IDLE crashes using clipboard copy command on OS X with ActiveTcl 8.5.12

[LeonMaurer]

BPO	15574
Nosy	@ned-deily
Files	IDLE crash.rtf

^{Note: these values reflect the state of the issue at the time it was migrated and might not reflect the current state.}

Show more details

GitHub fields:

assignee = 'https://github.com/ned-deily'
closed_at = <Date 2012-12-27.03:04:03.709>
created_at = <Date 2012-08-07.16:48:17.360>
labels = ['expert-IDLE', 'type-crash']
title = 'IDLE crashes using clipboard copy command on OS X with ActiveTcl 8.5.12'
updated_at = <Date 2013-01-12.02:17:59.664>
user = 'https://bugs.python.org/LeonMaurer'

bugs.python.org fields:

activity = <Date 2013-01-12.02:17:59.664>
actor = 'Leon.Maurer'
assignee = 'ned.deily'
closed = True
closed_date = <Date 2012-12-27.03:04:03.709>
closer = 'ned.deily'
components = ['IDLE']
creation = <Date 2012-08-07.16:48:17.360>
creator = 'Leon.Maurer'
dependencies = []
files = ['26722']
hgrepos = []
issue_num = 15574
keywords = []
message_count = 8.0
messages = ['167624', '167635', '167636', '167644', '168602', '172465', '178266', '179753']
nosy_count = 2.0
nosy_names = ['ned.deily', 'Leon.Maurer']
pr_nums = []
priority = 'normal'
resolution = 'out of date'
stage = 'resolved'
status = 'closed'
superseder = None
type = 'crash'
url = 'https://bugs.python.org/issue15574'
versions = ['Python 2.7', 'Python 3.2', 'Python 3.3']

[LeonMaurer]

I'm getting crashes with IDLE like those that have been reported before (e.g. by trying to copy using Command-C), but I followed (or at least tried to follow) the directions at

http://www.python.org/getit/mac/tcltk/

and have installed Python 2.7.3 64-bit/32-bit and ActiveTcl 8.5.12.

I've attached the crash log. I believe the following lines shows that I am using Tk 8.5.12 and not Apple's buggy version:

0x671000 - 0x76fff7 +Tk 8.5.12 (8.5.12) <BF86DC19-7B3F-BDAA-B650-1DA10C23D73B> /Library/Frameworks/Tk.framework/Versions/8.5/Tk

Thanks.

[ned-deily]

Ouch! That appears to be a major regression in the newly released ActiveTcl 8.5.12. I can easily reproduce a crash just using wish8.5 so the problem is strictly in Tcl/Tk itself, not Python. If you have an older version of ActiveTcl 8.5 available, you can revert to that. Unfortunately, ActiveState's policy is to only make the most recent Community Edition release openly available on their website. I've raised this issue on the Mac Tcl mailing list:

http://dir.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.tcl.mac

[LeonMaurer]

Thanks for the quick response. I don't have access to an older version of ActiveTcl, but in truth, I'm mostly relieved that it's not just me. (I spent a long time trying to figure out why some Tkinter code I had written would work on Linux and Windows but not OS X...)

[ned-deily]

The Mac Tcl community has jumped on the problem and there is now a tentative patch for Tk:

http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.lang.tcl.core/14173

I've opened a formal issue on the Tcl/Tk bug tracker here:

https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=3555211&group_id=12997&a
tid=112997

I'll leave this issue in pending status until the fix has been released and verified in a version of ActiveTcl. Thanks for the report!

[ned-deily]

An update: ActiveState has released a Tcl/Tk 8.5.12.1 for OS X and, while it fixes a similar crash-on-copy from within the Wish shell, it doesn't fix the crash-on-copy from within tkinter and IDLE. Plus, I notice now there's also another regression in 8.5.12.x, a crash when opening IDLE preferences. Since ActiveTcl only makes available the most recent build in their Community Edition, I would recommend not updating and holding on to 8.5.11.1 until this is resolved. I'm now able to build Tcl/Tk to reproduce. I'll see if I can bisect it.

[ned-deily]

I've been able to isolate the problem to a particular Tk checkin and have opened an Tk issue with details here:
https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=3575681&group_id=12997&atid=112997

[ned-deily]

The problem reported here no longer occurs with Tk 8.5.13. See http://www.python.org/download/mac/tcltk/ for important information about using 8.5.13, including a workaround patch for bpo-15853 until Python 3.3.1, 3.2.4, and 2.7.4 are released.

[LeonMaurer]

Thanks for the update. IDLE does indeed work for me now.

Unfortunately, the program I was trying to get working under OS X still has lots of problems. At least it doesn't crash due to copy and paste anymore.