documentation for tk.call interface

[Kevin Walzer]

dbr517 at gmail.com wrote:
> I'm using Python + Tkinter for a small gui . . . there are LOTS of
> places inside Tkinter with code like this:
> 
>         self.tk.call('tkwait', 'variable', name)
> 
> (this particular one is from the IntVar class).
> 
> I've searched the Tkinter docs with no success; can someone point me
> at the documentation for tk.call?

I'm not sure where the documentation is, but tk.call is a raw Tcl 
command being invoked from Python without being wrapped by Python 
classes/methods. For instance:

self.tk.call('package', 'require', 'tile')

is equivalent to this call in a Tcl script:

package require tile

Generally I use tk.call if I have to get "close to the metal" in dealing 
with Tk. Tkinter does a good job of abstracting this, but, as you no 
doubt know, Tkinter.py itself is full of 'tk.call' code, i.e.:

     def wait_visibility(self, window=None):
         """Wait until the visibility of a WIDGET changes
         (e.g. it appears).

         If no parameter is given self is used."""
         if window is None:
             window = self
         self.tk.call('tkwait', 'visibility', window._w)
     def setvar(self, name='PY_VAR', value='1'):
         """Set Tcl variable NAME to VALUE."""
         self.tk.setvar(name, value)
     def getvar(self, name='PY_VAR'):
         """Return value of Tcl variable NAME."""
         return self.tk.getvar(name)

and so on. There's simply no other way to get at the guts of Tk without 
using tk.call at some level.

-- 
Kevin Walzer
Code by Kevin
http://www.codebykevin.com