Tcl/Tk for Real Programmers

Tcl/Tk (Tool Command Language/Tool Kit) makes it easy to create and implement testing, network, system administration, and user applications to run under Unix, Linux, Windows 95 and NT, or on the Macintosh — all without modifications and in less time than you'd believe possible. A glue language, a visual applications programming language, a scripting language, and an extensible language core, Tcl&Tk offers cross-platform capabilities and fulfills a variety of functions to complete your programming objectives with simplicity, power, and ease. Written from a programmer's perspective, Tcl/Tk for Real Programmers describes how to use this tool in standard programming constructs and details its unique language features such as associative arrays and Tcl namespaces. The discussions of development tools, techniques, and Tcl extensions (including how to build them) show how to use Tcl/Tk effectively so that readers can take advantage of Tcl/Tk's strengths.

Tcl/Tk for Real Programmers is the complete resource for computer professionals from systems analysts to programmers interested in writing Tcl/Tk code. It covers versions up to 8.1 and includes a CD-ROM containing the interpreters, libraries, and tutorials to get a newcomer started quickly, with extra chapters including case studies and discussions of techniques for the advanced user. Other features include:

• Explanations of how to use Tk to construct GUI interfaces and build Tk megawidgets in the text
• Tcl development tools and popular extensions within the book
• Tips and techniques for the advanced user

The accompanying CR-ROM contains all the examples from the book, multiple Tcl tutorials, reference papers, packages, and extensions for Tcl versions 7.6, 8.0. and 8.1. Bonus chapters include real-life case studies of Tcl/Tk applications. See the appendices for a complete description of the CD-ROM's contents and extra chapters.

• Tcl/Tk: GUI Programming for a Gooey World
• Introduction
• Where to Get More Information
1. Why Tcl/Tk?
1. Tcl Overview
2. Tcl as a Command Glue Language
3. Tcl as a General-Purpose Interpreter
4. Tcl as an Extensible Interpreter
5. Tcl as an Embeddable Interpreter
6. Tcl as a Rapid Development Tool
7. GUI-Based Programming
8. Shipping Products
9. Bottom Line
2. The Mechanics of Using the TCL and Tk Interpreters
1. The tclsh and wish Intyerpreters
2. Using tclsh/wish Interactively
3. Evaluating Tcl Script Files
4. Bottom Line
3. Introduction to the Tcl Language
1. Overview of the Basics
2. Data Types
3. Tcl Commands
4. Input/Output in Tcl
5. Bottom Line
4. Tcl Code Examples
1. Pop Client
2. Command Evaluation and Substitutions
3. Looking for a Needle in a Haystack
4. Speed
5. Bottom Line
5. Using Lists and Arrays
1. Using the Tcl List
2. Using the Associative Array
3. New Commands
4. Trees in Tcl
5. Tree Package Implementation
6. Using the Tree Package
7. Speed Considerations
8. Bottom Line
6. Procedure Techniques
1. Arguments to Procedures
2. Renaming or Deleting Commands
3. Getting Information about Procedures
4. Substitution and Evaluation of Strings
5. Working with GTlobal and Local Scopes
6. Making a Tcl Object
7. Bottom Line
7. Namespaces and Packages
1. Namespaces and Scoping Rules
2. Packages
3. A Tree Object Package with Namespaces
4. Bottom Line
8. Introduction to Tk Graphics
1. Creating a Widget
2. Conventions
3. Common Options
4. Determining and Setting Options
5. The Basic Widget
6. Introducing Widgets: label, button, and entry
7. Widget Layout: frame, place, pack, and grid
8. Selection Widgets: radiobutton, checkbutton, menu, and listbox
9. Scrollbar
10. The scale Widget
11. New Windows
12. Interacting with the Event Loop
13. Scheduling the Future; after
14. Bottom Line
9. The canvas Widget, Images, and Events
1. Overview of the canvas Widget
2. Creating a canvas
3. Creating Displayable Canvas Items
4. More Canvas Widget Subcommands
5. The bind and focus Commands
6. Creating a Widget
7. The image Object
8. Bottom Line
10. The text Widget and html_library
1. Overview of the text Widget
2. Creating a text Widget
3. Text Widget Subcommands
4. HTML Display Package
5. Bottom Line
11. Tk Megawidgets
1. Styandard Dialog Widgets
2. Megawidget Building Philosophy
3. Building a Megawidget Library
4. A Scrolling Listbox Megawidget
5. Incorporating a Megawidget into a larger Megawidget
6. Making a Modal Megawidgget: The grab Command
7. A Different Technique for Building gMegawidgets
8. Bottom Line
12. Writing a Tcl Extension
1. Overview
2. Building an Extension
3. An Example
4. Complex Data
5. Bottom Line
13. Extensions and Packages
1. [incr Tcl]
2. Expect
3. TclX
4. VS Packagge
5. Sybtcl and Oratcl
6. BLT
7. Graphics Extensions: Img and Dash-Patch
8. Bottom Line
14. Programming Tools
1. Code Formatters
2. Code Checkers
3. Debugging
4. GUI Generators
5. Tcl Compilers
6. Packaging Tools
7. Tcl Extension Generator: SWIG
8. Bottom Line
15. Tips and Techniques
1. Debugging Techniques
2. Tcl as a Glue Language: The exec command
3. Common Mistakes
4. Coding Tips and Techniques
5. Bottom Line

1. Introduction to the CD-ROM
1. How Do I Find Those Extra Goodies?
2. Acknowledgements
2. Installing Tcl/Tk Distributions
1. Installing Tcl/Tk on a Macintosh
2. Installing Tcl/Tk on Windows 95 or Windows NT
3. Installing Tcl/Tk on Ubix/Linux Systems
3. Installing Tcl/Tk Extensions
1. BLT
2. dash
3. Expect
4. Img
5. incr_tcl
6. oratcl
7. plus
8. sybtcl
9. TclX
4. Installing Tcl/Tk Packages
1. Installing the vs Package
2. TkCon
3. Frink
4. TclCruncher
5. tclcheck
6. tclparse
7. tcl-debug
8. Tuba
9. TDebug
10. SpecTcl
11. SWIG
12. megaWidget
5. Bonus Book and Tutorials
1. Accessing the Real World Tcl Chapters
2. Accessing the Tutorials
3. TclTutor
4. Accessing the Extra Documentation

A pretty decent programmers book, but it is a bit too long.