# Getting a TypeError when making a migration or running the server

**URL:** <https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/getting-a-typeerror-when-making-a-migration-or-running-the-server/2780>\
**Category:** Using Django\
**Created:** [June 3, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/getting-a-typeerror-when-making-a-migration-or-running-the-server/2780 "2020-06-03T18:24:43Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HowardH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/59ef9b/32.png) [@HowardH](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/HowardH)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 6:24pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/getting-a-typeerror-when-making-a-migration-or-running-the-server/2780/1 "2020-06-03T18:24:43Z")

</div>

Hi all, I’ve been struggling with an issue over the past week where I can’t get my site to run with a GeoDjango model. Whenever I run makemigrations or runserver it returns this:

```
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "manage.py", line 21, in <module>
main()
File "manage.py", line 17, in main
execute_from_command_line(sys.argv)
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\core\management\ __init__.py", line 401, in 
execute_from_command_line
utility.execute()
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\core\management\ __init__.py", line 377, in execute
django.setup()
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\ __init__.py", line 24, in setup
apps.populate(settings.INSTALLED_APPS)
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\apps\registry.py", line 114, in populate
app_config.import_models()
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\apps\config.py", line 211, in import_models
self.models_module = import_module(models_module_name)
File "C:\Python38\lib\importlib\ __init__.py", line 127, in import_module
return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level)
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 1014, in _gcd_import
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 991, in _find_and_load
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 975, in _find_and_load_unlocked
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 671, in _load_unlocked
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap_external>", line 783, in exec_module
File "<frozen importlib._bootstrap>", line 219, in _call_with_frames_removed
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\auth\models.py", line 2, in <module>
from django.contrib.auth.base_user import AbstractBaseUser, BaseUserManager
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\auth\base_user.py", line 47, in <module>
class AbstractBaseUser(models.Model):
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\models\base.py", line 121, in __new__
new_class.add_to_class('_meta', Options(meta, app_label))
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\models\base.py", line 325, in add_to_class
value.contribute_to_class(cls, name)
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\models\options.py", line 208, in contribute_to_class
self.db_table = truncate_name(self.db_table, connection.ops.max_name_length())
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\ __init__.py", line 28, in __getattr__
return getattr(connections[DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS], item)
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\utils.py", line 207, in __getitem__
backend = load_backend(db['ENGINE'])
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\db\utils.py", line 111, in load_backend
return import_module('%s.base' % backend_name)
File "C:\Python38\lib\importlib\ __init__.py", line 127, in import_module
return _bootstrap._gcd_import(name[level:], package, level)
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\backends\postgis\base.py", line 6, in <module>
from .features import DatabaseFeatures
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\backends\postgis\features.py", line 1, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.db.backends.base.features import BaseSpatialFeatures
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\backends\base\features.py", line 3, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.db.models import aggregates
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\models\ __init__.py", line 3, in <module>
import django.contrib.gis.db.models.functions # NOQA
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\models\functions.py", line 3, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.db.models.fields import BaseSpatialField, GeometryField
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\db\models\fields.py", line 3, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis import forms, gdal
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\forms\ __init__.py", line 3, in <module>
from .fields import ( # NOQA
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\forms\fields.py", line 2, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.gdal import GDALException
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\gdal\ __init__.py", line 28, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.gdal.datasource import DataSource
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\gdal\datasource.py", line 39, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.gdal.driver import Driver
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\gdal\driver.py", line 5, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.gdal.prototypes import ds as vcapi, raster as rcapi
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\gdal\prototypes\ds.py", line 9, in <module>
from django.contrib.gis.gdal.libgdal import GDAL_VERSION, lgdal
File "C:\Python38\lib\site-packages\django\contrib\gis\gdal\libgdal.py", line 46, in <module>
lgdal = CDLL(lib_path)
File "C:\Python38\lib\ctypes\ __init__.py", line 369, in __init__
self._handle = _dlopen(self._name, mode)
TypeError: LoadLibrary() argument 1 must be str, not list

```

I’m not quite sure why it returns this way, all packages were properly installed as was my PostGIS db and model. I looked in libgdal.py and saw there was a list of gdal dll files (EX: gdal203.dll, gdal202.dll, etc.) even though all of those weren’t in the bin. Could that be creating my issue?

Thank you in advance for any help. If there are any other scripts I need to share in order to solve this please lmk.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![adamchainz](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/forum.djangoproject.com/adamchainz/32/26_2.png) [@adamchainz](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/adamchainz)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/getting-a-typeerror-when-making-a-migration-or-running-the-server/2780/2 "2020-06-03T18:51:42Z")

</div>

Hi Howard

If you check the code here, the `lib_path` variable comes from your settings file: [https://github.com/django/django/blob/8ec607be8482da4dd95fb585ea94ef95ce6e023e/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py#L15](https://github.com/django/django/blob/8ec607be8482da4dd95fb585ea94ef95ce6e023e/django/contrib/gis/gdal/libgdal.py#L15)

It looks like you’ve set `GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH` to a list when it should be a string?

[https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/ref/contrib/gis/gdal/#std:setting-GDAL\_LIBRARY\_PATH](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.0/ref/contrib/gis/gdal/#std:setting-GDAL_LIBRARY_PATH)

Thanks,

Adam

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HowardH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/59ef9b/32.png) [@HowardH](https://forum.djangoproject.com/u/HowardH)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2020, 7:05pm UTC](https://forum.djangoproject.com/t/getting-a-typeerror-when-making-a-migration-or-running-the-server/2780/3 "2020-06-03T19:05:12Z")

</div>

Hi Adam,

I can’t thank you enough man, I’m real new to python and Django but am learning and using them to help with a research lab I’m in at school, so it’s a bit embarrassing I made that mistake haha. Thank you once again!

Howard