Ruby 1.8.4 and tcltk under Linux

[Mark Volkmann]

I have some Ruby code that uses Tk that works fine under Windows.
However, when I try to run it under Linux with Ruby 1.8.4 installed I
get "no such file to load -- tcltklib".

Do I have to take steps to install tcltk? I don't recall having to do
that under Windows, but perhaps the one-click installer did that for
me. If I need to do this, a pointer to a web page that explains how
would be much appreciated.

 

[gmurray]

I have some Ruby code that uses Tk that works fine under Windows.
However, when I try to run it under Linux with Ruby 1.8.4 installed I
get "no such file to load -- tcltklib".

ruby does not replace tcl or tk. It requires the underlying libraries
provided
by those packages.

Do I have to take steps to install tcltk?

Yes. see ruby-1.8.4/ext/tk/README.tcltklib

I don't recall having to do

that under Windows

perhaps has a library/dll

best regards,
Gerald

 

[Gerardo Santana Gómez Garrido]

I have some Ruby code that uses Tk that works fine under Windows.
However, when I try to run it under Linux with Ruby 1.8.4 installed I
get "no such file to load -- tcltklib".

Do I have to take steps to install tcltk? I don't recall having to do
that under Windows, but perhaps the one-click installer did that for
me. If I need to do this, a pointer to a web page that explains how
would be much appreciated.

I had the same problem. Hard to find a solution on the web, until I
look into my own ruby source tree:

http://santanatechnotes.blogspot.com/2005/12/ruby-and-tk-on-solaris.html

Basically:

# cd ext/tcltklib
# ruby extconf.rb --with-tcl-include=3D/usr/sfw/include
# make && make install

That was for Solaris, but will work on Linux (just change the path to
your Tcl/Tk headers and libraries). Don't forget to read the README
file.

 

[Jonathan Simms]

This command runs without error, but I don't have a /usr/sfw directory.


This command says "Nothing to be done for 'all'".


This seems to be the root of my problem. I don't know where the Tcl/Tk
headers and libraries are located on my machine. Can you tell me the
name of one of the files so I can search for it? I tried running "find
. -name '*tcltk*' -print" from / and didn't find any libraries.

On my system, ubuntu, the shared library is /usr/lib/libtcl8.4.a, and
the headers are in /usr/include/tcl8.4

 

[Gerardo Santana Gómez Garrido]

This command runs without error, but I don't have a /usr/sfw directory.


This command says "Nothing to be done for 'all'".


This seems to be the root of my problem. I don't know where the Tcl/Tk
headers and libraries are located on my machine. Can you tell me the
name of one of the files so I can search for it? I tried running "find
. -name '*tcltk*' -print" from / and didn't find any libraries.

At then end of the output of extconf.rb says it couldn't find some
files. One of them in tcl.h, look for it.

 

[Mark Volkmann]

At then end of the output of extconf.rb says it couldn't find some
files. One of them in tcl.h, look for it.

My Fedora Core 4 system doesn't have tcl.h anywhere, but I do have
libtcl8.4.so in /usr/lib.

 

[Mark Volkmann]

Got it! Here's what I had to do.

1) Download tcl8.4.12-src.tar.gz and tk8.4.12-src.tar.gz
http://www.tcl.tk/software/tcltk/downloadnow84.html
2) Unzip and untar them into /opt/TclTk.
3) ruby extconf.rb \
--with-tcl-include=3D/opt/TclTk/tcl8.4.12/generic \
--with-tk-include=3D/opt/TclTk/tk8.4.12/generic
4) make
5) make install

 

[Gerardo Santana Gómez Garrido]

Got it! Here's what I had to do.

1) Download tcl8.4.12-src.tar.gz and tk8.4.12-src.tar.gz
http://www.tcl.tk/software/tcltk/downloadnow84.html
2) Unzip and untar them into /opt/TclTk.
3) ruby extconf.rb \
--with-tcl-include=3D/opt/TclTk/tcl8.4.12/generic \
--with-tk-include=3D/opt/TclTk/tk8.4.12/generic
4) make
5) make install

Extracting the sources you get the header files, yes, but not the
libraries. But still your post implies that somehow extconf.rb found
the libraries, otherwise you wouldn't be able to build the tcltklib
extension.

I suppose your Linux distribution has the Tcl/Tk libraries already
installed but not the header files. These header files are located in
a so called development package or -devel I think.