Python Tkinter throwing Tcl error

Question

I am learning basic GUI in Python, and I came across a sample example to read file name from file explorer on Stack Overflow.

from Tkinter import Tk
from tkFileDialog import askopenfilename
Tk().withdraw() # we don't want a full GUI, so keep the root window from appearing
filename = askopenfilename() # show an "Open" dialog box and return the path to the selected file
print(filename)

This particular script is working fine when I am trying to run it in IDLE, but the same is not running if I am trying from command prompt in windows 7.

Python Version: 2.7. Here is the output error which I get.

>>> from Tkinter import Tk
>>> from tkFileDialog import askopenfilename
>>> Tk().withdraw()
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
File "C:\Python27\Lib\lib-tk\Tkinter.py", line 1685, in __init__
self.tk = _tkinter.create(screenName, baseName, className, interactive, wantobjects, useTk, sync, use)
_tkinter.TclError: Can't find a usable init.tcl in the following directories:
C:/Python27/lib/tcl8.5 D:/PyProj/lib/tcl8.5 D:/lib/tcl8.5 D:/PyProj/library D:/library D:/tcl8.5.2/library D:/tcl8.5.2/library

This probably means that Tcl wasn't installed properly

Any pointer to what I am missing here can be of great help.

Dinnerware

Are you certain that the version of python you use in idle is the same version being used on the command line? – Epiphyte

@BryanOakley yes I am using the same version. Here is a snippet of the same IDLE: Python 2.7 (r27:82525, Jul 4 2010, 07:43:08) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32 Python CmdLine: Python 2.7 (r27:82525, Jul 4 2010, 07:43:08) [MSC v.1500 64 bit (AMD64)] on win32 – Dinnerware

Answer 1

You just need to copy two folders from tcl folder to the Lib folder

tcl8.5 and tk8.5

Flytrap

This solved the problem for me. Windows 10, running Python in PowerShell, Python 3.6.3, tcl8.6, tk8.6. Got errors when trying to run matplotlib. After copying the folders it works. Thanks alot! – Sassanid

I also solved it by copying tcl8.6 and tk8.6 into the Lib folder on Python 3.8 – Ribonuclease

Thank you so much for the suggestion! It helped with my miniconda virtual env with Python 3.8 too!! – Primordium

Answer 2

In case you are using Virtualenv on Windows I found a solution here: https://github.com/pypa/virtualenv/issues/93

I copied the "tcl" folder from C:\Python27\ over to the root of the new Virtualenv, Tkinter.Tk() shows a new window without throwing an exception.

I am running Python 2.7 on Windows 7.

Lachellelaches

Answer 3

Hit a similar problem after installing Activestate Python and TCL. I found the following page solved the problem for me: ActiveState Python install problem. The fix was to copy the contents of C:\Python27\tcl into C:\Python27\Lib.

Another potential solution (given by user i-shenl in a different ActiveState thread on the same issue) is to set the environment variable $TCL_LIBRARY to point to the tcl library folder ("C:/Python27/tcl", in the question). If you set this system-wide or account-wide (via System Properties), it will affect other programs that use a TCL Library (if any are installed). If you're using Powershell, you can set this variable in your profile to limit its affects to programs run from the shell.

Acetaldehyde

Copying contents of that folder worked for me. All files/folders in the tcl subfolder began with tk or tcl and none in the destination lib subfolder did - I checked that before I did the copy in case I wanted to back it out again! – Brok

Answer 4

I hit the same problem on Ubuntu 17.04 with virtualenvwrapper for 64 bit Python 2.7

I add tk and tcl library paths in local postactivate script

1. Go to your virtualenv: workon your-env-name
2. Edit local postactiave script with your favourite editor, for ex: gedit $VIRTUAL_ENV/bin/postactivate

3. Locate tk and tcl library paths. In postactivate script, export TK_LIBRARY and TCL_LIBRARY with appropriate paths. Add this lines to your script with modified paths:

   TK_LIBRARY=/home/kamil/anaconda2/pkgs/tk-8.5 TKPATH=/home/kamil/anaconda2/pkgs/tk-8.5 TCL_LIBRARY=/home/kamil/anaconda2/lib/tcl8.5 export TCL_LIBRARY TK_LIBRARY TKPATH

4. Restart your virtualenv: deactivate and workon your-env-name again.

Hengelo

Answer 5

If you are hitting this kind of error in a python -m venv NAME kind of virtual environment (and you actually have tcl installed in your system), then you need to export the paths similarly as suggested by Kamil Czerski in a previous post for virtualenv.

1. To find out what are your TK and TCL paths, run a python script outside of the venv (source):

import tkinter
root = tkinter.Tk()   
print(root.tk.exprstring('$tcl_library'))   
print(root.tk.exprstring('$tk_library'))

2. Open your venv configuration file bin/activate and find the place where they export PATH and insert after this (insert correct paths from step 1):

TCL_LIBRARY="/tcl/path/from/step/1"   
TK_LIBRARY="/tk/path/from/step/1"   
TKPATH="/tk/path/from/step/1"  
export TCL_LIBRARY TK_LIBRARY TKPATH

3. Deactivate (if it was activated) and source again your venv:

deactivate  
source bin/activate

The "Tcl missing"-error should be gone.

Bertrand

Answer 6

Go to directory in which all of your python dependencies are stored

Example:

Python37 
  -DLLs
  -Doc
  -etc
  -include
  -Lib
  -libs
  -Scripts
  -tcl
  -python.exe

Go to tcl folder, copy the tcl8.5 and tk8.5 folder Paste these folders in the Lib folder

This solution works for Windows 10 users

Telephonic

Answer 7

IDLE is probably setting the path required for TCL. To find out what path is being used by IDLE, compare the output of sys.path from IDLE and without IDLE. Then you can add the location of init.tcl either using an environment variable or programatically. See Xenomorph suggestion.

Cliquish

Answer 8

All you need to do is copy tcl 8.6 and tcl 8.5 from tcl file to Lib file on in python. Python-tcl-tcl8.5 to Python-Lib

Faddish

Answer 9

If you know you have TCL and TK installed, then try and search for the file(s) that are missing! E.g. in the error message it states that init.tcl file is missing from the expected paths/locations. But that file might be located elseware on the computer! If it does, copy the containing folder to the expected location for a quick fix.

You just need to copy two folders.

tcl8.5 from the Python/tcl/TCL8.5 folder - to the Python/Lib/TCL8.5 folder. Do the same for tk8.5 but use Python/TK/tk8.5 folder - to the Python/Lib/TKL8.5 folder.

You local pathing might be a bit different from the above. But that is the general idea.

Difficult