This issue tracker has been migrated to GitHub, and is currently read-only.
For more information, see the GitHub FAQs in the Python's Developer Guide.

classification
Title: tkinter goes into an infinite loop (pydoc.gui)
Type: crash Stage:
Components: Extension Modules, Tkinter Versions: Python 3.3
process
Status: closed Resolution: rejected
Dependencies: Superseder:
Assigned To: Nosy List: HWJ, asvetlov, gpolo, loewis, python-dev
Priority: normal Keywords: patch

Created on 2008-09-11 13:20 by HWJ, last changed 2022-04-11 14:56 by admin. This issue is now closed.

Files
File name Uploaded Description Edit
issue_3835.diff gpolo, 2008-09-17 13:08 review
issue_3835_2.diff asvetlov, 2012-03-13 18:15 review
Messages (15)
msg73021 - (view) Author: Helmut Jarausch (HWJ) Date: 2008-09-11 13:20
With version 3.0 (SVN 66386)

import pydoc
pydoc.gui()

gives

>>> Exception in thread Thread-1:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/threading.py", line 507, in 
_bootstrap_inner
    self.run()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/threading.py", line 462, in run
    self._target(*self._args, **self._kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1989, in serve
    DocServer(port, callback).serve_until_quit()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1971, in __init__
    self.base.__init__(self, self.address, self.handler)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/socketserver.py", line 401, in __init__
    self.server_activate()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1982, in 
server_activate
    if self.callback: self.callback(self)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 2072, in ready
    text='Python documentation server at\n' + server.url)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/tkinter/__init__.py", line 1199, in 
configure
    return self._configure('configure', cnf, kw)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/tkinter/__init__.py", line 1190, in 
_configure
    self.tk.call(_flatten((self._w, cmd)) + self._options(cnf))
_tkinter.TclError: out of stack space (infinite loop?)
msg73237 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-14 21:33
What tcl/tk version are you using ?

Also, can you put a "print(_flatten((self._w, cmd)) +
self._options(cnf))" before the line 1190 in
/usr/local/lib/python3.0/tkinter/__init__.py and tell what it shows when
you call pydoc.gui ?
msg73259 - (view) Author: Helmut Jarausch (HWJ) Date: 2008-09-15 12:50
I'm using Tcl/Tk  8.5.4  here

        print(":::")
        print(_flatten((self._w, cmd)) + self._options(cnf))

produces:
:::
('.3073836300', 'configure', '-yscrollcommand', '3077632332set')
:::
('.3073835564.3073835660', 'configure', '-text', 'Python documentation 
server at\nhttp://localhost:7464/')
>>> Exception in thread Thread-1:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/threading.py", line 507, in 
_bootstrap_inner
    self.run()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/threading.py", line 462, in run
    self._target(*self._args, **self._kwargs)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1989, in serve
    DocServer(port, callback).serve_until_quit()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1971, in __init__
    self.base.__init__(self, self.address, self.handler)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/socketserver.py", line 401, in __init__
    self.server_activate()
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 1982, in 
server_activate
    if self.callback: self.callback(self)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/pydoc.py", line 2072, in ready
    text='Python documentation server at\n' + server.url)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/tkinter/__init__.py", line 1201, in 
configure
    return self._configure('configure', cnf, kw)
  File "/usr/local/lib/python3.0/tkinter/__init__.py", line 1192, in 
_configure
    self.tk.call(_flatten((self._w, cmd)) + self._options(cnf))
_tkinter.TclError: out of stack space (infinite loop?)
msg73265 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-15 15:29
Uhm, is it caused only by the combination of tk 8.5.4 and py3k, or does
the same happen with tk 8.5.4 and python-trunk ? What about tk 8.5.3 (or
some other of tk 8.5 series) or even tk 8.4.16 and {python-trunk, py3k} ? 

It would be good if you could test some other combination, specially
because I can't reproduce it here with other versions (but I'm compiling
8.5.4 here now).
msg73302 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-16 15:18
Just reproduced the issue under python-trunk with tcl/tk 8.5.4 and 8.5.3
msg73303 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-16 15:41
But it happens only if you don't build tcl/tk with --enable-threads =)
msg73304 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-16 17:00
If you remove the widget.config calls in GUI.ready you will notice the
problem "goes away", but note that this method is called from another
thread while you have a non-thread-safe tcl/tk lib (I'm assuming you
didn't compile it with --enable-threads). So.. using multiple threads in
Python while Tcl is compiled without --enable-threads isn't supported at
all.

