title: Error installing PyQt 5.4.2: sip api reference
body: <p>I need help trying to figure out why I am having this error:</p>
  
  <pre><code>[everything fine until here...]
  In file included from sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.cpp:24:0:
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.cpp: In function ‘PyObject* varget_QTimeZone_OffsetData_abbreviation(void*, PyObject*, PyObject*)’:
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipAPIQtCore.h:9581:52: error: ‘const sipAPIDef’ has no member named ‘api_get_reference’
   #define sipGetReference             sipAPI_QtCore-&gt;api_get_reference
                                                      ^
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.cpp:128:13: note: in expansion of macro ‘sipGetReference’
       sipPy = sipGetReference(sipPySelf, -13);
               ^
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.cpp: In function ‘PyObject* varget_QTimeZone_OffsetData_atUtc(void*, PyObject*, PyObject*)’:
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipAPIQtCore.h:9581:52: error: ‘const sipAPIDef’ has no member named ‘api_get_reference’
   #define sipGetReference             sipAPI_QtCore-&gt;api_get_reference
                                                      ^
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore/sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.cpp:170:13: note: in expansion of macro ‘sipGetReference’
       sipPy = sipGetReference(sipPySelf, -14);
               ^
  make[1]: *** [sipQtCoreQTimeZoneOffsetData.o] Error 1
  make[1]: *** Waiting for unfinished jobs....
  make[1]: Leaving directory `/home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/PyQt-gpl-5.4.2/QtCore'
  make: *** [sub-QtCore-make_first-ordered] Error 2
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I am installing PyQt 5.4 inside a virtualenv on Ubuntu 14.04. I already installed SIP (version 4.16.8, <code>which sip</code> returns the one inside the virtualenv) and it seems everything is fine during the configure run:</p>
  
  <pre><code>python configure.py --qmake /home/hugo/Qt/5.4/gcc_64/bin/qmake
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>outputs (among other things):</p>
  
  <pre><code>Qt v5.4.2 (Open Source) is being used.
  The qmake executable is /home/hugo/Qt/5.4/gcc_64/bin/qmake.
  Qt is built as a shared library.
  SIP 4.16.8 is being used.
  The sip executable is /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/venv/bin/sip.
  These PyQt5 modules will be built: QtCore, QtGui, QtHelp, QtMultimedia,
  QtMultimediaWidgets, QtNetwork, QtOpenGL, QtPrintSupport, QtQml, QtQuick,
  QtSql, QtSvg, QtTest, QtWebKit, QtWebKitWidgets, QtWidgets, QtXml,
  QtXmlPatterns, QtDesigner, QtDBus, _QOpenGLFunctions_2_0,
  _QOpenGLFunctions_2_1, _QOpenGLFunctions_4_1_Core, QtSensors, QtSerialPort,
  QtX11Extras, QtBluetooth, QtPositioning, QtQuickWidgets, QtWebSockets, Enginio,
  QtWebChannel, QtWebEngineWidgets.
  The PyQt5 Python package will be installed in
  /home/hugo/Desktop/my_pyqt_examples/venv/lib/python3.4/site-packages
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Tell me if more info is needed.
  I also tried to install PyQt 5.2 agains the qt version of the Ubuntu repos but I got the same error. What can I do?</p>
  
  <p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p>
  
  <p>I overcame this problem using <code>sip 4.16.7</code> instead. But I think this is not the solution, so if anyone knows why the most recent version does not work please elaborate.</p>