Error Pasting to Clipboard with Python in ArcMap 10.6

PhilipJutson

Error Pasting to Clipboard with Python in ArcMap 10.6

 

I have been testing an existing Python Add-In written for ArcMap 10.2 that throws an error in ArcMap 10.6. The error was 'module' object has no attribute 'argv'.  After checking the web it looked like code I used to past to the clipboard with Tkinker was the problem. To test I copied the following code from the Add-In and pasted into the Python Window and an error was generated on usage.

 

>>> import Tkinter

>>> def toClipboard(txt):

...     clip = Tkinter.Tk()

...     clip.withdraw()

...     clip.clipboard_clear()

...     clip.clipboard_append(txt)

...     clip.destroy()

...    

>>> toClipboard("Hello")

Runtime error

Traceback (most recent call last):

  File "<string>", line 1, in <module>

  File "<string>", line 2, in toClipboard

  File "C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.6\Lib\lib-tk\Tkinter.py", line 1814, in __init__

    baseName = os.path.basename(sys.argv[0])

AttributeError: 'module' object has no attribute 'argv'

>>> 

 

In ArcMap 10.2 this code runs without a problem. The wisdom of the web suggests that a similar problem happened in ArcMap 10.1 and could be to do with the way sys has been altered for ArcGIS.

 

Have I found a bug?

PhilipJutson

Hi Dan

 

I will make a note of your warning about Python 3. I’m not sure when ArcGIS will switch to Python 3 so I will be focusing on 2.7 as long as it is still being used.  Besides, having waited from 10.2 till 10.6 before upgrading, I cannot see the organisation I work for doing another upgrade for a while.

 

 

I have managed to come up with a practical solution this morning. In ArcMap 10.2.2 sys.argv[0] is an empty string so I tried the following:

 

>>> t= Tkinter.Tk(baseName='')

>>> del t

 

There were no errors so I altered my snippet of code to the following:

 

import Tkinter

def toClipboard(txt):

    clip = Tkinter.Tk(baseName='')

    clip.withdraw()

    clip.clipboard_clear()

    clip.clipboard_append(txt)

    clip.destroy()

 

 

This now copies to the clip board in the ArcMap 10.6 Python Window and behaves as I am used to In ArcMap 10.2. Maybe it isn’t the best way of doing it but it works and I don’t have a lot of time before 10.6 is rolled out in my organisation.

 

I had a quick look at the Python docs for Tkinter (https://docs.python.org/2/library/tkinter.html) and a quick scan had no warnings about sys.argv[0].