Tk\_InternAtom(3) Tk Library Procedures Tk\_InternAtom(3)

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# [NAME](#NAME)

Tk\_InternAtom, Tk\_GetAtomName - manage cache of X atoms

# [SYNOPSIS](#SYNOPSIS)

```
#include <tk.h>

Atom
Tk_InternAtom(tkwin, name)

const char *
Tk_GetAtomName(tkwin, atom)
```

# [ARGUMENTS](#ARGUMENTS)

Tk\_Window *tkwin* (in)

Token for window. Used to map atom or name relative to a particular display.

const char *\*name* (in)

String name for which atom is desired.

Atom *atom* (in)

Atom for which corresponding string name is desired.

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# [DESCRIPTION](#DESCRIPTION)

These procedures are similar to the Xlib procedures **XInternAtom** and **XGetAtomName**. **Tk\_InternAtom** returns the atom identifier associated with string given by *name*; the atom identifier is only valid for the display associated with *tkwin*. **Tk\_GetAtomName** returns the string associated with *atom* on *tkwin*'s display. The string returned by **Tk\_GetAtomName** is in Tk's storage: the caller need not free this space when finished with the string, and the caller should not modify the contents of the returned string. If there is no atom *atom* on *tkwin*'s display, then **Tk\_GetAtomName** returns the string “?bad atom?”.

Tk caches the information returned by **Tk\_InternAtom** and **Tk\_GetAtomName** so that future calls for the same information can be serviced from the cache without contacting the server. Thus **Tk\_InternAtom** and **Tk\_GetAtomName** are generally much faster than their Xlib counterparts, and they should be used in place of the Xlib procedures.

# [KEYWORDS](#KEYWORDS)

atom, cache, display

Tk

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Document: Tk_InternAtom(3) from tk 9.0.4-r2 (Chainguard OS)
Source: https://downloads.sourceforge.net/sourceforge/tcl/tk9.0.4-src.tar.gz