Tcl/Tk

Tcl is a full featured script programming language with a small footprint. It is available on many platforms. Tcl’s syntax looks a bit odd if you are coming from a C-like language. But in reality, it is pretty simple … Tcl is a small language and you’ll learn it fast.

Tk is a cross-platform GUI system that has been built for Tcl. Together, they form Tcl/Tk. Tk is used with many other languages (Perl, Python, Ruby, …) too.

Tclkit and Tclkitsh

Tclkit is Tcl and Tk and several libraries altogether put into one single executable. No installation is needed.

For Windows, there is also available tclkitsh.exe which contains only the command line version of Tcl and libraries as one single executable. It is among the first ten things I put onto a new computer.

Why I Use Tclkit

• Deployment nearly can’t be easier. You just have to copy the single tclkit or tclkitsh executable and your script file. I’ve used this method with my zip speed test program. You can download tclkitsh.exe from there.

• It is tiny. Tclkitsh.exe 8.5.9 is only 740 kB. Tclkit.exe,
  which contains the full Tk GUI is only 1.3 MB

• Development with tclkit is fast. No compile-run cycles.
• The GUI system is easy to handle. You don’t even need any visual
  tool to create your GUI.
• The windows cmd shell language is just terrible. That beast
  cannot even be called a language. If you don’t want to dive
  into Pwershell, Tclkit is a simple and perfect
  replacement for the windows cmd shell.
• Compared to Perl and Python, it is easier to learn,
  read and understand.
• It is perfect for doing file operations in your build process.
• It is perfect for controlling other executables,
  e.g. in your build process. In fact, Tcl has been built
  with the main target to be a language to control other executables.

Example 1: Check If Drive Is Available

I do my backups onto an external USB drive. The backup program is controlled via the Windows Task Scheduler. For security reasons, this drive is usually not connected. This means, before the backup program can do its work, I have to manually connect the drive.

I’ve written a small Tcl/Tk program to check if the drive is available and to inform me that I should connect it if it’s not.

This is the Tcl/Tk Script. With graphical interface and bells.