Tcl/Tk in a Nutshell

The Tcl language and Tk graphical toolkit are simple and powerful building blocks for custom applications. The Tcl/Tk combination is increasingly popular because it lets you produce sophisticated graphical interfaces with a few easy commands, develop and change scripts quickly, and conveniently tie together existing utilities or programming libraries.

One of the attractive features of Tcl/Tk is the wide variety of commands, many offering a wealth of options. Most of the things you'd like to do have been anticipated by the language's creator, John Ousterhout, or by one of the developers of Tcl/Tk's many powerful extensions. Thus, you'll find that a command or option probably exists to provide just what you need.

And that's why it's valuable to have a quick reference that briefly describes every command and option in the core Tcl/Tk distribution as well as the most popular extensions. Keep this book on your desk as you write scripts, and you'll be able to find almost instantly the particular option you need.

Most chapters consist of alphabetical listings. Since Tk and mega-widget packages break down commands by widget, the chapters on these topics are organized by widget along with a section of core commands where appropriate. Contents include:

• Core Tcl and Tk commands and Tk widgets
• C interface (prototypes)
• Expect
• [incr Tcl] and [incr Tk]
• Tix
• TclX
• BLT
• Oratcl, SybTcl, and Tclodbc

1. Introduction
• What Is Tcl?
• Structure of This Book
2. Tcl Core Commands
• Overview
• Basic Language Features
• Command-Line Options
• Environment Variables
• Special Variables
• Backslash Substitutions
• Operators and Math Functions
• Regular Expressions
• Pattern Globbing
• Predefined I/O Channel Identifiers
• Group Listing of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
3. Tk Core Commands
• Example
• Command-Line Options
• Environment Variable
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Tk Commands
• Widget Overview
• Widget Commands
• Utility Commands
4. The Tcl C Interface
• Constants
• Data Types
• Group Listing of Functions
• Alphabetical Summary of Functions
5. The Tk C Interface
• Constants
• Data Types
• Group Listings of Functions
• Alphabetical Summary of Functions
6. Expect
• Overview
• Example
• Command-Line Options
• Environment Variables
• Special Variables
• Grouped Summary of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
7. [incr Tcl]
• Basic Class Definition
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Commands
• Example
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
8. [incr Tk]
• Basic Structure of a Mega-widget
• Special Variable
• Methods and Variables
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
9. Tix
• Tix Overview
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Tix Commands
• Tix Mega-widget Overview
• Tix Mega-widgets
• Tix Standard Widgets Overview
• Tix Standard Widgets
• Tix Core Commands
• Tix Extensions to Tk image Command
10. TclX
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
11. BLT
• Environment Variable
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
12. Oratcl
• Overview
• Example
• Environment Variables
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
13. Sybtcl
• Overview
• Example
• Environment Variables
• Special Variables
• Group Listing of Commands
• Alphabetical Summary of Commands
14. Tclodbc
• Overview
• Group Listing of Commands
• Summary of Commands
15. Hints and Tips for the Tcl Programmer
• Think Commands, Not Statements
• Comments Are Treated as Commands
• A Symbolic Gesture
• Lists Are Strings, but Not All Strings Are Lists
• Indirect References
• Executing Other Programs
• When Is a Number Not a Number?
• Quoting and More Quoting
• Write Once, Run Where?
• Common Tk Errors
• Use the Source, Luke!

1. Tcl Resources

You're guaranteed not to learn Tcl/Tk from this book. It tries to cover too much material.