[Python-Dev] Can't compile _tkinter.c with Redhat 9 (post-SF#719880)

[Jeff Hobbs]

> ... but I can't seriously believe that, because the *type* of the field
> is an integer, so to meet the letter of the manpage the undefined value 
> must be some integer (or string representing an integer), not a
> non-integer string like "??".

OK, looking in tk/generic/tkBind.c:ExpandPercents, I see that it would
be quite possible to correct this to use 0 or -1 for those fields that
want to be ints.  All the cases that are now correctly checking that
the field would be valid just need a final else clause that would give
some default int value (could even be event-field-specific).  I'm not
going to patch it, but I would accept it if someone wants to do that.

> Anyway, while I don't know the tcl/tk development process, I suspect
> that if a Python advocate was active there (for instance, compiling
> python against tcl/tk CVS and reporting breakage) that this might have
> been avoided.  It's a pity that nobody has appointed themselves to this

Anyone is welcome to join the process.  I'd even add someone as a tk
cvs member if they wished.  While I can (and do) check bug reports
for Tkinter that find their way to me, I don't have the bandwidth to
do more.

> I wish *I* had the time to do this but hell -- I can't get my company's
> product to move forward from the 8.2.1 release whose manpage I quoted,
> not even to a later 8.2.x release!

Well, that's *only* 4 years old. ;^)  I recently worked with a very
large company to upgrade some key systems that still had Tcl 7.1
embedded (we're talking 1995 code).  <shudder>

  Jeff Hobbs                     The Tcl Guy
  Senior Developer               http://www.ActiveState.com/