BLT doesn't work properly

[mn@…]

I installed BLT library via macports: port install blt, and when I am trying to run it on included samples, it doesn't work, and tells me that there are some version conflicts. The only other version I have is originally suplied Leopard TCL - version 8.4, so the conflict is according to me somewhere in macports installation.

there is a log when I tried to run a sample, it always ends up like this:

mn@hrusticka /opt/local/lib/blt2.4/demos $ bltwish barchart1.tcl 
Application initialization failed: version conflict for package "Tcl": have 8.5.2, need exactly 8.5
Error in startup script: dlsym(0x5882a0, Blt_Unload): symbol not founddlsym(0x5882a0, Blt_SafeUnload): symbol not foundversion conflict for package "Tcl": have 8.5.2, need exactly 8.5
    while executing
"load $library BLT"
    (procedure "LoadBLT" line 30)
    invoked from within
"LoadBLT 2.4 /opt/local/lib/blt2.4"
    ("package ifneeded BLT 2.4" script)
    invoked from within
"package require BLT"
    (file "barchart1.tcl" line 3)
dyld: unloaded: /opt/local/lib/libBLT.2.dylib

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Assigning to maintainer.

[markd@…]

BLT source needs some work to get it working with Tcl/Tk 8.5. I hope this is done soon.

​http://coding.derkeiler.com/Archive/Tcl/comp.lang.tcl/2008-04/

[(none)]

Milestone Port Bugs deleted

[howarth@…]

patch from Fedora 12 blt that provides 64-bit compatibility

[howarth@…]

patch from Fedora 12 that eliminates check on exact tcl/tk version

[howarth@…]

An alternative fix for this from gentoo (which is what fedora)
finally used is available here.
​http://bugs.gentoo.org/attachment.cgi?id=154647

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

Cc Me!

[jmroot (Joshua Root)]

Does this work now that the fix for #22536 has been checked in?

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

This still does not work for me:

$ bltwish barchart1.tcl 
Error in startup script: unknown namespace in import pattern "blt::tile::*"
    while executing
"namespace import -force blt::tile::*"
    invoked from within
"if { $tcl_version >= 8.0 } {
    namespace import blt::*
    namespace import -force blt::tile::*
}"
    (file "barchart1.tcl" line 24)

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

markd has retired. See #44782.

[kurthindenburg (Kurt Hindenburg)]

Cc Me!

[kurthindenburg (Kurt Hindenburg)]

It looks to me that BLT should be obsoleted.

​http://wiki.tcl.tk/199 ​http://blt.sourceforge.net/

The last BLT release is for tcl <= 8.4

[chrstphrchvz (Christopher Chavez)]

I would consider #51180 to effectively be a duplicate of this.

There are/have been BLT alternatives that are compatible with Tcl/Tk 8.6. BLT 4.0 has also been under development recently, and is compatible with Tcl/Tk 8.6, but it currently exists only in the project's ​git repository on Sourceforge. However, are any of these worth adding to MacPorts, given how long this issue has existed and that any efforts toward resolving this have stalled (see #34826, #40203)?

[MarcusCalhoun-Lopez (Marcus Calhoun-Lopez)]

Adding reporter of #34826 since hopefully the issue will be resolved here.

[MarcusCalhoun-Lopez (Marcus Calhoun-Lopez)]

Using ​Repology, I have done a little research on how other package managers handle this problem.

​Gentoo patches version 2.4z to get it to work.

​FreeBSDand ​Debian start with a ​fork of blt that purports to be at version 2.5.3.
Even still, a significant number of patches have to be applied.

The ​upstream development version of blt is at version 3.0a and claims to be compatibly with Tcl 8.6.

I tried to steal all of the Debian patches, but it did not quite work.
Debian Tk installs a couple of header files that MacPorts tk does not.
I have to do a little more research before I start modifying the MacPorts Tk.

[MarcusCalhoun-Lopez (Marcus Calhoun-Lopez)]

In 99a69e509ed7c5eab314fc77e5a37d1ce19f6367/macports-ports (master):

blt: update version 2.4z->2.5.3

For an explanation of this versioning scheme, see
#15095#comment:17.

Fixes #15095
Fixes #40203