Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] EMC/Tcl Programming help

Paul wrote:

>Hi Jon
>
>That's a little unfair towards tcl... Unlike many languages, tcl can be
>extended by the addition of a number of libraries - For example, Tk provides
>a range of widgets and containers ideally suited to creating graphical user
>interfaces. Vtk extends the system even further by providing 3D manipulation
>and rendering functions.
>

By primitive, I meant the methods for passing parameters, the ability to
create
code with extremely subtle bugs that can be maddening to debug, and some
things
like that. It most definitely is extensible, and without the Tk and a
few other
libraries would be nearly useless.

>
>Agreed, the syntax may be a little odd if you are not use to the language, but
>so is python or perl.. If you really want to, you could use C++ and call the
>Tcl/Tk libraries directly...
>
>

I've done this (an age ago) and after building a combined Tcl/Tk - C++
application
at work, I'm not sure it would have been any harder to do it all in
c++. But, the
Tk does a VAST amount of thinking for you in assembling the screen
presentation,
much like an html browser pulls together fonts and images and builds a
web page
according to the rules on your system. Sometimes this "thinking" is
maddeningly
impeding your desire to get it to look just a certain way, but if you
don't mind the
decisions it is going to make on how to pack the widgets into the full
window, then
it is not too bad. There is DEFINITELY some getting used to in how to
structure
things, express algebraic manipulations, and deal with calling hierarchy
and variable
scope.

Jon