$wg{Status_Label} = $mw->Label(-borderwidth => 2, -relief => 'groove')
  ->pack(-side => 'bottom');
$balloon_wg{pulldown} = $mw->Balloon(-statusbar => $wg{Status_Label});
$balloon_wg{pulldown}->attach($wg{APullDown_Option}, -msg => [@mes_opt
+ions]);
# lines A
#$balloon_wg{pulldown}->attach($wg{APullDown_Option}, -state => 'ballo
+on',
#                            -msg => ['A1', 'B2','C3', 'D4']);
# line B
#$balloon_wg{pulldown}->attach($wg{APullDown_Option}, -msg => [@mes_op
+tions]);
[download]

I can replicate the problem (but mind you, I'm no Tk-wiz either).  I.e. with the following simple test script

#!/usr/local/bin/perl

use strict;
use warnings;
use Tk;
use Tk::Balloon;

my $mw = MainWindow->new();
$mw->title('Simple example');

my $status  = $mw->Label(
                  -width => 20,
                  -relief => 'groove',
              )->pack();

my $balloon = $mw->Balloon(-statusbar => $status);

my $menu    = $mw->Optionmenu(
                  -textvariable => \my $res,
                  -options      => [qw(A B C D)],
              )->pack();

$balloon->attach(
    $menu,
    -msg => [qw(a b c d)],

    #-msg => 'foo',
    # this works, but you get the same msg for all menu entries, of co
+urse
);

MainLoop;
[download]

it seems that random strings from memory are being displayed as tooltip texts, which would also explain the "Malformed UTF-8 character" messages (because a random sequence of bytes is typically not well-formed UTF-8).

Apparently, the -msg => [...] doesn't work as advertised  (a simple scalar "works", but that of course doesn't make much sense for a menu...).

(Perl 5.8.4, $Tk::VERSION: 804.027 — I don't have anything more recent on this box)

I can confirm with the latest Tk: 804.028501

Malformed UTF-8 character (unexpected continuation byte 0x8c, with no 
+preceding start byte) in subroutine entry at C:/perl/site/5.10.1/lib/
+MSWin32-x86-multi-thread/Tk.pm line 423.
UCS-2LE:partial character is not allowed when CHECK = 0x264 at C:/perl
+/site/5.10.1/lib/MSWin32-x86-multi-thread/Tk.pm line 423.
Unable to free colormap, palette is still selected.

This application has requested the Runtime to terminate it in an unusu
+al way.
Please contact the application's support team for more information.
[download]

How can I cure this?

it would help if you could come up with a small example that gives the error, and the exact platform you are on..... it now sounds like a different problem, probably unicode related..... and you probably should use strict completely, not just strict 'vars'

---

I'm not really a human, but I play one on earth.
Old Perl Programmer Haiku

Below is code that shows the problem. It has two pull down menus.
I have tried to use an array with messages for the first.
I have given the messages in [] for the second.
I have also just just 'strict'.
In both case it fails to show the message I want to see.
I am using Perl with Windows XP Professional operating system.
Therefore any clues as to what is wrong would be excellent.


use Tk;
use Tk::Balloon;
use strict ;

my ($mw);   
my (%tooltip_mes, %tooltip_status_mes, %balloon_wg, %wg, @local_option
+s, @mes_options, @sta_options, $option_resb, $option_res);

$mw = MainWindow->new(-title => "Simple example");


$local_options[0] = 'Option 1';
$local_options[1] = 'Option 2';
$local_options[2] = 'Option 3';
$local_options[3] = 'Option 4';

$mes_options[0] = "tooltip 1\nOption A";
$mes_options[1] = "tooltip 2\nOption B";
$mes_options[2] = "tooltip 3\nOption C";
$mes_options[3] = "tooltip 4\nOption D";

$wg{APullDown_Option} = $mw->Optionmenu(
                -textvariable     => \$option_res,
                -state        => 'normal',
                 -options      => [@local_options])->pack;

$wg{BPullDown_Option} = $mw->Optionmenu(
                -textvariable     => \$option_resb,
                -state        => 'normal',
                 -options      => [@local_options])->pack;

$wg{Status_Label} = $mw->Label(-borderwidth => 2, -relief => 'groove')
  ->pack(-side => 'bottom');

$balloon_wg{pulldown} = $mw->Balloon(-statusbar => $wg{Status_Label});
$balloon_wg{pulldown}->attach($wg{APullDown_Option}, -msg => [@mes_opt
+ions]);

$balloon_wg{bpulldown} = $mw->Balloon(-statusbar => $wg{Status_Label})
+;
$balloon_wg{bpulldown}->attach($wg{BPullDown_Option}, -state => 'ballo
+on',
                            -msg => ['A1', 'B2','C3', 'D4']);


MainLoop;
[download]

TK Malformed UTF-8 character continuation byte

None of the hits I checked (the first 10) had anything to do with this specific Optionmenu issue.