Solving “AttributeError: Module ‘Sipbuild.api’ Has No Attribute ‘Prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'” in Python

If you are getting trouble with the error “AttributeError: module ‘sipbuild.api’ has no attribute ‘prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'”, keep reading our article. We will give you some methods to handle the problem.

Reason for “AttributeError: module ‘sipbuild.api’ has no attribute ‘prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel’“

AttributeError is one of the most common errors in the Python programming language that occurs when you try to access an attribute of an object. At the same time, the syntax is incorrect, or the object has no attribute. 

In some cases, you will get the error “AttributeError: module’ sipbuild.api’ has no attribute ‘prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'” when installing some modules such as PyQt5, guiscrcpy, … The error occurs because some software is incompatible with your system, like pip’s version,…

For example, you will get the error when installing PyQt5.

Terminal:

pip install PyQt5

Result:

AttributeError: module 'sipbuild.api' has no attribute 'prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'
raise PyProjectOptionException('qmake', sipbuild.pyproject.PyProjectOptionException

We will check the version of the module pip:

pip –version

pip 18.1

Now you understand how the error occurs. Let’s move on to discover how to solve the problem.

Solutions for the error “AttributeError: module ‘sipbuild.api’ has no attribute ‘prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'”

Upgrade the module pip

One of the reasons that cause errors when installing new modules is the old version of pip. We can fix the error easily by updating a new version of pip.

In the Windows Operating System, run the following command in Command Prompt:

py -m pip install --upgrade pip

In the macOS and Linux Operating Systems, run the following command in the terminal:

python -m pip install --upgrade pip

After getting the new version of pip, check the version of pip by the command:

pip –version

Now, you have the latest version of pip, we will install the module PyQt5 and see the result.

pip install PyQt5

Result:

Installing collected packages: PyQt5-sip, PyQt5-Qt5, PyQt5
Successfully installed PyQt5-5.15.7 PyQt5-Qt5-5.15.2 PyQt5-sip-12.11.0

Install qmake

Qmake is an essential tool that helps developers build processes of projects through different platforms. Missing qmake also causes the above error, so installing qmake is a solution to fix the error. 

To install qmake, follow the below instructions:

In Windows Operating System:

• Step 1: Download Qt.
• Step 2: Install the file Licence.
• Step 3: Unzip the Archive File. 
• Step 4: Set the Environment Variables.
• Step 5: Build the Qt Library.
• Step 6: Build the Qt Documentation.

For more detail, please visit the developer’s website.

In Linux Operating System:

Run the following command in the terminal:

sudo apt-get install qt5-qmake

In macOS:

Open the terminal, install qt5 by brew then activate it

brew install qt5
brew link qt5 --force

 After installing qmake, you will install PyQt5 successfully.

Summary

In summary, the error “AttributeError: module ‘sipbuild.api’ has no attribute ‘prepare_metadata_for_build_wheel'” occurs when your system has trouble with other packets like pip or qmake. Make sure the module pip is the latest version and has qmake installed. 

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Robert Collier

My name is Robert Collier. I graduated in IT at HUST university. My interest is learning programming languages; my strengths are Python, C, C++, and Machine Learning/Deep Learning/NLP. I will share all the knowledge I have through my articles. Hope you like them.

Name of the university: HUST
Major: IT
Programming Languages: Python, C, C++, Machine Learning/Deep Learning/NLP