About Tcl/Tk


Tcl is a scripting language, much like PERL or PYTHON. Each language has its own advantages and failings. A strong point of Tcl is its close connection with the graphics toolkit, Tk. For this reason, we are using Tcl/Tk for our labware here. We are presently (April, 2000) at the revision 8.2 level, although 8.3 was recently released.

To interpret the scripts you have two choices. When you click a link to a Tcl/Tk script, *.tcl:

  • The script will play in your browser window, IF you have installed the Tcl plugin, available free from scriptics.com.
  • The script will play in its own window, IF you have installed the WISH player, available free from scriptics.com, AND chosen WISH as the helper application for files with extension *.tcl.
NOTE: If you have installed the plugin, the second option becomes more difficult: You must use the File>SaveAs option of your browser.

NOTE: As of today, 17 April 2000, only the first experiment, Lab 1, has been debugged for the plugin.

For more info on Tcl/Tk, browse:

Scriptics
Scriptics is the home base of the creator of Tcl. They sell a neat professional programming environment for Tcl/Tk, and its spawn, such as the OOP version, [incr Tcl/Tk]. It is called TclPro (we use the LINUX version).
Neosoft/Tcl
Official repository for contributed Tcl software.
Tcl/Tk Consortium
Awesome list of Tcl links.
To download the Wish interpreter from scriptics.com, click:
  • Tcl Developers Xchange
  • Download Tcl/Tk 8.3.1
  • Download
  • Windows 95/98/NT tcl831.exe (2.41MB) OR
  • Macintosh MacTk8.3.0.sea.hqx (4.77MB)
save to your hard drive, double click, and follow instructions.
Revised 18 May 2000 by Ralph Abraham