATPLOTLIBRC")
Out[2]: '/opt/my_home_directory/.matplotlib/.matplotlibrc'

In [2]: matplotlib.get_configdir()
Out[3]: '/opt/my_home_directory/.matplotlib'

In [4]: matplotlib.matplotlib_fname()
Out[4]: '/some/long/path/anaconda/envs/py27/lib/python2.7/site-packages/matplotlib/mpl-data/matplotlibrc'

The file .matplotlibrc exists:

$ cat $MATPLOTLIBRC
backend: Agg
font.family        : serif
font.serif         : Times, Palatino, New Century Schoolbook, Bookman, Computer Modern Roman
font.sans-serif    : Helvetica, Avant Garde, Computer Modern Sans serif
font.cursive       : Zapf Chancery
font.monospace     : Courier, Computer Modern Typewriter
text.usetex        : true%    

It looks like matplotlib fails to find the file if MATPLOTLIBRC points to a .matplotlibrc instead of a matplotlibrc file (note the preceding dot). If I change MATPLOTLIBRC to piont to a matplotlibrc, it seems to work, although I get a warning saying that I have defined in a deprecated location (instead of ~/.config/matplotlib/matplotlibrc). Is this intentional? (e.g. if I want to use a different location why should I get a warning?).

Also, it seems that matplotlib uses a different location from IPython for its config files (IPython moved everything back to ~/.ipython). Why the disagreement?

@ribonoous I don't think you have told us what version of mpl you are using (what does matplotlib.__version__ give?).

Thanks I am using 1.3.1 of matplotlib. I will try master to see if that changes anything.

@ribonoous Any progress?

Also, it seems that matplotlib uses a different location from IPython for its config files (IPython moved everything back to ~/.ipython). Why the disagreement?

Hmmm, I hadn't seen that. (ipython/ipython#4457). It is fair enough if a project wants to aim for consistency accross platforms, but I would be a strong proponent of using OS specific recommendations wherever possible in general (and ergo for mpl).

It looks like matplotlib fails to find the file if MATPLOTLIBRC points to a .matplotlibrc instead of a matplotlibrc file (note the preceding dot).

The pseudo code I posted would confirm that - the MATPLOTLIBRC environmental variable (apparently undocumented in my search for it) is used to define the directory containing a matplotlibrc file.

If I change MATPLOTLIBRC to piont to a matplotlibrc, it seems to work, although I get a warning saying that I have defined in a deprecated location (instead of ~/.config/matplotlib/matplotlibrc). Is this intentional? (e.g. if I want to use a different location why should I get a warning?).

This does seem a little odd. I wonder if there is a little bit of logic missing in the identification of whether a warning needs to be issued.

So, in summary, I think the actions for this issue are:

• To improve the documentation about this (given my pseudo code above)
• To investigate whether the warning needs to be issued in all cases of non .config/matplotlib config dirs.

I think this has almost certainly been fixed by #5268. Feel free to request a reopen if not.