# CMake error while build paraview from source on Windows

**URL:** https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090
**Category:** ParaView Support
**Created:** [January 31, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090 "2025-01-31T13:28:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/gsabhishek)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090/1 "2025-01-31T13:28:46Z")

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I am trying to build ParaView from source on windows with catalyst.  
ParaView Version : 5.13.0

```auto
set catalyst_DIR=C:\Tools\Catalyst\master
cmake --fresh -G Ninja "C:\Tools\Paraview\src" -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX="C:\Tools\Paraview\pv_master_microsoftMPI" -DPARAVIEW_USE_QT=OFF -DPARAVIEW_USE_PYTHON=ON -DPARAVIEW_USE_MPI=ON -DPARAVIEW_USE_FORTRAN=OFF -DCMAKE_SKIP_INSTALL_RPATH=ON -DCMAKE_SKIP_RPATH=ON -DPARAVIEW_BUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF -DPARAVIEW_ENABLE_CATALYST=ON -DVTK_SMP_IMPLEMENTATION_TYPE=STDThread 2>&1 | tee cmake_log.txt

```

I am using ninja to compile this

I get the following cmake error :

```auto
CMake Error: Unable to read from file '../../../../../Praview/build/bin/Lib/site-packages/vtkmodules/vtkIOImage.py': Can't FindFirstFileW
CMake Error: Problem creating tar: C:/Tools/Paraview/build/lib/site-packages/_vtk.zip

```

However if I search the file vtkIOImage.py in the build directory, I am able to see it in the path.

I am getting a similar error on building master only that the file its not able to read is different

```auto
CMake Error: Unable to read from file 'vtkmodules/vtkFilterSources.py': Can't FindFirstFileW
CMake Error: Problem creating tar: C:/Tools/Paraview/build/lib/site-packages/_vtk.zip

```

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/gsabhishek)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2025, 5:11pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090/2 "2025-01-31T17:11:15Z")

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> [@gsabhishek](#):
>
> ```auto
> CMake Error: Unable to read from file '../../../../../Praview/build/bin/Lib/site-packages/vtkmodules/vtkIOImage.py': Can't FindFirstFileW
> 
> ```

Also to be noted is that in the above error message it reads “Praview”

---

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### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [January 31, 2025, 7:33pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090/3 "2025-01-31T19:33:59Z")

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I suspect this could be fixed with the new functionality I just added: [https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/-/merge\_requests/11872](https://gitlab.kitware.com/vtk/vtk/-/merge_requests/11872)

This MR adds a target that can be depended upon for anything that needs “all” of the Python wrapping to be complete. I suspect the `_vtk.zip` custom command could use a dependency on this target.

Cc: @dgobbi

> [@gsabhishek](#):
>
> Also to be noted is that in the above error message it reads “Praview”

That looks to be a path typo on your side (as the build tree lives under it, ParaView itself has no say in its spelling).

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/90db22/32.png) [@gsabhishek](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/gsabhishek)
#### Post date: [February 3, 2025, 5:51am UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090/4 "2025-02-03T05:51:14Z")

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Thanks @ben.boeckel  
I pulled the latest VTK and tried to compile. I got a similar error

```auto
CMake Error: Unable to read from file 'vtkmodules/vtkFilterSources.py': Can't FindFirstFileW
CMake Error: Problem creating tar: C:/Tools/Paraview/build/lib/site-packages/_vtk.zip 

```

Do I need to set any additional options during ParaView cmake.

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<div class="post-metadata">

### Author: ![ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@ben.boeckel](https://discourse.paraview.org/u/ben.boeckel)
#### Post date: [February 26, 2025, 4:03pm UTC](https://discourse.paraview.org/t/cmake-error-while-build-paraview-from-source-on-windows/16090/5 "2025-02-26T16:03:23Z")

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If you use `ninja -k0`, does this happen on a subsequent build? This could be a missing dependency problem.