Simple Tkinter app works in Linux, not in Windows

[James Stroud]

john.orlando at gmail.com wrote:
> Hello,
> I'm a newbie to Python (literally, within the last two weeks), and I am
> playing around with Tkinter to build some simple GUIs.  I am attempting
> to build a simple class that displays a GIF.  Here is the code:
> 
> #start of code
> from Tkinter import *
> 
> class DisplayPict(Frame):
> 
>     def __init__(self,parent=None):
>         Frame.__init__(self,parent)
>         self.pack()
>         self.img=PhotoImage(file="moon.gif")
>         self.can=Canvas(self)
>         self.can.create_image(2,2,image=self.img,anchor=NW)
>         self.can.pack(fill=BOTH)
> 
>         #keep a reference to the img around
>         self.can.photo=self.img
> 
> if __name__ == '__main__': DisplayPict().mainloop()
> #end of code
> 
> Anyway, I started with this code in Windoze using IDLE, and everytime I
> ran it I kept getting an empty frame (well, presumably with a Canvas
> that had nothing in it).  I kept thinking that it had to be something
> to do with the whole images-get-garbage-collected-if-not-referenced
> issue that I read so much about.  So I tried a bunch of different
> permutations and nothing made a difference.
> 
> On a whim, I tried this code under Linux, and amazingly, it worked just
> fine: the image was displayed as expected.
> 
> So...I am confused.  I tried to do my homework (i.e., read through
> "Programming Python", "Learning Python", and scouring the internet),
> but I can't come up with an explanation as to why this doesn't work
> under Windoze.  Can anyone out there show me the error in what I have?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> John O
> 

I'm inclined to think that its your python installation. It worked for 
me with both the cygwin python (both in the console and in an xterm) and 
it also worked for me with idle using enthought python. I haven't tried 
the active state python.