ActiveState Python v2.5 doesn't come with Tkinter or Tk installed.

[Russell E. Owen]

In article <mailman.1599.1218728477.922.python-list at python.org>,
 "Dudeja, Rajat" <rajat.dudeja at aeroflex.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> So, now I've finally started using Eclipse and PyDev as an IDE for my
> GUI Application. I just wrote some sample programs as an hands on.
> 
> Now I would like to take up Tkinter. I'm using Active State Python
> version 2.5 and found that there is not Tkinter and Tk module in it.
> 
> To use Tkinter do I actually require Tk installed on my machine? Please
> suggest and where can I find both these modules?
> 
> Also, please direct me to a good and short document on using Tkinter or
> Tk in Python.

What operating system?

For MacOS X this should not happen because Tcl/Tk is already available. 
But the best Python for MacOS X is the binary installer from python.org 
and the best Tcl/Tk is ActiveState version 8.4.19 (the Tcl/Tk that comes 
with MacOS X 10.4 and 10.5 is rather old and buggy).

For Windows: the standard python.org binary Python includes its own 
Tcl/Tk. So the simplest solution is to use that. I know nothing about 
ActiveState's Python for Windows but it is possible that it requires 
ActiveState Tcl/Tk to use Tkinter.

For unix: I'm not sure about ActiveState and unix. But the standard 
package installer that comes with your unix should offer tcl/tk, python 
and _tkinter (possibly as 3 separate packages, possibly not) and at 
least tcl/tk and python should be installed by default.

In general ActiveState puts out a very nice Tcl/Tk installer that 
includes many useful extra packages. But I've never seen the point to 
ActiveState's Python installer. When I last tried it, their Python was 
missing readline and did not add any useful packages to the standard 
python.org version.

For info on Tkinter: <http://wiki.python.org/moin/TkInter>

-- Russell

P.S. if you do install Tcl/Tk to use with Tkinter, please use 8.4.x, NOT 
8.5. Python 2.5.x is not fully compatible with Tcl/Tk 8.5.