Tcl Source Code

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On the basis of which versions are buggy, this is presumed
to be caused by the 2004-05-22 commit.

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As the order in which the variables are deleted is not
specified, this script has been modified an added to the
testsuite as Test trace-18.4:
    namespace eval ::ref {}
    set ::ref::var1 AAA
    trace add variable ::ref::var1 unset doTrace
    set ::ref::var2 BBB
    trace add variable ::ref::var2 {unset} doTrace
    proc doTrace {vtraced vidx op} {
global info
append info [catch {set ::$vtraced}][llength [info vars
::ref::*]]
    }
    set info {}
    namespace delete ::ref
    rename doTrace {}
    set info

Note that the returned value is 0201 up to 8.4.7, and 0202
for HEAD and 8-4-branch. 

Note also that the *correct* return value is 1110 - as a
variable should not exist when it's unset trace is running.

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The fundamental problem is that, when a variable is unset
due to its namespace being deleted,  the variable exists
while the unset trace is running:

namespace eval a {trace add variable x unset {puts [catch
{set ::a::x}];#}; set x 1}
1
% unset a::x
1
% namespace eval a {trace add variable x unset {puts [catch
{set ::a::x}];#}; set x 1}
1
% namespace delete a
0

This is a very old bug - just verified that Tcl8.3.4 has it
too. It is probably also the cause of Bug 1337229.

File Added - 154563: 1338280.patch

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attached patch corrects the reported
problem and passes the test suite.

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Patch not committed: it contradicts the comment in
TclTeardownNamespace:
 /*
  * Start by destroying the namespace's variable table,
  * since variables might trigger traces.
  */

In particular, the patch changes the behaviour of the script:

  namespace eval a {
      proc p {} {puts hi}
      trace add variable x unset {a::p;#}
      set x 1
   }
   namespace delete a

which prints 'hi' before the patch, and does not after the
patch. Note that these comments in the source are the only
documentation about the ordering of operations during
namespace deletion.

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the patch does introduce a
script-visible change, yes.

it's also a simple change
that fixes this bug and
allegedly 1337229.

Neither the tcl nor the
tcllib test suite care about
the change.

If something does care, then
let's think harder about this, but
not until we find something that
does care.

Crafting a fix for these bugs other
than the one attached here will
be very, very tricky indeed.  Unless
we delay variable unset traces until
the point where the namespace
variables are no longer accessible,
then the access must go somewhere,
and we're left with the recursive task
of cleaning *that* up.

I fear we may already have that
problem with command delete traces.

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Here's a different patch
(against 8-4-branch) without
the incompatibility of the first.

Please look it over.

File Added - 154768: 1338280-84.patch

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that patch contained a memory
leak.  here's the corrected 
replacement.

File Added - 154778: 1338280-84.patch

File Deleted - 154768:

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Attached 8.4 patch adapted and committed to both branches.