To reproduce the problem try this (change Tkinter to tkinter if py3k):


import threading
import Tkinter

lbl = Tkinter.Label(text="hi")
threading.Thread(target=lambda: lbl.configure(text="hi there")).start()
lbl.mainloop()


If your tcl/tk libs weren't compiled with --enable-threads this should
get you an "TclError: out of stack space (infinite loop?)". A
documentation note may be added somewhere, but nothing much else is
going to happen (that is what I believe at least).
msg73324 - (view) Author: Helmut Jarausch (HWJ) Date: 2008-09-17 08:07
Many thanks, that solved the problem.

Since the cause of the problem wasn't easy to find out
(for me, at least)

would be possible to check at import time if Tcl/Tk has been
configured with threads enabled?

Helmut.
msg73332 - (view) Author: Guilherme Polo (gpolo) * (Python committer) Date: 2008-09-17 13:08
The patch attached checks for that when an interpreter is created, not
really at import time but should be enough.

But my real concern is that tkinter thinks it will work properly when
Python is using threads and Tcl wasn't compiled with --enable-threads.
Maybe that was true some time ago or maybe in other platforms, but isn't
the case anymore.
msg155640 - (view) Author: Andrew Svetlov (asvetlov) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-03-13 18:15
Push updated patch for tip (3.3) head
msg155664 - (view) Author: Roundup Robot (python-dev) (Python triager) Date: 2012-03-13 20:59
New changeset d731dcda2611 by Martin v. Löwis in branch 'default':
Issue #3835: Refuse to use unthreaded Tcl in threaded Python.
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/d731dcda2611
msg155665 - (view) Author: Martin v. Löwis (loewis) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-03-13 21:00
Thanks for the patch!
msg155763 - (view) Author: Roundup Robot (python-dev) (Python triager) Date: 2012-03-14 16:40
New changeset 7cbc48324938 by Andrew Svetlov in branch 'default':
Revert the patch for issue 3835 because failed on Windows buildbot
http://hg.python.org/cpython/rev/7cbc48324938
msg155764 - (view) Author: Andrew Svetlov (asvetlov) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-03-14 16:43
Recall to 'open' state
msg155765 - (view) Author: Andrew Svetlov (asvetlov) * (Python committer) Date: 2012-03-14 16:50
Close as 'not a bug' because Guilherme's test to reproduce the bug from msg73304 works good at least for Linux. 
Windows version of Tcl/Tk compiled without threading support.

So current behavior is correct and should not to be fixed.
History
Date User Action Args
2022-04-11 14:56:39adminsetgithub: 48085
2012-03-14 16:50:16asvetlovsetstatus: open -> closed
resolution: rejected
messages: + msg155765
2012-03-14 16:43:09asvetlovsetstatus: closed -> open
resolution: fixed -> (no value)
messages: + msg155764
2012-03-14 16:40:18python-devsetmessages: + msg155763
2012-03-13 21:00:09loewissetstatus: open -> closed

nosy: + loewis
messages: + msg155665

resolution: fixed
2012-03-13 20:59:23python-devsetnosy: + python-dev
messages: + msg155664
2012-03-13 18:15:54asvetlovsetfiles: + issue_3835_2.diff
nosy: + asvetlov
messages: + msg155640

2011-02-04 00:08:25eric.araujosetnosy: gpolo, HWJ
components: + Tkinter
versions: + Python 3.3, - Python 3.0
2008-09-17 13:10:11gpolosetpriority: normal
2008-09-17 13:08:48gpolosetfiles: + issue_3835.diff
keywords: + patch
messages: + msg73332
2008-09-17 08:07:43HWJsetmessages: + msg73324
2008-09-16 17:00:02gpolosetmessages: + msg73304
2008-09-16 15:41:20gpolosetmessages: + msg73303
2008-09-16 15:18:44gpolosetmessages: + msg73302
2008-09-15 15:29:26gpolosetmessages: + msg73265
2008-09-15 12:50:48HWJsetmessages: + msg73259
2008-09-14 21:33:52gpolosetnosy: + gpolo
messages: + msg73237
2008-09-11 13:20:28HWJcreate