From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

I just realized that my Copy procedure for entries does not work anymore.

So I have some ttk entries with some text inside.
I select the text in one entry, either hit "CTRL-C" or right click to
show a customized context menu and ultimatelly the command is executed:

event generate $w <<Copy>>

The error I get is:

*** START OF ERROR MESSAGE ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
*** ERROR INFO ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
while executing
"catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)"
(procedure "::numentry::Snit_methodCopyVal" line 8)
invoked from within ".vpan.main.workframe.detailsframe.sw.sf.mf.cf.measure.props.f.f5.y CopyVal"
("uplevel" body line 1)
invoked from within
"uplevel 1 [linsert $args 0 $self]"
invoked from within
"::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal"
(command bound to event)
*** ERROR STACK ***
INNER:::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal
UP:1

*** END OF ERROR MESSAGE ***

Is this a bug in Tcl 9.0.2?
I don't think this happend in Tcl 8.

Thanks
Alex
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 13:17 schrieb meshparts:

I just realized that my Copy procedure for entries does not work anymore.

So I have some ttk entries with some text inside.
I select the text in one entry, either hit "CTRL-C" or right click to
show a customized context menu and ultimatelly the command is executed:

event generate $w <<Copy>>

The error I get is:

*** START OF ERROR MESSAGE ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
*** ERROR INFO ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
-a-a-a while executing
"catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)"
-a-a-a (procedure "::numentry::Snit_methodCopyVal" line 8)
-a-a-a invoked from within ".vpan.main.workframe.detailsframe.sw.sf.mf.cf.measure.props.f.f5.y
CopyVal"
-a-a-a ("uplevel" body line 1)
-a-a-a invoked from within
"uplevel 1 [linsert $args 0 $self]"
-a-a-a invoked from within
"::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal"
-a-a-a (command bound to event)
*** ERROR STACK ***
INNER:::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal
UP:1

*** END OF ERROR MESSAGE ***

Is this a bug in Tcl 9.0.2?
I don't think this happend in Tcl 8.

Thanks
Alex

I have seen this in a bug report.
What is the Tk version ?
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 13:26 schrieb Harald Oehlmann:

I have seen this in a bug report.
What is the Tk version ?

9.0.2
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 13:17 schrieb meshparts:

I just realized that my Copy procedure for entries does not work anymore.

So I have some ttk entries with some text inside.
I select the text in one entry, either hit "CTRL-C" or right click to
show a customized context menu and ultimatelly the command is executed:

event generate $w <<Copy>>

The error I get is:

*** START OF ERROR MESSAGE ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
*** ERROR INFO ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
-a-a-a while executing
"catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)"
-a-a-a (procedure "::numentry::Snit_methodCopyVal" line 8)
-a-a-a invoked from within ".vpan.main.workframe.detailsframe.sw.sf.mf.cf.measure.props.f.f5.y
CopyVal"
-a-a-a ("uplevel" body line 1)
-a-a-a invoked from within
"uplevel 1 [linsert $args 0 $self]"
-a-a-a invoked from within
"::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal"
-a-a-a (command bound to event)
*** ERROR STACK ***
INNER:::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal
UP:1

*** END OF ERROR MESSAGE ***

Is this a bug in Tcl 9.0.2?
I don't think this happend in Tcl 8.

Thanks
Alex

It's weird: Not all entries in my app lead to the above error...
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 13:17 schrieb meshparts:

I just realized that my Copy procedure for entries does not work anymore.

So I have some ttk entries with some text inside.
I select the text in one entry, either hit "CTRL-C" or right click to
show a customized context menu and ultimatelly the command is executed:

event generate $w <<Copy>>

The error I get is:

*** START OF ERROR MESSAGE ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
*** ERROR INFO ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
-a-a-a while executing
"catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)"
-a-a-a (procedure "::numentry::Snit_methodCopyVal" line 8)
-a-a-a invoked from within ".vpan.main.workframe.detailsframe.sw.sf.mf.cf.measure.props.f.f5.y
CopyVal"
-a-a-a ("uplevel" body line 1)
-a-a-a invoked from within
"uplevel 1 [linsert $args 0 $self]"
-a-a-a invoked from within
"::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal"
-a-a-a (command bound to event)
*** ERROR STACK ***
INNER:::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal
UP:1

*** END OF ERROR MESSAGE ***

Is this a bug in Tcl 9.0.2?
I don't think this happend in Tcl 8.

Thanks
Alex

One thing: The entry was created using "numentry".
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

* meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de>
| One thing: The entry was created using "numentry".

Seems 'numentry' is not part of stock Tk or Tklib.
Where does it come from?

R'
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 16:46 schrieb Ralf Fassel:

* meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de>
| One thing: The entry was created using "numentry".

Seems 'numentry' is not part of stock Tk or Tklib.
Where does it come from?

R'

https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Entry+widget+for+numeric+data
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de> wrote:

Am 18.12.2025 um 16:46 schrieb Ralf Fassel:

* meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de>
| One thing: The entry was created using "numentry".

