Implementation:TA Lib Ta lib python Setup Py Build

Knowledge Sources	ta-lib-python
Domains	Installation, Build_Systems
Last Updated	2026-02-09 22:00 GMT

Overview

Concrete tool for building the talib._ta_lib C extension module via setup.py with platform detection, Cython/C fallback, and NumpyBuildExt custom build command.

Description

The setup.py script handles:

Platform detection (L12-49): Configures include/library paths for Linux, macOS, Windows
Environment overrides (L51-55): TA_INCLUDE_PATH and TA_LIBRARY_PATH env vars
C library detection (L60-68): Warns if ta-lib library not found
Cython fallback (L71-76): Uses Cython.Distutils.build_ext if available, falls back to setuptools
NumpyBuildExt (L78-91): Custom build_ext that adds numpy's include directory
Extension definition (L95-103): Configures the single talib._ta_lib extension

Usage

Run pip install . from the repository root. The build automatically detects platform and C library location.

Code Reference

Source Location

Repository: ta-lib-python
File: setup.py
Lines: L1-108 (full build script)

Signature

class NumpyBuildExt(build_ext):
    """Custom build_ext that adds numpy's include_dir to extensions."""
    def build_extensions(self):
        numpy_incl = numpy.get_include()
        for ext in self.extensions:
            ext.include_dirs.append(numpy_incl)
        super().build_extensions()

ext_modules = [
    Extension(
        'talib._ta_lib',
        ['talib/_ta_lib.pyx' if has_cython else 'talib/_ta_lib.c'],
        include_dirs=include_dirs,
        library_dirs=library_dirs,
        libraries=[lib_talib_name],
        runtime_library_dirs=[] if sys.platform == 'win32' else library_dirs,
    )
]

Import

# Not a Python import — this is the build script
pip install .
# or
python setup.py install

I/O Contract

Inputs

Name	Type	Required	Description
TA-Lib C library	system	Yes	Installed headers and shared library
numpy	Python package	Yes	For numpy.get_include()
Cython	Python package	No	Optional; falls back to pre-generated .c file
TA_INCLUDE_PATH	env var	No	Override header search path
TA_LIBRARY_PATH	env var	No	Override library search path

Outputs

Name	Type	Description
talib/_ta_lib.so	compiled extension	Compiled C extension module (or .pyd on Windows)

Usage Examples

Standard Build

# With TA-Lib C installed to standard paths
pip install .

Custom Paths

# Point to custom TA-Lib C installation
export TA_INCLUDE_PATH=/opt/ta-lib/include
export TA_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/ta-lib/lib
pip install .

With Cython Recompilation

pip install cython numpy
python setup.py build_ext --inplace

Related Pages

Implements Principle

Principle:TA_Lib_Ta_lib_python_Python_Extension_Building

Requires Environment

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