"Tcl.xs:126: error: initializer element is not constant" while installing Tcl-1.02 in Strawberry Perl v5.10 on Windoze XP

[NateTut]

I am receiving the following error while trying to install the Tcl module using the cpan app:

Tcl.xs:126: error: initializer element is not constant
dmake:  Error code 129, while making 'Tcl.o'

This appears to be a known bug but I haven't found a fix anywhere. I would really like to use Tcl for my current project as well as Strawberry Perl but they are not playing nice together.

[vkon]

Sorry for this error, it should have been fixed already, but it isn't :(
I hope to release new version this weekend.

Meanwhile, here is a patch for 1.02 that should fix the problem

diff -rbu Tcl-1.02/Makefile.PL Tcl-1.02-fix/Makefile.PL
--- Tcl-1.02/Makefile.PL    Fri Feb 11 12:00:35 2011
+++ Tcl-1.02-fix/Makefile.PL    Fri Jun  3 13:37:45 2011
@@ -196,6 +196,9 @@
     if ($^O eq 'MSWin32') {
         $tclver=~s/\.//;
         $defs .= " -DTCL_LIB_FILE=\\\"tcl$tclver.dll\\\"" if $usestub
+s; 
+
+        # Use g++ if using strawberry perl
+        @extraargs = (CC => 'g++') if $^X =~ /strawberry/;
     }
     elsif ($^O eq 'freebsd') {
         $tclver=~s/\.//;
@@ -272,11 +275,6 @@
     }
 }
 
-sub MY::libscan {
-    my($self, $path) =@_;
-    return '' if $path =~ /\.pl$/i;
-    return $path;
-}
 
 BEGIN {
     # compatibility with older versions of MakeMaker
@@ -299,3 +297,20 @@
         ExtUtils::MakeMaker::WriteMakefile(%arg);
     };
 }
+
+package MY; # so that "SUPER" works right
+sub libscan {
+    my($self, $path) =@_;
+    return '' if $path =~ /\.pl$/i;
+    return $path;
+}
+
+sub c_o {
+    my $inherited = shift->SUPER::c_o(@_);
+
+    # Fix for strawberry perl build
+    $inherited =~ s/\bgcc\b/\$(CCCMD)/g if $^X =~ /strawberry/;
+
+    $inherited;
+}
+
diff -rbu Tcl-1.02/Tcl.xs Tcl-1.02-fix/Tcl.xs
--- Tcl-1.02/Tcl.xs    Fri Feb 11 12:00:35 2011
+++ Tcl-1.02-fix/Tcl.xs    Fri Jun  3 13:35:09 2011
@@ -602,7 +602,7 @@
         STRLEN len;
         char *s = SvPV(sv, len);
         char *end = s + len;
-        while ((nul_start = memchr(s, '\300', len))) {
+        while ((nul_start = (char*)memchr(s, '\300', len))) {
         if (nul_start + 1 < end && nul_start[1] == '\200') {
             /* found it */
             nul_start[0] = '\0';
@@ -692,7 +692,7 @@
         char *s = SvPV(sv_copy, len);
         char *nul;
 
-        while ((nul = memchr(s, '\0', len))) {
+        while ((nul = (char*)memchr(s, '\0', len))) {
             STRLEN i = nul - SvPVX(sv_copy);
             s = SvGROW(sv_copy, SvCUR(sv_copy) + 2);
             nul = s + i;
@@ -979,8 +979,8 @@
 MODULE = Tcl    PACKAGE = Tcl    PREFIX = Tcl_
 
 SV *
-Tcl__new(class = "Tcl")
-    char *    class
+Tcl__new(Class = "Tcl")
+    char *    Class
     CODE:
     RETVAL = newSV(0);
     /*
@@ -995,7 +995,7 @@
         (void) hv_store(hvInterps, (const char *) &interp,
             sizeof(Tcl), &PL_sv_undef, 0);
         }
-        sv_setref_pv(RETVAL, class, (void*)interp);
+        sv_setref_pv(RETVAL, Class, (void*)interp);
     }
     OUTPUT:
     RETVAL

[NateTut]

No problem, bugs happen. I appreciate the effort you guys put into great stuff like this, How do I apply the patch? I did find it online too, but I didn't know what do do with it!

[vkon]

applying a patch means to use a "patch" utility.
In this particular case - it is even possible to do manual edit of the text,
but nevermind -

there is simpler way - please get patched distribution at http://vadrer.org/files-exchange/Tcl-1.02-fix.zip

Regards,
Vadim

[NateTut]

I'm a little slow sometimes, but I finally got it! Thanks for your help.

[Gulliver]

What have you done so far? Have you installed a Tcl environment? Tcl is a seperate interpreter like Perl. Strawberry Perl doesn't come with one like ActiveState Perl. As much as I like Strawberry Perl, ActiveState has made it painless to get Tcl working because the executable gets installed at the same time as Perl.

[NateTut]

Yes, I have Tcl installed and tclsh is in the path. I am fiddling with Tcl.xs now to see if I can get it to compile (and hopefully not break the module too badly)

[NateTut]

The offending line in Tcl.xs is:

static int (* tclKit_AppInit)(Tcl_Interp *) = Tcl_Init;


Tcl_Init is defined thusly:

void
Tcl_Init(interp)
    Tcl    interp
    CODE:
    if (!initialized) { return; }
    if (tclKit_AppInit(interp) != TCL_OK) {
        croak(Tcl_GetStringResult(interp));
    }
    Tcl_CreateObjCommand(interp, "::perl::Eval", Tcl_EvalInPerl,
        (ClientData) NULL, NULL);


I'm not well versed in xs so I'm not sure what the issue is.