Seems 'numentry' is not part of stock Tk or Tklib.
Where does it come from?

R'

https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Entry+widget+for+numeric+data

See https://www.tcl-lang.com/software/tcltk/9.0.html

Important Incompatibilities in Tcl 9.0

Namespace varname resolution: Current namespace, not global.

The code for that widget does this in it's copyval proc:

method CopyVal {args} {
upvar #0 $options(-variable) thevar

if {![catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)]} {
clipboard clear -displayof $win
clipboard append -displayof $win $thevar
unset tk::Priv(data)
}
return -code break
}

And, as it is also a snit widget, it is impacted by the namespace name resolution rules.

It should be using absolute paths: ::tk::Priv(data)

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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

* meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de>
| Am 18.12.2025 um 16:46 schrieb Ralf Fassel:
| > * meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de>
| > | One thing: The entry was created using "numentry".
| > Seems 'numentry' is not part of stock Tk or Tklib.
| > Where does it come from?
| > R'
| https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Entry+widget+for+numeric+data

Ok. Seems like the only use of the namespace tk:: is in

method CopyVal {args} {
upvar #0 $options(-variable) thevar

if {![catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)]} {
clipboard clear -displayof $win
clipboard append -displayof $win $thevar
unset tk::Priv(data)
}
return -code break
}

On the first glance using tk::Priv(data) here seems unneccessary, you
could simply use a temporary instead, or since it is not used here
anyway, just omit it completely

method CopyVal {args} {
upvar #0 $options(-variable) thevar

if {![catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win}]} {
clipboard clear -displayof $win
clipboard append -displayof $win $thevar
}
return -code break
}


As the name indicates, tk::'Priv' is probably not supposed to be used
outside of core-tk anyway. This looks like copy/paste code from tk's
entry.tcl where the code runs in global namespace, thus you can't have a temporary variable and the code resorts to using tk::Priv.

R'
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From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

* Ralf Fassel <ralfixx@gmx.de>
| On the first glance using tk::Priv(data) here seems unneccessary, you
| could simply use a temporary instead, or since it is not used here
| anyway, just omit it completely

| method CopyVal {args} {
| upvar #0 $options(-variable) thevar

| if {![catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win}]} {
| clipboard clear -displayof $win
| clipboard append -displayof $win $thevar
| }
| return -code break
| }

Or even

method CopyVal {args} {
upvar #0 $options(-variable) thevar
clipboard clear -displayof $win
clipboard append -displayof $win $thevar
return -code break
}

since calling tk::EntryGetSelection most probably suffers the same
problem (as Rick indicated due to the namespace resolution changes in
Tcl9), and the current contents seems to be stored in $thevar
anyway, instead o having to be fetched from the entry.

R'
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 18:29 schrieb Rich:

It should be using absolute paths: ::tk::Priv(data)

Thanks Rich! Indeed, now it looks obvious to me. And I could fix the
issue package myself.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

Am 18.12.2025 um 18:42 schrieb Ralf Fassel:

On the first glance using tk::Priv(data) here seems unneccessary, you
could simply use a temporary instead, or since it is not used here
anyway, just omit it completely

Very good observation!
I could delete it indeed.
Thanks!
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.lang.tcl

On Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:17:07 +0100
meshparts <alexandru.dadalau@meshparts.de> wrote:

I just realized that my Copy procedure for entries does not work anymore.

So I have some ttk entries with some text inside.
I select the text in one entry, either hit "CTRL-C" or right click to
show a customized context menu and ultimatelly the command is executed:

event generate $w <<Copy>>

The error I get is:

*** START OF ERROR MESSAGE ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
*** ERROR INFO ***
can't set "tk::Priv(data)": parent namespace doesn't exist
while executing
"catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)"
(procedure "::numentry::Snit_methodCopyVal" line 8)
invoked from within ".vpan.main.workframe.detailsframe.sw.sf.mf.cf.measure.props.f.f5.y CopyVal"
("uplevel" body line 1)
invoked from within
"uplevel 1 [linsert $args 0 $self]"
invoked from within
"::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal"
(command bound to event)
*** ERROR STACK ***
INNER:::snit::RT.CallInstance ::numentry::Snit_inst2 CopyVal
UP:1

*** END OF ERROR MESSAGE ***

Is this a bug in Tcl 9.0.2?

No, it's a consequence of TIP#278

https://core.tcl-lang.org/tips/doc/trunk/tip/278.md

This change is documented in the migration guide:

https://core.tcl-lang.org/tcl/wiki?name=Migrating+scripts+to+Tcl+9

In short, any non-fully qualified var name $var now resolves to
[namespace current]::$var, while the old behaviour was to look in the
current namespace, then in the global one for an already existing ::$var.

Given the error message above, I assume you are running the line

catch {tk::EntryGetSelection $win} tk::Priv(data)

in a namespace that's not the global one.

I don't think this happend in Tcl 8.

This changed in 9.0

Thanks
Alex

Regards
--
Emiliano <emiliano@example.invalid>
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